God Is !

Brahman is all there is. Self is Brahman. Or simply put, God Is !

If He alone is, what can one experience but Him ? Normally, when we think about experiences, we think of the sights that we see, the sounds that we hear - always about things that are external to our body. Even if one is following a faith based or devotional approach, one can cultivate this line of thinking that whatever one sees, hears, touches, smells or tastes, is nothing but He, irrespective of what the mind might believe.

However, if He alone is, then what about the eyes that see, or the ears that hear ? They can't be anything but He. Your body that you experience can also be nothing but He. The thoughts, feelings or emotions that you observe can also be nothing but He. In fact, everything that you can ever experience is nothing but He, Self, Brahman.

Remember, what you experience is not just external objects, but your own body, thoughts, dreams etc. If He alone is, then He is all that you can experience, regardless of what the mind or thoughts present Him as.

If you spend some time in self-inquiry, you can then safely ignore all distracting thoughts, noises etc, by knowing that they are nothing but He. By not paying attention to appearances and knowing that all is He, you will make significant progress in finding peace.

The final question you'd need to find an answer to is quite simple - If He alone is, and it is He alone that you can experience, who can you be ? Could you stand apart from reality and say, 'Look, that is Reality, that which alone is ?' Then you wouldn't be real, would you ?

Could you stand apart from Him and say God Is ?

Whose thoughts are these anyway ?

We take it for granted that to be human is to be able to think. The more intellectual we think we are, the more time we spend being lost in thoughts. Amidst all this thinking, we never for a moment think about who it is that thinks.

If we were the ones that were thinking, then we should be able to not think at will. Anyone who has tried meditating is well aware that it seems almost impossible. Successful meditating techniques teach one to ignore the thoughts, let them float by, be just a witness.

Surely, this should pose a dilemma - if we are simply witness to the thoughts and they are never under our control, then who is thinking?

Most of us can recall times when an idea simply popped into our heads, something as simple as 'I want a coffee'. A poet or a writer might suddenly get an inspiration and has to put it to paper. A scientist gets a breakthrough idea out of nowhere.

What really happens is that thoughts appear at random like the ripples on the surface of water. The self, being in ignorance tends to get attached to certain thoughts. As the self pays attention to a certain thought, it appears to get stronger. Similar, related thoughts then flood your mind. The Ego is ever there, ready to take credit for the thought, 'I thought that'.

Truly, we never think, have never thought, since the Self doesn't need to. It is the mind that keeps attaching itself to external objects, thoughts and feelings. Next time you sit down for self-inquiry or even meditation, know that these thoughts are simply passing by. You don't have to pay any attention to them.