So there's confusion between the word self and the word individual.
This is where we as Westerners need to understand the differentiation between what we see as self and what is individuality.
And it gets a little bit confusing,
But to not equate the word self with individuality,
That's all I could say.
Because self is that presence in which individuality happens.
I am seeing my individuality.
I am seeing my idea of myself.
See what I mean?
I've created the idea of myself.
So I've taken on all the ideas and all the identifications and all the beliefs and all the things that I take to be myself.
I'm the beginning of that.
So now to take that to be self,
When self is the actual absolute in which all identification takes place,
This is what we need to understand.
This is the difference between this understanding,
Indian understanding of self,
The traditional understanding of Atman.
If you see now what happens when we get into this yoga,
Then everyone thinks Atman,
I am Atman.
Or Atman is me.
I am not understanding the meaning of this word Atman.
That's why I don't get into it.
We haven't gone there yet.
But these texts,
These verses here are all about Atman.
And Atman is nothing but the I,
The absolute I in which all identification is taking place.
Make any sense?
It's a bit of a tough head-snasher.
But now you get into these yoga courses and things and everybody,
I've seen it.
And that's why we need to clarify.
Confusion breaker.
Because I've seen a guy teaching on a festival,
He says,
Okay,
You want to know what Atman is?
Take your arms up and go,
Turn yourself around in a circle and see what space you have around you and that's your Atman.
When you really understand what the nature of Atman is,
It's illuminant,
Six foot space.
What is this?
My Atman.
See what I'm saying?
So all the identification is taking place in the presence of this.
It's beautiful.
And then we take the identification to be who we are.
I take this name,
This body,
This I that I've been given and I take it to be myself.
Then when that gets into a mess,
I start looking for answers and then I get given all sorts of new forms of identification.
Is that going to help me?
The identification is the problem.
I need to know who is identifying.
Who is this I identifying?
That's what these verses all talk about.
