Nature Of The Self Session 1 - Self Exploration

Listen to Ektaji's meditation on Ramana Maharshri's teachings on the Nature of the Self. This meditation guides us to be with the sense of being, devoid of thinking and analysis - simply diving deep into ourselves.

Transcript

Salaam.

Salaam.

Salaam.

Welcome to Ramana Maharshi's chapter from the book Be As You Are.

Name of the chapter is The Nature of the Self.

In this particular session,

We are going to start with the self-exploration.

What is self-exploration?

Self-exploration can be treated like a meditation but you do not go to sleep or get lost in a trance or get lost in the pleasantness of it.

No.

That is not what a self-exploration is.

Self-exploration is the English translation of the Sanskrit word atma-vichara,

You know,

Or inner self-investigation.

Yeah,

Atma-vichara.

So what is atma-vichara?

Even if my eyes are closed,

With my eyes closed,

I am really exploring my inner environment.

I am exploring the body,

The mind and going beyond the body and mind.

So for that I have to be 100% alert,

100% awake.

I cannot go to sleep,

I cannot get lost in a trance and I cannot get lost in,

I am in bliss and the pleasantness of words.

No.

Then you are not doing atma-vichara.

Yes,

Atma-vichara is where I am 100% alert.

I will be asking you questions and those questions are specially designed for inner exploration.

So see if you can reach the answer before it tuggles the answer in the next sentence.

Very clear,

What is a self-exploration?

In other words,

It's a self-inquiry.

First part of it will be done with eyes open and then we will close our eyes.

Sri Ramana Maharshi,

He taught only one wisdom,

The nature of the self.

That's it.

He did not teach anything else.

If you have read the introduction of the book,

You already know a little bit about him.

He got enlightened as a teenager,

Very young boy.

He was devoid of the conditioning of scriptures that you have all read.

He never went into scriptures or to a guru or to anybody.

It was a sudden enlightenment.

So in that sudden enlightenment,

He tasted the self and he recognized it.

And that moment the person died.

What is the meaning of the person?

Body,

Mind,

Intellect,

Memory and ego.

This is what constitutes the person.

In Sanskrit,

It is called jiva.

We identify with the body,

Mind,

Intellect,

Memory and ego and think this is who I am.

We think this jiva is who I am.

During Ramana Maharshi's enlightenment,

He realized,

Oh I am not this jiva.

I am beyond this jiva.

Means I am beyond the body,

Beyond the mind,

Beyond the intellect,

Beyond the memory and even beyond that which says I.

I is the ego.

And he saw this in his own atma vichara,

In his own self exploration.

So we will now attempt a mini self exploration like Ramana Maharshi.

Yes,

Everybody is ready for that.

Then we'll talk a little more about Ramana Maharshi after the self exploration.

First part of the self exploration,

We will do with eyes open.

Then I'll give you the instruction to close your eyes.

Do not make any notes during the self exploration.

Keep your book and pen aside.

Just sit comfortably.

We do this very innocently.

Ramana Maharshi was 14 years old when he got enlightened.

Okay.

Let's take our mind back to that innocent age when I was very simple,

Innocent,

Devoid of conditioning and I had not read any scriptures.

I was very simple,

Very innocent,

Childlike.

Like that.

With that innocence,

With that love for our own self.

That's how we begin the atma vichara,

Self exploration.

So sit comfortably easily and simply look around your room.

Look around the room,

Dropping all names and forms.

How a baby would look around.

A baby does not know names and forms.

Innocently,

Simply.

Recognize that you are perceiving through the sense of sight.

This is called perception of sight.

And you are perceiving so called physical objects,

Whatever objects are there in your room.

You're perceiving them through the sense of sight.

Now let's close our eyes.

When the eyes are closed,

You are perceiving the absence of the same physical objects.

Again,

Let's test this again.

Open our eyes.

This is perception of the presence of physical objects.

Perception of sight.

Presence of physical objects.

Now close your eyes.

Perception of absence of physical objects.

Let's keep the eyes closed now.

I can perceive the presence of physical objects.

It means I am the subject.

I,

The subject,

Was perceiving the presence of objects and now I am perceiving the absence of objects.

Subject and object are always different.

Subject and object are not the same.

This means I am separate from perception of sight.

I am separate from that which I can perceive.

Do you recognize that you are separate from perception of sight?

Do you recognize that you are the subject?

And whatever images you saw,

Whatever shapes you saw,

Whatever forms you saw with eyes open,

They were objects.

You are the subject and they are objects.

They are perception of sight.

Similarly,

You can hear a voice and you can hear certain words.

I can perceive sound so I am separate from the perception of sound.

If there is a smell in your surrounding,

A perfume of fragrance or a foul smell,

I can perceive the smell.

So I am separate from the perception of smell.

Your body is touching the chair on which you are sitting.

I can perceive touch so I am separate from the perception of touch.

Notice if there is a taste in your mouth,

Even if it is a bland taste.

I can perceive taste so I am separate from the perception of taste.

I am not perceptions.

Perceptions are not who I am.

Let's take our attention to the body.

Maybe you are feeling cool or warm.

Take your attention to that coolness or warmth sensation.

Maybe there is pain somewhere or some discomfort in the body.

Pain or discomfort are also sensations.

Take your attention to the sensations.

Maybe there is a growling sensation in the stomach.

Maybe somewhere it is itching.

These are all physical sensations.

I can perceive the sensations.

It means I am the subject and the physical sensations are the object.

I,

The subject,

Am perceiving the object.

Subject and object are always different.

This means that I am not the physical sensations.

The physical body is nothing but this mass of sensations.

I can perceive the entire mass of sensations from the top of the head all the way to the toes.

Take your attention from the top of the head.

Slowly all the way to the toes.

Take your attention from the tips of the toes all the way to the top of the head.

I can perceive this entire physical body from top to bottom,

From bottom to top.

What does that mean?

It means that I am not the body.

How can I be that which I can perceive?

If I can perceive something,

It is definitely separate from me.

Ask yourself the question,

Do you recognize that I am not the body?

Now let's take our attention beyond the body.

What is that beyond the physical sensations?

Can you go beyond?

To go beyond we have to just refrain from indulging in the physical sensation.

Observe certain thoughts,

Certain feelings.

Whatever thoughts arise and fall,

Observe them.

If your head is falling that means you are sleeping,

Sit up straight.

What is there beyond the physical sensations?

Can you notice the thoughts arise and fall?

I can perceive these thoughts,

It means I am the subject and these thoughts are the object.

I the subject am perceiving the object.

Subject and object are always different,

Not the same.

This means that I am not the thoughts.

I am not even the feelings that are arising and falling.

Because I can see something arise and fall,

It means I am separate from it.

The mind is nothing but these thoughts and feelings.

I can perceive the entire mind.

If I can perceive the mind,

It means I am not the mind.

So far we have realized I am not the body.

Because I can perceive the entire mass of sensations called physical body.

How can I be what I am perceiving?

It has to be separate from me.

I am not the mind because I can perceive the contents of this mind.

I can perceive thoughts and feelings arise and fall,

Arise and fall.

Naturally I am separate from what I can perceive.

I am not the body,

I am not the mind.

So if I am not the body and I am not the mind,

I am not these thoughts and feelings,

I am not sensations.

I am not even the world of perception,

Of sight,

Sound,

Taste and smell.

What am I?

Who am I?

Let's look beyond.

Look beyond the sensations of the body,

Look beyond the thoughts,

Look beyond the feelings.

Reject what you are not now.

Now you've understood I am not sensations,

I am not perceptions.

I am not thoughts,

I am not feelings.

Reject what you are not.

And go beyond.

Are you able to recognize that I am not able to look beyond?

There is just a sense of no-thing-ness here.

It's just an emptiness.

Why am I not able to perceive anything here the way I could perceive at the physical and mental levels?

At the physical level I could perceive the sensation.

At the mental level I could perceive the thought and feelings.

When I look beyond sensations,

Thoughts and feelings,

There is no thing there.

It's a space of no-thing-ness.

Why is it that I cannot perceive anything here?

Just like the two eyes on the face cannot see themselves but can see the entire world.

Similarly,

I,

This no-thing-ness,

I,

The perceiver,

Can perceive all physical and mental objects but I cannot perceive myself.

I cannot see myself but I can sense myself.

Oh,

This is what I am.

This no-thing-ness.

This emptiness.

I can just sense myself being.

That is why it is called the sense of being.

The sense of I am.

Now explore this no-thing-ness.

Is it a dead emptiness or is it alive?

You will notice it is alive and conscious.

My nature is absolute emptiness and no-thing-ness but that no-thing is not dead.

It is alive.

It is conscious in itself.

It is like an empty background in which suddenly a thought pops up,

Suddenly a feeling comes up,

Suddenly a sensation appears,

Suddenly a perception appears and suddenly they all disappear also.

All perception starts feeling sincere.

All perceptions,

Thoughts,

Feelings,

Sensations arise and they fall away.

They are continuously changing but this emptiness,

This background of no-thing-ness is permanent.

Do you notice when there are no thoughts,

Feelings,

Sensations and perceptions there is just an emptiness,

A quietness there?

This background is itself the sense of being,

The sense of existing.

In Sanskrit it is called sattva.

In the absence of any mental and physical objects there is a quietness,

There is just the quiet sense of existing.

In Hindi language kone ka essence.

In Sanskrit satt.

It is the sense of being.

Keep your eyes closed and just be with the sense of being.

Notice when a thought comes up or a sensation comes up then what happens?

The same background knows that there is a sensation,

Knows that there is a thought.

That is the moment the satt changes to chid.

Chid means that which knows,

That which is conscious of something.

So when there is a perception,

Sensation,

Thought or feeling to know,

At that time the background knows.

It is conscious of it.

It is called consciousness or chid.

When thoughts,

Feelings,

Sensations,

Perceptions just fall and there is just a quietness then the background has nothing to know and the knowingness collapses and it is just a state of being.

That is called sattva.

Do you notice that this background is devoid of any pain or pleasure?

You can nod your head.

It's an Atma Vichara.

Do you notice that this background is devoid of excitement?

Do you recognize that this background is devoid of depression?

It is a straight line of equanimity,

Of peace.

This is called Ananda.

I am satchitananda.

I am the self.

I am the consciousness.

I am the knowingness.

In fact,

I am knowledge itself.

Just be in that knowingness,

In that emptiness.

In that knowingness,

When a thought or feeling,

Sensation arises,

That is called the waking state.

When there is no thought,

No feeling,

No sensation to disturb,

When you are absolutely in quietness,

That is akin to the deep sleep state,

Absence of physical and mental objects,

The deep sleep state.

Everything arises in me and everything falls back into me.

I,

The knowingness,

Am that quiet silent background.

In fact,

I am the center around which everything revolves.

I am the heart of everything.

The most important Atma Vichara to do.

Can you find an I there?

Look for the one that said,

I am the satchitananda.

Can you find the I?

Look,

Look,

Go within.

Follow the I.

Can you find a localized I there?

Does the knowingness speak and say,

I am knowingness?

If you follow the I,

You will notice that I drops.

It disappears into the knowingness.

That is the absolute reality that is devoid of a personal I.

It is devoid of a separate individual self.

So this knowingness,

This emptiness is actually a feel.

A feel devoid of a personal I.

It is a universal feel.

There is no I there.

It is more of an us,

A universal feel.

That is absolute reality.

Thank you.

Thank you.