Neti Neti Practice: The Ancient Path To Pure Awareness

Prescribed in the Upanishads and foundational Advaita Vedanta texts, Neti Neti ("Not this, Not this") is widely recognized as the most effective first step toward Self-realization.

Rather than adding more mental concepts, this experiential practice methodically strips away everything non-essential—fleeting thoughts, physical sensations, mental noise, and egoic identity. By systematically discarding what you are not, you step past intellectual theory and rest directly in the undeniable truth of what remains: pure, unmodified Awareness.

What You Will Experience:

The Ancient Method: Practice the core Upanishadic technique of self-inquiry used by sages for centuries.

Radical Disidentification: Unhook your identity from changing thoughts, bodily feelings, relationships and personal history.

Direct Self-Realization: Discover that peace is not something to attain, but your fundamental nature.

Transcript

Most people use meditation to add peace in their lives, But the real freedom comes from taking everything away. If you are a seeker who feels exhausted by constantly trying to achieve a quiet mind, You are looking at it backward. The ancient practice of neti neti, Not this, Not this, Isn't about creating peace. It's about discarding everything you are not. Until only truth remains. So drop the effort. Because we are about to subtract everything that isn't you through the ancient process of Natty Natty. Sit comfortably, Easily. And see as soon as you sit, Your mind is seeking for what's next, What's coming. And if you can identify that. Impulse You can also do something about it, Which is to do nothing about it, Which is to just observe and smile at it. So as you see. . . As comfortably as you could and as you become more relaxed and open to this Remember that the aim of all meditations is to experience the reality And the reality is not somewhere else. Reality is not something that will happen. Happen in future. Reality by definition is always on, Is always here. And thus, By definition, You are always right in the middle of it. That recognition alone should stop us from seeking, Seeking reality elsewhere. Reality by definition is something that is always here. In past it was here in future it was it will be there. And in present it is here. So even if you can't clearly recognize experience this, Know this reality is here. And that is why you need to stop anticipating it. In future. Even in your deepest depression, Reality is there. And your joyful moments reality is equally there. And in this quiet, Calm, Meditative experience, Reality is equally here. So no matter whatever the narrative is or was in our mind before meditation Know fully that you are right in the middle of the reality you have been looking for. And today's meditation is to look. C. Experience. Recognize this reality more clearly. Decluttering our mind to see the reality clearly. And the concept, The technique that we will use today is called NETI NETI. NETI NETI means NOT THIS, NOT THIS. It is a process of negation. Removing layers and layers of so-called reality. To arrive to that layer. That you can't remove. That is the process of neti neti. Sir, Smile. And know that you are right in the middle of reality. You do not have to lift a finger. To attain the reality. You do not have to control or manage anything to get there. You are already here. So let go of any sense of effort. Try Management Control and allow your body to really feel this sense of relaxation, Sense of effortlessness. So letting go of the anxieties that the mind and the body is often holding on to in order to navigate the life, In order to get something from the current situation. You do not need to struggle. To recognize the reality. To smile. And become effortless. Abide as effortless self. Whatever you are observing is apart from you. For you to observe anything there has to be a distance between yourself and an object that is being observed. So by definition that that is being observed is not you essentially. The other quality of that that you observe is that it changes. Whereas you, The observer, Doesn't seem to change. You were the same eye when you were three years old. 13 years old, 30 years old and 60 years old. That I, The observer, Doesn't change. But what it observes changes. That is why a 70-year-old or 50-year-old will often say that there is something in me. That is not aging. That something is that Self that observes So to start with Observe your body. You know your body. You see your body changing. You have a body. But you are not just the body. NOT BODY. Whatever is observable is not you. Whatever is changeful is not beautiful. Neti neti, Not body. And knew the secret. Is now looking for a deeper layer. Where you may find yourself. And you look for your mind. Maybe I am my mind. But the mind is also changing. Every thought. Is a fleeting glimpse. You can hook into the thought believing that this is my thought. This is my opinion. That if you think, If you observe closely, They are constantly changing. I can't be my thought. What about the emotion? You may be a happy person. You may be not so happy person. There is a deeper recognition, Identification with emotions, Even more than thoughts. Naked Naked. Emotions are also observable. Constantly changing. I can't be my emotions either. Neti Neti Not Body Not Mind Not Emotions What else could I be? Could I be my name? But name is also a concept that I give to myself, A tag I give to myself. Without my name, I still am. So letting go of your name. Letting go of your face. Neti Neti Not the name, Not the face. Could I be my roles? Roles that the relationships give me. Mother, Father, Lover, Brother, Friend, But these roles are not essential to me. They change. They are given to me. Via the relationship with people. The relationships change. Doctor, Roles are not essential to me. And you let go of the roles, Not body, Not mind, Not emotions, Not face, Not name, Not the roles. What about my personal history? Surely that has shaped me who I am. But if your personal history was the reality. Where do you find the existence of it right now? Your personal history is a collection of memories. Not essential to who you are. So respectfully letting go of your personal history. In the process of netting netting. I am not my personal history. I have observed those events. I have remained untouched through those events. At times I doubted that will I be able to survive those events. But I have. I have remained untouched. The observer has continued observing new life circumstances. I am not those life circumstances. Natty Natty. But I keep those future. Events the future self dear close to my heart. I certainly would like to be that. But if you think closely. Clearly. Even the future self is just a thought. A concept. That can't be you. Essentially. Not past, Not future self. Natty Natty. Not body, Not mind, Not emotions, Not the face, Not the name, Not the roles, Not the personal histories. Not the future anticipations. All of these observables. Are not me. Who am I? Anything that is observable is changeful. Some are changed quickly, Some are changed slowly. Letting that go. Have I started giving myself now some subtle forms, Subtle shapes? If I have given myself. Even A shape plays shape. That is also an observable object. Natty Natty. I am not that. Is my mind still trying? To assign an objective quality. Do who I am. Know that any objective quality is observable. Anything that is observable. Is apart from you, That is why you observe it, Can see it. The reason you can't see your eyes is because there is no distance between your eyes and your eyes. Your eyes can't see your eyes because it is the subject in that context. Within this context, The subject is the observer, The witness. The witness can never be witnessed. The witness is the pure subject. The pure subject can never be an object to itself. Hence, This pure subjectivity. Is beyond shapes, Colors, And any objective qualities. Let alone names. Shapes and other bigger grosser objects. So know clearly. That you cannot see yourself as an object. All along this meditation you were that. You are always. This is Seth. Knowing each words. Either understanding each word or not understanding the concept. You were equally dead. As an observer. So now let go of any effort and attempt. To define yourself. Even to recognise yourself. And abide just as the self. Knowing that whatever is because of the Self. Whatever is known is known because of the Self. So relax. And let go of looking. Let go of netty netty. Natty Natty has negated all the objects that you can see, Feel and observe. Nothing is left now to negate. Even the most subtle form of the self is negated. Nothing is left now to let go of. Yet, You are. That I amness. Beyond. Any objective quality. Is you. You cannot further reduce. There is this. Knowing and being. That you cannot get rid of. So now I'd like you to let go of any sense of effort. And just smile. And abide as the open sky. The space-like self. Shapeless. Center less. Boundary-less. Aim Less. At best, You can assign two qualities to this. That it is You cannot deny that it is not. You may not know what it is. But it is. Any effort to define what it is, Is a mistake. You will never be able to draw a picture of it. Accurately. But you know it is. You know you are. So you know and you know that you are, Are too. Separate qualities sitting as one, Knowing and being. Hence the name Awareness. Aware to know-ness to be. Natty Natty. No objective quality. Just the self that knows that it is. It truly is. Doesn't need to or want to know what it is. It is sufficient for it to know that it is. Only a separate thought or ego wants to know what it is. The self is sufficient. Perfect. And complete. Without knowing what exactly it is. So let go of any effort to define. The goal of Neti Neti is this undefinable presence. I am Ness. So continue to smile. And remain as NOT THIS, NOT THIS. Refute any shade. Any concept. Yet remain as just the Self. The self that you abide as. Is not an extremely small. Shape or an extremely big shape. Any shape by this definition has observable qualities. The shape of yourself is beyond dimensions. Beyond space-like qualities. So when you abide as self do not hold on to any sense of magnitude. Not small, Not big. Then you abide just as self. You are never abiding as that in past or future. It is always. Be now. And this NOW is not a present moment. Moment has an end. And a beginning. But the NOW is timeless. So yourself is spaceless and timeless. Even this space and time cannot be defined. Yourself. Natty Natty! Also removes. The time and space. From the definition of self. You have negated. Not just your body, Mind, Roles, History, Future. But the time and space. And now your mind cannot comprehend. What you have landed on. For mind to exist, It needs time and space. When you remove all the scaffoldings that the mind can hook onto. The mind has nowhere to land. It gives in. This is the end of your mind. That's why they say that the real thinker Do not think. The thought has come to its natural end. And that is the aim of Neti Neti. The pure thoughtlessness. Thought can't remain here. Yet, You are. You know that you are. The only element of your reality. YOU CANNOT GET RID OF THROUGH NETI NETI. This surface. That you cannot get rid of. Is not a thing. That's why. Buddhists call it no-thing, Na-thing. No objective quality. No thing like. At the end of the neti neti process. Thousand years of debate between Hindus and Buddhists end. They Agree. Add this. Self, Selfless self. Border concept less stuff. No thing like self. And when we say self It is not your personal self. Your personal little pocket of I-hood, Me-hood. None. It is just the existence, The presence. Without you. View the objective mind-self. There is no personhood in this self. Continue to smile. Just for one more minute. As you abide here. Just as self. If any shade concept arise to define yourself. Say netty netty. Not this. Not this. And smile and remain at ease. When there is nothing left to define, To seek. Effortlessness. The sense of ease. Is the natural by-product. So do not struggle. Do not affect. The end of Natty Natty is the freedom. Freedom from all the concepts. Freedom from all the responsibilities to seek. Find and arrive. Act. Any conclusion. Natty Natty. Gives you the freedom. So remain in this freedom for few more moments to truly recognize the power of Neti Neti. In your search come back to these basics of recognizing yourself as nothingness through neti neti process. Again and again. This is often seen as the first step. And really the last step. Thank you so much.