Appearances

We are often asked to ponder over the three states of deep sleep, dreaming and waking up. Hopefully, the graphic will help in leading to a greater insight.

Waking up : Upon waking up, the person we normally imagine ourselves to be appears simultaneously to us along with the world. The root thought is 'I am the body', which leads to the rest of the world being recreated instantaneously. The mind attaches itself to this imagined person, duality is created and everything else in the world appears outside of the body. All latent desires and fears are recreated and continue cyclically until the imagined body dies.

However, this imagined body and the associated world appear and disappear each day. Irrespective of how much pain or pleasure one has gone through during the day, it all disappears when one goes to sleep.

Point to ponder : The person and the world must appear to someone, somebody, to whom ?

Dreaming : A dream person and a dream world appears, not unlike the waking world, there is a dream body that seems to experience the world. The concepts of time, space seem a bit warped, yet the duality is evident. One may see similar dreams periodically, yet they are all different.

Point to ponder : The dream, consisting of the dream person and the dream world, must appear to someone, to whom ?

Deep Sleep : There is no person, nor a world. The mind stays dormant. There are no appearances, yet I exist. It is peaceful, but we can't remember anything of it upon waking up. Memories are of the mind, the mind being dormant during deep sleep, we do not have any memory of this state upon waking up.

Point to ponder : I exist during deep sleep, without the mind or the body that I imagine to have, who am I ?

If we look at the graphic again, we can see that the persons and the associated worlds appear and disappear, while the one they appear to, remains. If there is reincarnation, it simply is another body and world that would appear and disappear. It is only by our attachment and attention to the thought of the body that we lend reality to an appearance. This also leads to believing that the world is apart from us, whereas in reality the body and the world are both appearances to our real Self.

Our thoughts, feelings, worries that we take to be ours are all dependent and related to the the appearance of the body and the world, they disappear when we sleep without a trace, only to come back the next morning.

Mind's attention and attachment is always outward, external. We can utilize the mind however, to focus the attention not on the appearances, but to That which they appear to. In doing so, we realize that we are really free of the imagined person and the world, that all the problems of the imagined body and person are not ours. We also realize that all action and effort is indeed that of the imagined person, the body, hence the advice of a Guru - Do nothing, but keep your attention on the Self, That to which all else appears to.

The significance of a Guru

Ramana Maharshi became enlightened by realizing that he was neither the body nor the mind. Nisargadatta became self-realized by realizing he wasn't Nisargadatta, that he was never born and would never die.

Yet, those who continue to dream, worry about Gurus and lineages, worship pictures of their Gurus, or make plans to visit Tiruvannamalai hoping there is something magical and mystical there that will aid in their self-realization.

It is alright to have a picture of Ramana Maharshi in front of you, provided each time you look at it, you are reminded that you are not the body or the mind, that both the picture and the seer are just appearances. Going to where Nisargadatta used to live to aid your spiritual journey is pointless compared to remembering his teaching that space, time and the person are all concepts in the mind.

Nisargadatta often used to say that a Guru is just a milestone, he can only point to the obstacles but overcoming those can only be done by the one who is dreaming. Guru merely points that you are dreaming, that you are not what you take yourself to be, waking up from the dream is up to us.


The greatest Guru is the Self, our role is to let It express itself by not getting attached to the mind and its incessant outwardly directed quest in the very forms it has created.

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.

Lessons in reality from the Ocean

If you happen to be near the ocean, lake or even a swimming pool, notice the surface. During the day, ripples and waves constantly keep appearing. No two waves are alike, they appear and disappear randomly.

Imagine, there is just the ocean, its mere presence causes waves to appear, the waves have no independent existence. If the ocean had consciousness, the waves would inherit the consciousness too. If the consciousness is attached to a wave, it'll think it is unique and notice millions of other ripples and waves. It'll watch itself grow and die, become affected by other ripples and lead a turbulent existence as long as it considers itself separate from the ocean.

However, the ocean itself would be unconcerned, blissful in the knowledge that it alone is. It also knows that the ripples and waves are mere illusion, that all of them are spontaneously created from it and will return to it. If the wave realizes that the ocean is all there is, and it itself is nothing but the ocean, it'll be in peace.

We are all like the ripples on the surface, wanting to travel further, grow bigger and more powerful, despite seeing other ripples being born and dying all around us. The Absolute, or Brahman is like the ocean, all there is. Maya is the force that causes the illusion of ripples to appear. As ripples, we think we have an independent, finite existence. But the ocean is all there is, we are one, the ocean.

We just need a change in perspective.

The search for Truth is yours alone

In your spiritual search, you might have read a lot, met a few Gurus or attended several satsangs. You may have discussed these ideas with friends or family members. If you believe in a God, you might be praying each day. You might try yoga, meditation, chanting of mantras. You might have read about chakras, kundalini or mystic powers that one can achieve through such practices.

Whether you realize or not, your effort becomes coloured with ideas and beliefs that have stuck in your mind during your search. At some point, you have to realize that the search is entirely yours and that the discovery of Truth will also be yours alone. A Guru can provide guidance, but you have to discover and experience it for yourself.

Why not step back, for a moment leave aside all that you have learnt and begin with the basics, starting from what is your personal, direct experience.

• You know you exist or 'I am' without requiring any external proof.
• You know 'I'm aware', again without any proof required.

Now do this quick exercise, focusing on your own experience and yours alone.

• Close your eyes. You see nothing, no objects, shapes not even your own body. A person might stand besides you and tell you what things look like, but you can neither see the person nor any thing else. This is your direct experience.
• Close your ears as well. All external sounds disappear. Now, neither are there any visible forms nor any external sounds. The person who was standing besides you is neither visible nor audible.
  
• Notice you are still aware when two of your senses are closed. Is it inconceivable that if all your senses were shutdown, nothing physical would exist for you, but you would, and so would your awareness ? Would you be aware of the existence of the chair or bed you are sitting on if your sense of touch was shutdown as well?
  
• Through all this, don't you have awareness of your thoughts and the very strong belief that when you open your eyes and ears, all things will come back into your awareness?

Now pause and think for a moment. When your senses shutdown, there is still 'I am', there is still awareness, there is still a mind as known by awareness of your thoughts. However, the physical world, all people and objects with it, and your own body are non existent. This is your direct experience.

This should make you wonder that the 'I am' is in no way dependent on the physical world or your body. This 'I am' is witness to the the physical world when it appears, i.e. when your senses are active. People, objects and places appear in awareness when the senses are active and disappear when the senses are shutdown.

Does this not give you a sense of 'I alone am' and that everything appears and disappears in Awareness, which always is ?

If 'I am' is not the body, it could be the mind. Now, you conclude you have a mind by its nature, that is thoughts. Thoughts are not continuous, but come one by one with gaps in between. But your sense of 'I am' is quite constant and continuous, even when your mind is still. 'I am' is there when your breath stops for a while between inhaling and exhaling. It is there between heartbeats.

What exists as 'I am' between thoughts ? Or between heartbeats or between breaths? Self-enquiry is the path to discovering the true Self by focusing on what is always there with you for most part, the sense of 'I am' and Awareness. Everything else appears and disappears from Awareness.

Self-enquiry is to focus on what you always are - Awareness, and not the objects in your perception. Instead of focusing on objects that you see, hear, touch, taste or smell, turn inwards and stay in awareness. Instead of focusing on thoughts, turn inwards and focus on awareness of the thoughts.

This is the shortest path to what you seek.

The Direct Path

"There is the existence of a Supreme or Absolute that can not be described in words or grasped by mind. At best, one can describe it as Sat-Chit-Ananda or Existence-Awareness-Bliss, or, simply refer to it as 'That'. 'That' alone Is." This Absolute or Supreme being is not an object of perception, but the very experience.

Now, you don't have to believe it, indeed, a Guru telling you about the saying in Vedas, 'Tat Tvam Asi' or 'THAT you are', is merely a pointer for your consideration. One is supposed to conclude only by experience that 'Aham Brahmasmi' or 'I am Brahman', Brahman being the name of the Supreme Being in Indian philosophy.

The exploration of this idea is called Self-Enquiry in Vedanta, trying to understand who or what the 'I' that we use several times a day is. The two relatively recent gurus who have been considered as self-realized are Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj. Both give pointers to the process of self-enquiry, one can use either or both as it resonates with one's understanding.

Think

Nisargadatta advised one to focus on the one indisputable fact, 'I Am'. To understand what 'I am', one has to eliminate all that one can not be. Then, one should go beyond 'I am' until the conclusion dawns that 'I am That'. To do this, he is known to have said, 'What you perceive, you can not be, since the perceived can not be the perceiver'.

• You are certain that you have a body because you can perceive it.
  
• You infer you have a body by perception of your senses.
• Without perception of your senses, you wouldn't have been aware of your body or the world.
  
• You perceive all your thoughts.
• You perceive every single feeling, emotion etc.
• What you perceive you can not be, since the perceived can not be the perceiver.
• 'I can be nothing that I can imagine myself to be, since every idea, notion, concept, thought would be instantly perceived by my Self.'
  
• 'I am, but nothing that I can perceive'.
• 'Even the sense of 'I Am' is perceived by my Self'.
  

Ramana Maharshi advocated holding on to the 'I' thought , tracing it right down to the source of where the sense of 'I' arises from, and staying with that source.

• You begin with the intent to find your true self by asking yourself 'Who am I?".
• You hold on to the 'I' thought, keep paying attention to it.
  
• You may get distracted with something.
  
• Ask yourself, 'To whom did it occur?'
  
• The mind replies with a thought 'To me'.
• Ask yourself ' Who am I' ?
• It may help if to begin with, you negate what you can not be with what Nisargadatta taught, that you can not be what your perceive.
• Realize that there is no answer to 'Who am I', there is only silence. Abide in that silence, keep paying attention to the feeling of 'I'.
  

Putting it into practice
There isn't really a practice or a method beyond self-enquiry, but some preparation will surely help. The first step is to create a doubt about your established beliefs. See the next post.