Self Inquiry 10 - Self Enquiry Theory

Listen to Ektaji talk about Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry teachings. These teachings are aimed at the experiential understanding of the true nature of the self and that consciousness is the only existing reality.

Transcript

Salaam.

Salaam.

Salaam.

Salaam.

It is said that the self is beyond the mind and yet the realization is with the mind.

The mind cannot think it,

It cannot be thought of by the mind and the mind alone can realize it.

How are these contradictions to be reconciled?

Atman or absolute awareness is realized with Mrita Manas.

Mrita Manas is dead mind.

Did you understand that?

When you move in,

First the mind has to die for you to really experience that peace,

That awareness.

Without the mind dying it's impossible to experience this awareness.

When the mind dies you experience that awareness,

That calmness then the mind comes back and gives all the beautiful flowery description.

But for this flowery description what had to happen?

The mind had to die for that one second,

Two seconds,

However long you experienced the pure awareness.

That is the meaning of Mrita Manas.

That is mind devoid of thoughts and turned inwards.

Then the mind sees its own source and becomes that,

The absolute awareness.

It is not as the subject perceiving an object.

When the room is dark a lamp is necessary to illumine and eyes to cognize objects.

But when the sun has risen there is no need of a lamp to see objects.

To see the sun no lamp is necessary.

It is enough that you turn your eyes towards the self luminous sun.

Similarly with the mind to see objects the reflected light of the mind is necessary.

To see the heart it is enough that the mind is turned towards it.

Then mind loses itself and heart shines forth.

So simple,

So beautifully explained.

All you need to do is just turn inwards.

That's it.

You don't have to do anything else.

How can it be so simple?

What was I doing until now?

It's like looking for the glasses.

I keep my glasses over here and I'm looking and wasting one hour and then I realize it's right here.

You put it right here.

Sometimes you're wearing your glasses and you're looking for them.

Why did I keep my glasses?

They're right on your eyes.

I'm wearing my glasses.

The essence of mind is only awareness or consciousness.

When the ego however dominates it,

It functions as the reasoning,

Thinking or sensing faculty.

In the cosmic mind being not limited by the ego has nothing separate from itself and is therefore only aware.

This is what the bible means by I am that I am.

When the mind perishes in the supreme consciousness of one's own absolute awareness,

Know that all the various powers,

Beginning with the power of liking and including the power of doing and the power of knowing,

Will entirely disappear being found to be an unreal imagination appearing in one's own form of consciousness.

The impure mind which functions as thinking and forgetting alone is samsara which is the cycle of birth and death.

The real I in which the activity of thinking and forgetting has perished alone is the pure liberation.

It is devoid of pramada or forgetfulness of absolute awareness which is the cause of birth and death.

Got it?

Such a shortcut to get out of the cycle of birth and death.

A shortcut to get out of samsara.

Just be established in the awareness again and again and again.

Every spiritual practice that you did had only this goal to get you there.

After you breathe a little while,

Automatically you get pushed there and you stay there.

But you got so lost in your mind,

Even with breathing,

You're thinking.

This becomes so mechanical.

Now you're not going to that silence behind.

You start using a mantra.

You become so smart,

You're cunning ego,

Even while taking the mantra is thinking about another person.

Oh,

I can multitask,

You know,

I'm superb.

That's how you're doing your mantra.

Are you seeing this?

You're doing japa.

You're doing japa on one hand and you're criticizing somebody else on the other hand.

Everything is going on multitasking.

So you're not getting where you were supposed to get really.

Yeah.

Any sound is not taking you to that silence.

It's not allowing you to go to that glimpse anymore.

So now you're being told the path.

This is what it is.

Every spiritual practice was aimed to take you there.

Now we've not got there through any of the practices.

This is the last part.

The correct description of what is the means,

How to get there.

It is awareness.

This is the direct path.

We are not using a crutch anymore.

Till now you used a crutch.

Either breath or mantra or japa or this bhajan or that bhajan or this satsang or that knowledge,

This name,

That God's name,

This mala,

That rosary.

All crutches are dropped.

The final goal where you drop the crutches and you just now walk.

Yes.

The last part of the journey.

It's very simple.

Out of the cycle of birth and death.

The only way out is dropping the eye.

If I keep picking up the eye means I have a very impure mind.

There's lots of identification.

There's lots of attachment.

I have to still learn to drop these attachments.

Still drop,

Drop,

Drop,

Drop,

Drop.

And when I learned to just be in that pureness,

That being,

Without any labels,

Without any names,

Just being,

That is liberation.

Clear?

How is the ego to be destroyed?

Hold the ego first and then ask how it is to be destroyed.

Who asks the question?

It is the ego.

This question is a sure way to cherish the ego and not to kill it.

You're feeding it.

No.

You are just going into more logical analysis.

Keep feeding,

Keep feeding.

You're going to be in the same boat.

If you seek the ego,

You will find that it does not exist.

That is the way to destroy it.

Seek.

Find this ego.

Who are you?

Who asked this question?

Turn.

Who was this?

Who asked this question?

Instead of asking each other question outside,

Ask yourself.

Who asked this question?

Dissolve,

Let go,

Drop,

Drop,

Drop,

Drop.

It's very simple to get this.

It's my only attachments that stop me from dropping.

It's my only attachments that make me cling on to my ideas,

My concepts,

My people,

My beliefs,

My,

My,

My,

My,

My,

My.

You're getting this.

This needs to be.

Your ego keeps doing this and you keep doing this and ego keeps doing this.

You keep doing this.

Are you seeing the struggle?

Yeah.

You just completely let go and just be.

Just be.

Then stage two is complete.

Today you have to only practice being.

Talk less.

How much you chit chat?

Two minutes I give you restroom break.

You have to ask where did you buy that stupid dress from?

You don't even care about the person's dress or clothes.

You have to just talk.

Who's talking?

Ego.

Recognize it.

Turn.

Who just wanted to ask this stupid question to him or her?

Is it required?

Who's asking?

Watch this collapse.

When somebody starts nonsense topics,

You also start.

Yeah.

Again and again.

It's a practice.

It's an open-eyed daily practice.

You look within.

Who just wants to ask this question?

Who wants to talk?

What is the recipe?

Not that you're really interested in that recipe.

You just want to make conversation.

Who just wanted to ask this recipe?

Go in.

Eat in silence.

Be in silence.

It doesn't matter.

Let the other person also realize that he just started unnecessary self-talk.

Before it came to the lips,

Where did it go on for 10 minutes?

That person went on and on and on and on and on and on revising.

10 times revising and then it came to the lips.

Have you noticed?

You do the same,

No?

Just who am I?

Again and again there.

Again and again there.

Your next task can only happen in silence.

Knowing the substance that this consciousness is made of can only happen in silence.

Otherwise you won't know the answer if you keep talking.

So keep going there.

Keep going there and figure it out.

What is the substance out of which this awareness is made?

Very clear?

How is realization made possible?

There is an absolute self or absolute awareness from which a spark proceeds as from a fire.

The spark is called the ego.

In the case of an ignorant man,

It identifies itself with an object simultaneously with its rise.

It cannot remain independent of such association with objects.

The association is agnana or ignorance and its destruction is the object of our efforts.

If its objectifying tendency is killed,

It remains pure and also merges into the source.

The wrong identification with the body is dehathma buddhi.

I am the body idea.

This must go before good results follow.

He is saying it's from the awareness only the spark of ego comes and starts identifying.

Every time you see there is identification with something my idea,

My concepts,

My this,

I this,

My this inwards again and again inwards again and again inwards.

This will cut off.

This cuts off that God.

This nonsense stops.

It's not important.

Your problem is you think it's important to think about this right?

It's not.

Drop this importance.

There is only one important thing.

Who am I?

Just being in that awareness again and again when you are there,

This God gets cut off and this external chit chat drops off.

Yeah.

Why this is happening is because of the dehathma buddhi.

You keep thinking I am the body.

It's not intellectual.

It's a feeling.

It's an I sense.

You have this feeling.

I am the body and this is the wife.

This is the child.

This is whatever this is the house.

This is the car and all these belong to the body.

So the I and mine keeps coming up.

Like that only my concepts,

My thoughts,

My ideas,

Who do they belong to and who is this I am thinking here is this body.

I have the dehathma buddhi.

I'm not even aware that I have the dehathma buddhi.

I'm not even aware because I have made myself believe no,

No,

I don't think I am the body.

Other people think.

But if you didn't have the dehathma buddhi,

You wouldn't have the attachment to your kith and kin,

Your family members.

You have that right?

That means you have dehathma buddhi because your child is only child of this body.

Yeah,

Previous lifetime,

Previous body,

Different child,

Different parent,

Different family members.

So if you have attachment right now,

It is because you have attachment to this body and you consider yourself as this body.

This is called dehathma buddhi.

It is hidden.

Intellectually you have made yourself fake belief.

I think I am not the body.

Because I have read in this scripture and I have read in that scripture.

But really,

Really it's hidden somewhere under that fake belief.

Because it's fake,

No?

It's not real yet.

You've just heard somebody else say it.

You've heard Ashtabukra say it.

It's not become your experience yet.

Are you seeing it?

Yeah?

That is why attachment to those people,

Those who belong to this body,

Of this body.

Very clear,

Dehathma buddhi and very simple also.

Yeah,

Very difficult to accept but especially because you've been walking on the path so long and for so long you have made yourself believe that no,

No,

I am not the body.

I know this.

I am not the mind.

I know this.

I am the soul.

You have held on to something.

Your I am the soul is also dehathma buddhi.

It's all hidden.

It's the wolf in that red riding hood's clothes.

Recognize this.

Wake up to this.

When you have the courage to face this,

You will be able to just drop everything and be in awareness.

Till the time there is attachment here or identification here,

You will not be able to drop and go here.

Because this tendency,

How will this stop,

No?

I have to recognize first that this is a futile tendency.

When I recognize this is futile,

Then I can rest.

Very clear?

Yeah.

That's why he says this must go before good results follow.

Otherwise,

Good results cannot follow.

You cannot say I will get enlightened and still have attachment to my wife,

My child,

My house,

My money,

My this,

My that.

It doesn't go together.

They cannot walk hand in hand.

Very,

Very clear.

Yeah.

Dhru dhe hathma buddhi has the translation of deha but atma,

I,

The identification with the body.

Yeah,

It's something that is very ingrained in me.

That is the real reason why you are in body.

Otherwise,

You wouldn't even take a birth and be in body.

You are in body.

It itself means that you have this attachment to existence.

You have a craving to exist.

Yeah,

Recognize that craving.

That's another offshoot of the heart.

The I in its purity is experienced in intervals between the two states or two thoughts.

Did you notice this?

That's why I keep telling you in between two thoughts,

You will find it in the gap.

That's why we had the gap meditation long ago.

Yeah,

Right somewhere between two thoughts,

Somewhere between your two states,

Two emotions,

You will have a little gap where you're neither here nor there.

There you could be in awareness.

Ego is like that caterpillar which leaves its hold only after catching another.

Its true nature can be found when it is out of contact with objects or thoughts.

Very simple.

This ghostly ego which is devoid of form comes into existence by grasping a form.

Thought is a form.

Feeling is a form.

Sensation is a form.

Perception is a form.

Though we think,

Oh these are not forms,

They have a form.

Yes,

It's the form of a mind object.

They're called mind objects.

Yeah,

So thoughts,

Feelings,

Perceptions,

Emotions,

Sensations,

All these arise inside me.

These are all forms.

So this ghostly ego which is devoid of form comes into existence by grasping a form.

Grasping a form it endures.

Feeding upon forms which it grasps,

It waxes more.

Waxes means increases more.

Leaving one form,

It grasps another form.

But when sought for,

It takes to flight.

Means it runs away.

It's not there.

The moment you start looking,

Who am I?

What happens?

There's total silence inside.

There's nothing.

You can't find an answer.

Yeah?

For some time you're looking,

Looking,

Looking,

Nothing,

Nothing.

Came up with the answer,

Nothing is there.

No answer.

I don't know.

That's how you answer the question.

If you answer the question,

I am soul,

Where did the answer come from?

The mind.

You're still here.

You're still not turned inwards.

Did you get it?

So check,

Check,

Huh?

Keep a check on yourself.

Does it drop when the belongingness increases?

So in other way around also.

Yeah,

We can say it becomes quieter and quieter and quieter and quieter and quieter.

Because now I've learnt not to indulge in self talk.

Self talk was my only problem.

There is no real problem.

The only real problem is self talk.

I like to talk to myself and I go on and on and on and on and on and on.

And I will talk like the president of America as if things depend on me talking to myself.

That's how I talk to myself.

Well,

Nonsense talks you talk to yourself and it goes on and on and on with this constant turning inwards.

This unnecessary talk to yourself stops.

It becomes quieter and quieter and quieter and quieter and quieter and quieter.

Then you become the master.

The mind becomes the slave.

Use it as a tool only when required.

Now you come back.

The self talk does not pull me because I have stopped feeding it till now.

I was feeding it because I was ignorant.

I thought it's OK.

It's normal.

Everybody does self talk.

It's abnormal.

Recognize this.

You are sick.

Yeah,

You are sick and you've come to Dr.

Ramana.

Now the doctor is telling you drop the self talk.

It's unhealthy.

You have a disease and you need to be treated.

So you drop the self talk.

However important you thought the self talk is,

It's not healthy.

So the mind will automatically become quieter and quieter and quieter and quieter and then it is something that I can use as a tool.

Because I have strengthened my awareness and weaken this mind.

If you keep strengthening your mind and not do the awareness practice,

What will happen?

You'll never be able to do it.

Yeah,

That's how you stay raw.

You never become ripe.

Because you're not ready to make that effort.

You become ready to make that effort.

I don't give in to self talk again and again.

Who wanted to know?

Who asked this question?

Who am I?

Again and again turn inwards.

Yes,

If there's no other question,

Am I aware?

Get it?

You strengthen your awareness and from there you will see that peace percolating onto the foreground.

Yeah.

Requires a lot of courage from your side.

Yes,

You have to become this passionate about all the self talk that you do.

Then only it happens.

Very clear?

Only if that first person,

The ego in the form,

I am the body exists,

Will the second and third persons,

You,

He,

They,

Etc.

Exist.

If by one scrutinizing the truth of the first person,

The first person is destroyed,

The second and third persons will cease to exist and one's own nature which will then shine as one will truly be the state of absolute awareness.

Very simple.

Once I drops,

You drops,

They drop.

Yeah,

The I is the problem.

The moment I have thoughts,

I want to know,

I want to talk about him.

Oh,

She said this to me.

Then this happened.

Then I said this to her.

From I,

I went to you.

And I went to,

Oh,

Then they were also there in the room and then I've gone on and on in my own self talk.

Are you seeing this right now?

I've not even started talking to anybody in my head.

I'm doing the whole revision of the previous drama.

This whole thing needs to be cut off.

And you can't just cut off they or you,

You have to cut off I because all this comes as a package deal.

I brings you and they.

You get it simple.

No,

This is not tough to understand,

Right?

Yeah,

I have to cut off this together.

So I have to cut it off at I.

Very clear.

The thought I am this body of flesh and blood is the one thread on which are strung the various other thoughts.

Read it very carefully on the body are strung.

Thoughts I getting it.

Because mind is really not existent.

It is all there on your own body.

You have the heart.

That is why there is so much attachment to that which is of this body.

Child of this body.

Spouse of this body.

Parent of this body.

Yeah,

Family member of this body.

House of this body.

Money of this body.

Title of this body.

Are you getting it?

So all the thoughts are strung where?

To the body.

All these are thoughts.

House money wife husband child.

Right now in my head,

These are all thoughts my attachments.

They are strung to this body.

I getting it lot of the hadma buddhi happening here.

It's not intellectual.

You can't just say intellectually to yourself.

Okay.

I'm not the body.

I'm not the mind.

I understand is that good enough.

You saw where it got you how many years ago you did a star gita.

Two three four five six years ago.

Same boat.

What's the point of?

Faking it to yourself experience it Ramana says.

Experience it recognizing who I'm still stuck in off the body.

That is why the thought I comes then you comes then they comes.

Cut it off right at I.

Again and again turn inwards again and again inwards again and again inwards.

Again and again a zillion times inwards.

Be silent.

Be silent.

Be silent.

Yeah.

They are.

How do you say?

Very nice.

Now who brought this question up?

Who wants to do Seva?

Seva is serving the ego.

Have you realized this read the blog?

Who wants to do the Seva turn inwards?

Only one thing experience.

Drop the logic drop the analysis drop the chow chow chow chow chow.

Again and again in again and again in drop.

Again and again drop.

This is the biggest Seva.

If you do this.

You will reach the highest stage where you can give the highest kind of knowledge.

That's the highest Seva.

If you can fail to do this whatever you do with your hands will only be serving your own ego.

I did Seva I did Seva.

See I helped you the other person said I didn't get helped.

What happens to you?

You get poked.

Why did you get poked?

You were not doing unconditional Seva.

You were doing Seva to get praise.

The moment you got criticism what happened to your Seva?

Prrrrrrr.

Gone.

Not Seva you're serving your ego.

Wake up and realize that.

Wake up.

The highest kind of Seva is where you recognize that oneness.

If you've not come to that experience it is still not my experience yet.

I have to work on this.

Drop again and again turn inwards.

Let me work on this.

Let me work.

Let me work.

Reach there.

Then you do whatever you have to do.

I'll complete that sentence and then we'll take a break.

The thought I am this body of flesh and blood is the one thread on which are strung the various other thoughts.

Therefore if we turn inwards enquiring where is this I?

All thoughts including the I thought will come to an end and self-knowledge will then spontaneously shine forth.

We'll stop here for lunch.

Satsang with Mooji

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