Transcript
[0:00] Thank you.
[0:02] Let there be peace.
[0:05] May you all live a blissful life.
[0:10] And um let's start the session.
[0:17] Today's um main topic is
[0:23] even when
[0:27] life
[0:28] seems
[0:32] comfortable,
[0:33] not so bad,
[0:36] why mind still feels as if something is
[0:40] missing,
[0:41] as if it lacks something,
[0:44] as if it is uh searching for something.
[0:51] And
[0:53] we received lots of questions,
[0:57] 60-plus questions.
[1:03] So,
[1:05] instead of covering the questions one by
[1:07] one,
[1:11] we'll try to cover it
[1:13] in the most fundamental way so that most
[1:17] of your answers
[1:22] will be revealed by uh just this inquiry
[1:26] within you.
[1:29] And before I start
[1:33] this topic,
[1:38] please
[1:39] remember
[1:43] that you do not need any belief system.
[1:47] You do not have to believe anything.
[1:51] It's an honest invitation
[1:54] to inquire
[1:59] and investigate on your own
[2:04] whether it is true or not.
[2:08] Because the truth
[2:13] the fact
[2:16] does not need
[2:20] any belief system.
[2:26] So, this is an invitation
[2:29] to keep aside all your beliefs
[2:32] for just this session.
[2:34] You can pick them up again if you want.
[2:39] Let's start
[2:43] with our own experience.
[2:48] No need to believe what great masters
[2:51] have mentioned or great scriptures have
[2:54] mentioned.
[2:56] Let's start with our own
[2:58] experience.
[3:02] And that's what
[3:04] Jnana yoga
[3:07] the path of knowingness
[3:10] is all about.
[3:14] Like there are four forms of yoga
[3:16] described Jnana yoga, Bhakti yoga
[3:20] Karma yoga and Kriya yoga.
[3:24] For this session, I'm inviting you to
[3:27] inquire.
[3:31] An honest investigation. No need to
[3:33] believe any concept.
[3:37] No need to believe what I'm going to
[3:38] share.
[3:46] So,
[3:47] what we are trying to do here
[3:50] is share a way through which you can
[3:53] investigate
[3:55] you can recognize your true nature.
[4:00] And that resolves all the questions your
[4:03] mind may ever come up with.
[4:07] Because all answers are already within
[4:10] you.
[4:13] In fact, you
[4:17] are the answer.
[4:22] You at the fundamental level that at the
[4:25] core
[4:26] you yourself are the answer. Your mind
[4:29] is looking for you.
[4:31] Mind is looking
[4:35] for its own source.
[4:41] And you are the one who is aware what
[4:44] kind of activity is going on in the
[4:46] mind.
[4:52] So
[4:56] I would like to start with a story.
[5:02] There was once a man who was an
[5:05] architect.
[5:11] Everyday he sat at his desk designing
[5:16] the prototypes of a
[5:19] city he wanted to build.
[5:22] He was ordered by the king of that time
[5:24] that now you have to
[5:26] build this magnificent city.
[5:31] And he was worried about his work
[5:33] constantly.
[5:36] Like what kind of material should I use?
[5:39] Would the king be pleased?
[5:42] Would people like it or approve of him?
[5:45] Would he succeed?
[5:49] So, in this kind of phase, one night
[5:54] when he was exhausted
[5:56] after lots of planning and the work he
[5:59] was doing, he fell asleep
[6:02] at his desk.
[6:05] And he began to dream.
[6:08] In the dream,
[6:12] he was no longer an architect.
[6:17] He was a sailor.
[6:21] He was in a boat.
[6:23] And his
[6:25] boat had been destroyed in a storm.
[6:29] He was alone in the
[6:31] middle of the ocean.
[6:33] He was afraid, terrified.
[6:38] He fought the waves for what felt like
[6:42] hours.
[6:44] Then many days, weeks passed.
[6:48] He
[6:50] reached
[6:51] an island.
[6:55] And he was very exhausted and completely
[6:56] alone.
[6:59] And began to build a shelter
[7:02] with whatever material he could find.
[7:07] And he spent what felt like
[7:10] many years surviving on that island. His
[7:13] entire life was now only about surviving
[7:17] on that island.
[7:20] Then
[7:22] one night
[7:24] the sailor fell asleep.
[7:28] And he woke up as an architect.
[7:32] He was sitting at his desk.
[7:36] His prototypes
[7:38] of my
[7:39] city
[7:40] he was building as an architect was
[7:42] still there.
[7:46] He could hear people outside.
[7:48] He looked around and slowly remembered,
[7:51] "Oh, I am the architect."
[7:54] He felt enormously relief because
[7:57] it was a struggle to be that sailor who
[7:59] was struggling to survive in that
[8:01] island.
[8:03] The island was only a dream.
[8:06] But then something disturbed him.
[8:11] When he was the sailor,
[8:14] the island felt completely real.
[8:17] The fear was real, the hunger was real,
[8:20] the loneliness was real,
[8:23] the struggle was real.
[8:25] And when he was the architect,
[8:28] the city also felt completely real.
[8:34] So, a doubt appeared in his mind that
[8:36] what if
[8:38] being a sailor
[8:41] is real
[8:43] and this reality, this experience, is a
[8:48] dream
[8:49] that I am still an architect.
[8:52] So, in this dilemma, he went to a wise
[8:54] man and asked, "Which one was real?"
[9:01] So, this wise old man asked him,
[9:05] "When you were the sailor,
[9:07] where was your city?
[9:10] The city you were trying to build as an
[9:13] architect."
[9:15] He replied, "Nowhere."
[9:17] "And when you were the architect,
[9:21] where was your island?"
[9:24] He replied, "Nowhere."
[9:26] The wise man smiled.
[9:29] Both appeared,
[9:31] both disappeared.
[9:33] Yet something remained present
[9:36] throughout.
[9:42] The architect became silent.
[9:49] And at that time,
[9:51] the wise man said,
[9:53] "Both appeared
[9:56] in your awareness.
[9:58] Both were
[10:00] experiences
[10:02] which are temporary, which keeps on
[10:04] changing shapes and forms.
[10:07] Sometimes you are worried about this.
[10:09] As architect, you were worried about
[10:10] your city, whether you will be liked or
[10:13] not.
[10:14] Whether the king will be pleased with
[10:16] you, your boss will be pleased.
[10:21] As a sailor, you was worried about your
[10:22] survival.
[10:25] Both were appearances in your awareness.
[10:29] But what remained constant in both the
[10:31] experiences
[10:33] was
[10:35] the fact that you were aware
[10:38] of the experience.
[10:42] So, issue is not
[10:48] that you are
[10:50] this character or that character.
[10:53] The real question is
[10:55] what is aware
[10:58] of the role you are playing,
[11:00] the character you are playing.
[11:04] And some of you may have
[11:06] heard a similar story which is related
[11:08] to
[11:09] King Janak and Ashtavakra ji,
[11:13] wherein he asks
[11:16] in the end,
[11:20] your experience
[11:22] as a beggar or as a king,
[11:25] both
[11:26] appeared in your
[11:30] awareness, consciousness.
[11:33] Both temporary experiences.
[11:36] You are neither this nor that.
[11:42] So,
[11:44] on that note,
[11:46] let's address the main theme
[11:49] of this topic
[11:51] that why
[11:53] mind feels
[11:57] that something is missing.
[12:04] First of all, what is it looking for?
[12:08] What is it searching for?
[12:14] Why is it dissatisfied in the first
[12:16] place?
[12:18] Why nothing fulfills it?
[12:26] Because
[12:29] from the same
[12:30] example of that story,
[12:35] mind is looking for fulfillment in the
[12:39] experiences.
[12:41] The temporary experiences.
[12:44] Or another way to express the same thing
[12:47] is
[12:48] as if
[12:50] you are dreaming
[12:52] and your mind is trying to fulfill
[12:55] itself in the dream itself.
[13:00] Because experiences are temporary,
[13:04] obviously nothing is sustainable there.
[13:08] The same experience which gave you a
[13:10] sense of happiness,
[13:13] if repeated in the different times,
[13:16] may feel ordinary.
[13:23] So, that there is the evidence.
[13:25] There is your clue
[13:28] that it was not about the experience.
[13:31] You just assumed that experience will
[13:33] fulfill you.
[13:39] Look back in your life story.
[13:42] You will see multiple times you chase
[13:44] something,
[13:45] you got it,
[13:47] you cherished it for some time, and then
[13:50] the magic was lost.
[13:56] Because
[14:02] the happiness was not in that
[14:04] experience.
[14:07] For some time
[14:11] you paused, you cherished
[14:15] that experience. You are not chasing
[14:17] anything else, you're not comparing
[14:18] anything.
[14:20] You were there
[14:21] accepting the moment the way it was.
[14:25] That's why you felt happy.
[14:27] Now, if you repeat the same thing
[14:30] again and and again, the same experience
[14:32] might seem very ordinary.
[14:36] The magic is lost because you
[14:39] are assuming that experience gave you
[14:41] that feeling.
[14:43] The experience never gave you that
[14:44] feeling. You used that experience as an
[14:47] excuse
[14:49] to feel happy. Happiness came from
[14:51] within you because you stopped chasing.
[14:55] Because you stopped going anywhere else.
[14:58] You were here.
[15:00] You were not comparing, you were not
[15:02] complaining.
[15:05] You're not running here and there. You
[15:07] paused, you're there. You accepted the
[15:10] moment the way it was.
[15:13] If you just understand this much
[15:18] most of your questions can be answered
[15:21] very easily.
[15:27] Mind assumes
[15:29] some experience will fulfill it.
[15:32] It's just an assumption. It's a belief.
[15:41] And what the ancient scriptures, all the
[15:44] tradition lineage of great masters have
[15:47] been trying to remind us
[15:49] is no.
[15:51] No experience can fulfill you.
[15:57] Be as you are.
[16:00] Be in absolute acceptance.
[16:03] Be as a witness.
[16:10] And as soon as you're there,
[16:15] as soon as you have dropped the
[16:16] resistance,
[16:18] you're not insisting that my experience
[16:20] should be this.
[16:22] You're not insisting on anything.
[16:26] You're there.
[16:28] You are
[16:29] here as an awareness
[16:31] and experiences keeps on changing just
[16:34] like the
[16:36] movie screen in a theater.
[16:40] Whether there is a
[16:41] comedy movie running on it or a violent
[16:44] movie or a romantic movie, screen
[16:46] doesn't care.
[16:50] Screen is not trying to judge
[16:54] or make an opinion
[16:56] on what kind of content is being played
[16:58] on it.
[17:03] It remains untouched by it.
[17:08] Whether there is fire on the screen, it
[17:10] will not burn the screen.
[17:14] If there is a rainfall or storm,
[17:17] it will have no impact on the screen.
[17:20] Why?
[17:23] Because
[17:24] the scene is a temporary appearance
[17:28] on the screen.
[17:32] That's the nature of awareness.
[17:36] And am I talking about some mystical
[17:39] concept of awareness?
[17:42] No.
[17:43] You can easily recognize now.
[17:47] And again,
[17:49] no need to believe
[17:51] like I'm saying it's a temporary
[17:53] experience or all these things are
[17:57] changing.
[17:58] No need to believe any of this.
[18:01] Go
[18:03] within yourself now.
[18:06] Pause.
[18:08] Pause now for a moment.
[18:11] Look for
[18:14] what kind of thoughts are coming. Can
[18:16] you see what kind of thoughts are
[18:18] forming in your mind?
[18:21] No need to judge, no need to follow
[18:26] any particular thought.
[18:28] Stay here.
[18:30] Stay still.
[18:32] Stay quiet.
[18:38] Did you notice for some time
[18:41] there was no thought?
[18:45] Even if it was for just a moment.
[18:47] When I asked you,
[18:49] see what kind of thought is coming in
[18:50] your mind.
[18:53] Many of you would have noticed that
[18:56] for a brief moment there was no thought
[18:57] at all. But you were here.
[19:00] You were aware
[19:03] of that thoughtlessness.
[19:05] There was no thought, but you were here.
[19:11] And it keeps on happening. It's that we
[19:13] don't notice it.
[19:15] It's not that your
[19:17] the thoughts are running all the time
[19:18] without any break, any pause.
[19:22] After each thought there is a pause.
[19:25] For a brief moment.
[19:26] And it can be extended also.
[19:29] When you are embracing a beautiful sight
[19:32] or
[19:33] you know,
[19:34] participating in a sport,
[19:37] there is no time for thinking.
[19:39] You are fully there. You are
[19:41] you are
[19:42] you can't afford to get lost in
[19:44] thoughts.
[19:50] Or you are embracing some beautiful
[19:51] mountain, a sunrise or sunset and you
[19:54] you say, "Wow, what a what a beautiful
[19:57] view."
[19:59] Or sometimes there are no thoughts.
[20:01] That's why it feels relieving. You feel
[20:04] free. It feels good.
[20:07] Because where is this unhappiness, this
[20:11] dissatisfaction?
[20:12] It comes with thoughts.
[20:15] Without thoughts there is no such
[20:17] feeling.
[20:18] When you are in deep sleep, there is no
[20:20] such feeling.
[20:24] Even if you were in great sorrow
[20:25] throughout the day, in deep sleep there
[20:27] is no such feeling.
[20:30] Yes, dream state is different. You may
[20:32] have different kinds of dreams.
[20:38] So there is enough
[20:40] clue for you here
[20:42] that you are just assuming that I am
[20:44] just this bunch of thoughts.
[20:47] Without thinking I'm not there. Without
[20:49] memories I'm not there.
[20:53] I'm just this bunch of
[20:56] memories which you call as my history,
[20:58] my story. This is what I am. This is an
[21:01] assumption.
[21:03] Because the fact is even if you suppose
[21:05] lose your memory now, fully wiped out.
[21:10] You'll still be here.
[21:12] You'll still be able to hear me.
[21:16] You'll be aware.
[21:17] But you might not understand this
[21:19] language maybe because maybe with the
[21:21] memory your knowledge of this language
[21:23] is also gone. But at least you'll hear
[21:25] these sounds.
[21:27] You'll be here.
[21:30] You'll forget your name. You'll forget
[21:33] who your loved ones are. What is your
[21:36] profession?
[21:37] What were you worried about?
[21:40] And what are you
[21:41] proud of? Oh, this is my achievement.
[21:43] Everything is wiped out, but you are
[21:45] here.
[21:46] Only the story, the content is gone.
[21:49] You are still here.
[21:53] So we hold on to this belief that no, I
[21:55] am just this
[21:57] temporary
[22:00] bunch of experiences which I have
[22:01] accumulated throughout my life. And
[22:03] that's why when you assume you are just
[22:06] this,
[22:08] that's what is called ego. That's what
[22:10] is called identification.
[22:14] So spirituality,
[22:16] non-duality, all different
[22:19] all different paths of
[22:22] truth seeking,
[22:24] they are not saying that the ego should
[22:27] be wiped out, your memory should be
[22:29] gone. No.
[22:31] It's just your identification with this
[22:33] story,
[22:35] this psychological me,
[22:38] would loosen.
[22:40] You will say, "Okay, this psychological
[22:43] me is an aspect of me, but
[22:46] this is not
[22:47] just I am.
[22:49] I'm more than that.
[22:50] I'm the one who is aware of this
[22:52] character, the role I'm playing.
[23:01] It's like in
[23:02] theaters
[23:04] you know, you suppose a
[23:07] uh
[23:07] an actor is playing a particular role
[23:12] and uh this actor is into method acting
[23:15] and he is so lost in this
[23:17] character
[23:19] that he forgot
[23:21] who he really is.
[23:23] He's assuming I'm just this character.
[23:27] So,
[23:29] the problems, the sorrow, the joy,
[23:32] whatever is revolving around this
[23:34] character would be felt by this because
[23:36] you are identified as that character.
[23:40] That's normal.
[23:42] But as soon as you will remember, "Oh, I
[23:44] am not just this. I'm more than this.
[23:46] I'm just temporarily playing this role.
[23:50] I'm more than this."
[23:54] Then the grip of that sorrow,
[23:57] whatever psychological problem this
[23:59] character is going through,
[24:01] that will loosen up.
[24:06] Is it making sense?
[24:15] Is it helping?
[24:20] Good.
[24:27] So,
[24:29] if you really apply
[24:32] this honest investigation
[24:38] of who am I really?
[24:40] Is it possible that I'm holding on to a
[24:43] belief
[24:44] which is not based on fact or truth?
[24:47] It's just mind's belief. It's clinging
[24:50] to it.
[24:51] And that's why it's called it's causing
[24:53] some wrong identification or
[24:56] perceived issues in life. They can be
[25:00] many things.
[25:01] But if you are really
[25:04] aware of
[25:06] what's going on here in this character's
[25:08] story, if you see the same story from a
[25:11] broader perspective,
[25:13] then you may see
[25:18] that probably the solution is very
[25:20] simple.
[25:24] It's like
[25:26] imagine that in a valley there is a lot
[25:28] of fog.
[25:32] And one one version of you is stuck in
[25:34] the valley and struggling to find a
[25:36] path.
[25:38] And there is another version of you
[25:39] sitting on top of the hill who can
[25:40] clearly see it, has a broader access to
[25:43] what's going on in the valley.
[25:47] And can guide you, okay, you don't have
[25:48] to
[25:50] worry about.
[25:52] You are just feeling as if you're stuck,
[25:53] you're not.
[25:54] Just take left, go straight,
[25:56] you're out.
[26:02] Similarly, mind is not
[26:05] a separate
[26:07] entity. It is an extension of you. It is
[26:09] a part of you.
[26:12] I know in first step of many spiritual
[26:15] traditions we do say, "I am not the
[26:18] body. I am not the mind." Yes, that is
[26:22] the first step
[26:23] wherein you can for the first time
[26:26] clearly see that, "Oh, I was just
[26:27] assuming I'm just this body.
[26:30] I was just assuming
[26:32] that
[26:33] I'm just this mind.
[26:36] This character which I'm playing, this
[26:37] story is me."
[26:39] I was just assuming.
[26:41] So, this step
[26:42] allows you a space in which you notice
[26:48] you become aware of being aware for the
[26:50] first time.
[26:53] You become aware that okay, yes.
[26:56] All of this is being perceived.
[27:02] So, I can't be just this mind. I can't
[27:04] be just this body.
[27:06] And then
[27:08] this recognition comes.
[27:11] That initially you may have said that
[27:13] okay, I'm not this body. I'm not this
[27:15] mind. But then you come to this
[27:18] recognition.
[27:21] That mind is also my extension. Body is
[27:23] my extension. The so-called world is
[27:25] also
[27:26] my own
[27:28] extension. Just like in dream
[27:31] world when you see a dream at night.
[27:35] You are identified with that character
[27:37] which is walking on the dream. You You
[27:40] know, it's
[27:41] like going somewhere. You're meeting
[27:43] different people.
[27:45] It is
[27:46] solving some kind of problem.
[27:51] It's feeling different kind of emotions.
[27:54] Sometimes joy, sometimes sorrow. All of
[27:56] this is happening in the dream. That
[27:58] dream body
[28:01] is also inside the dream.
[28:05] It's a separate
[28:07] The dream mind is also part of it which
[28:09] is assuming the dream is real.
[28:12] If you will touch any object in the
[28:13] dream, it will feel real.
[28:16] Just like right now if you will touch
[28:18] any object around you, it will feel
[28:20] real. Why? Because mind is telling you
[28:23] that it is real.
[28:26] Same will happen in dream also.
[28:28] So, should we jump to the conclusion
[28:31] that
[28:33] this experience [snorts]
[28:34] is also a dream? No. No need to believe
[28:37] it.
[28:38] Because if it is a belief, then
[28:43] it may collapse also unless it is
[28:44] supported by some fact, some truth, some
[28:47] firsthand experience. So, no need to
[28:49] believe it.
[28:52] But,
[28:55] you can question your beliefs.
[28:59] There is no harm in questioning
[29:02] what you are experiencing.
[29:05] Is it possible that it can it can be
[29:08] another dream?
[29:09] It's an honest honest question. You just
[29:11] have to ask yourself.
[29:16] No need to believe anything.
[29:21] Now,
[29:26] why exactly mind feels dissatisfaction?
[29:32] Because
[29:36] first of all,
[29:38] the root of the mind is
[29:42] the
[29:43] identification with the finite
[29:46] self.
[29:48] Finite sense of me.
[29:49] The psychological me.
[29:52] This This identification with the fact
[29:55] of this
[29:57] not the whole, but a part of it.
[30:01] One fragment of it.
[30:04] That's the origin of the mind.
[30:07] Mind assumes I'm just this.
[30:10] It assumes a separation.
[30:13] And because of this separation,
[30:16] now it wants to
[30:19] feel complete.
[30:24] It wants to feel complete.
[30:26] So, how does it
[30:28] assume
[30:30] what will make you feel complete?
[30:33] It assumes, "Okay, if I'll
[30:35] chase this object, I'll have this much
[30:37] money in my account. If I'll have this,
[30:41] you know, my survival is
[30:43] then I will be satisfied. Once I will
[30:46] have this, once uh people will know me,
[30:48] once I will have
[30:50] done some impactful work, and people
[30:52] will respect me.
[30:54] I will have name, fame,
[30:57] and
[30:59] assurance, safety,
[31:02] wealth,
[31:03] then I will feel complete.
[31:05] No, many people have that.
[31:07] Many people have all that.
[31:09] And more than that, also.
[31:12] But you can observe their life, even
[31:14] they are not satisfied. They are also
[31:15] chasing for more and more and more.
[31:17] Because
[31:20] you would have to pause and really see
[31:23] what exactly mind wants.
[31:27] It wants the
[31:29] sense of completion.
[31:35] It wants that feeling
[31:38] that there is nothing left to achieve.
[31:40] I'm complete. I'm full.
[31:44] And it is assuming by chasing this
[31:47] object, that object, this experience,
[31:49] that experience, this person, that
[31:50] person,
[31:52] one day,
[31:54] I'll be complete.
[31:55] That's an assumption.
[31:58] Because no one has ever found happiness
[32:00] through that way.
[32:03] Temporary
[32:05] pleasure is possible.
[32:07] But it will not last. Then again, mind
[32:09] will again chase something.
[32:12] The mind is chasing
[32:14] sense of completion.
[32:18] It's like
[32:21] in a dream,
[32:22] it is trying to
[32:28] chase experiences and
[32:32] I'm just uh using the dream example.
[32:35] Then in a dream,
[32:36] mind is assuming that if I do this and
[32:38] this I'll feel complete.
[32:39] Regardless of what you do, even if you
[32:42] become
[32:44] the king of the universe there.
[32:47] You know, someone declares that because
[32:49] in a dream anything is possible, right?
[32:51] You can imagine anything.
[32:53] Especially if you're lucid.
[32:55] If you're lucid in a dream, you can
[32:56] imagine anything. You can influence the
[32:58] dream. You can experience that, "Oh, I
[33:00] am the
[33:02] I'm deciding
[33:05] how the solar system should function."
[33:08] You are the god there.
[33:13] Even that would not fulfill you because
[33:16] existence is infinite.
[33:24] There'll be always more. There'll be
[33:25] always be more and more and more.
[33:31] Those who have ever found sustainable
[33:34] sense of
[33:36] completeness
[33:39] They have always found
[33:41] by being by identifying as awareness
[33:45] that
[33:46] all of this was mind's assumption.
[33:49] But what is aware of it?
[33:52] Okay, mind was chasing this.
[33:55] It got this experience. It is happy for
[33:57] some time. Now again some it feels some
[33:59] lack. It is missing something. Now it's
[34:01] chasing some other experience.
[34:04] What is aware of all of this activity?
[34:09] As soon as that recognition comes
[34:12] as soon as you see that yes
[34:14] there is an
[34:16] field
[34:17] which allows the space for mind to
[34:20] function to have these different
[34:22] experiences.
[34:26] That's when
[34:28] you see
[34:31] you
[34:32] were You are always this awareness.
[34:39] And this
[34:40] awareness
[34:42] is by very nature
[34:47] complete.
[34:49] Nothing lacks here.
[34:55] Nothing lacks here.
[34:57] There is no sense of separation here.
[35:05] There is
[35:07] peace here, not because of anything.
[35:11] Because awareness
[35:12] does not think.
[35:15] That's the function of the mind.
[35:17] It's mind's job to think.
[35:19] There are no
[35:21] There is no concept of thinking. There
[35:22] is no concept of judgments, opinions,
[35:25] comparisons.
[35:28] By very nature
[35:30] awareness
[35:34] is peaceful.
[35:36] It's still.
[35:40] It's complete.
[35:46] And
[35:48] if awareness seems like a some mystical
[35:50] concept or some
[35:54] spiritual jargon to you,
[35:59] I would like to remind you
[36:03] that you cannot have this experience of
[36:05] what you're listening,
[36:07] the room you are in,
[36:09] the voice you're listening.
[36:11] You can't have this experience if you're
[36:13] not aware.
[36:16] So, you don't have to
[36:18] believe what I'm saying. Awareness
[36:19] itself is just a word. Forget about the
[36:22] word awareness.
[36:24] I'm talking about the ability
[36:27] to experience.
[36:34] So, can you be not aware for next 1
[36:36] minute?
[36:37] Just try it.
[36:40] Can you be not aware for next 1 minute?
[36:42] You are here, but you're not aware.
[36:46] Whatever mind says, you are aware of
[36:47] that.
[36:54] And even if mind says, "Oh,
[36:58] if awareness is the highest, and that's
[37:00] what is
[37:01] the God consciousness, because that's
[37:03] what is described as the Shiva state."
[37:14] The awareness.
[37:29] And the very fact that you're conscious
[37:31] right now,
[37:34] the sense of I am, the only thing you
[37:36] can be absolutely sure about.
[37:38] You can question all concepts.
[37:43] You can question all knowledge.
[37:48] But one thing
[37:52] you cannot question,
[37:54] or even if you question, you will be
[37:56] aware of that question.
[37:58] It's a fact that you are aware right
[38:00] now.
[38:02] You are here.
[38:04] You don't need to be reminded that I
[38:06] exist. You already know it.
[38:09] That's why it's not a knowledge, it's a
[38:11] knowing.
[38:12] You know it.
[38:14] There's a difference between knowledge
[38:16] and knowingness.
[38:18] Knowledge can be lost with the memory.
[38:24] Even if you lose all your memory,
[38:26] this knowingness will still be there
[38:28] that I exist. I don't know my name. I
[38:31] don't know my history.
[38:33] I am here.
[38:37] Just like an infant. An an infant is
[38:39] born.
[38:41] Infant has no concept of
[38:43] what is baby, what are adults,
[38:45] what is mother,
[38:48] what is language,
[38:50] what is what birth, what is death.
[38:52] Those concepts are not there.
[38:54] But the infant is aware.
[38:57] That's why it looks around with a sense
[38:59] of wonder.
[39:06] So, go back to that.
[39:09] That's because that's what you're using
[39:11] to listen to this
[39:14] session.
[39:15] If you're listening this voice, you are
[39:17] aware.
[39:19] Now, if you drop the idea of what my
[39:22] history is, what my problem is, if you
[39:25] if you
[39:26] just shift your attention away from
[39:29] those aspects and just pay attention
[39:32] to what is aware of all this
[39:35] psychological drama.
[39:39] And you will see that here in this
[39:42] awareness, there is
[39:44] no problem at all.
[39:46] There is no concept. There is no
[39:48] identification here.
[39:52] You are here.
[39:54] You are pure.
[39:56] Your karmas belong to the mind, the the
[39:59] body. You are here. Awareness remains
[40:02] always pure.
[40:03] It always remains free.
[40:07] It's always untouched.
[40:10] Just like in a movie screen,
[40:13] even if you play a violent movie,
[40:15] it does not retain any
[40:17] stain on on the screen.
[40:22] Doesn't retain any memory of what
[40:25] violent movie was played earlier.
[40:28] Similarly here in this awareness
[40:31] there is no karma to burn.
[40:34] As long as you identify with that
[40:36] character again, then you will say, "Oh
[40:37] my karma.
[40:38] I have lots to burn.
[40:40] I have to let go of this habit, this
[40:43] conditioning, this this." All that
[40:44] belongs to that
[40:46] character.
[40:47] with that character, all that would
[40:49] become your fact.
[40:51] But as soon as you're here in this pure
[40:54] state of beingness
[40:57] this pure presence
[40:59] and many words, you don't get confused
[41:01] with words, consciousness, awareness.
[41:03] No, it's just this simple identification
[41:07] that
[41:09] ability to experience.
[41:11] So
[41:13] don't get confused by the content of the
[41:16] experience, but
[41:18] notice the space
[41:20] this empty space in which all
[41:23] experiences come and go.
[41:28] This space allows
[41:31] the dream experience, it allows
[41:35] this human this so-called waking state
[41:37] experience. Even if you experience some
[41:39] other character in some other realm,
[41:41] some other thing, some other creature,
[41:43] same awareness.
[41:48] In a dream you can experience anything.
[41:54] But it doesn't matter because the
[41:55] fundamental nature is this awareness.
[41:58] And that is what is described
[42:02] in scriptures as
[42:05] I'm not just this body, I'm not just
[42:08] this mind.
[42:12] Satchidananda rupa Shivoham Shivoham
[42:25] >> So,
[42:26] we have uh
[42:29] 15 minutes
[42:34] left. So, if you want to ask any
[42:37] question,
[42:38] raise your hand and let's see and try to
[42:41] cover.
[42:46] And
[42:50] please
[42:51] remember
[42:56] you don't have to subscribe to any
[42:58] belief system because all beliefs can be
[43:00] questioned. It can be misunderstood,
[43:02] misinterpreted.
[43:04] But fact,
[43:06] truth
[43:08] remains
[43:10] the same.
[43:11] Regardless of what your mind believes
[43:13] you are,
[43:15] it cannot change the fact
[43:18] that there is only one being.
[43:24] We keep hearing this
[43:26] in different forms, different
[43:28] expressions. We keep hearing God is
[43:30] everywhere.
[43:32] Some say consciousness, everything is
[43:34] consciousness.
[43:36] Reality is non-dual.
[43:38] But please pay attention to where are
[43:41] all these teachings pointing to?
[43:44] Something can only be everywhere
[43:50] when nothing is left out.
[43:52] It is everything.
[43:57] It is everything.
[44:00] When you say everything,
[44:04] literally,
[44:05] in this infinite cosmos, everything
[44:08] that includes you.
[44:10] How can you resist that? How can you
[44:12] resist that?
[44:18] Okay, so
[44:20] I can see one raise one hand is raised
[44:23] here.
[44:24] Umaji
[44:26] Let's uh
[44:30] see
[44:31] if you can
[44:33] unmute
[44:35] yourself.
[44:45] So
[44:46] Umaji, can you hear?
[44:48] Can you
[44:49] Are you able to unmute yourself?
[45:02] Okay.
[45:08] Or else I can take questions from the
[45:10] chat also if there are any questions
[45:12] here.
[45:41] Oh.
[45:44] Okay, so if you want to ask any
[45:47] question, please raise your hand first
[45:49] and then uh
[45:51] our team will uh
[45:53] unmute you.
[46:01] And uh
[46:04] Okay, I can see one comment here. I can
[46:05] attest to it when in deep meditative
[46:08] state, I would notice some thoughts
[46:10] arising occasionally.
[46:12] That means even in that samadhi state,
[46:14] this silent witness was present.
[46:19] So, yes, this is the comment from
[46:20] Navneet Sharmaji.
[46:22] Okay.
[46:23] Now,
[46:27] this silent witness was present. Yes,
[46:30] this is a beautiful expression as you
[46:33] mention here.
[46:36] Notice
[46:37] that this silent witness
[46:40] is not some other entity. It's you.
[46:45] You are the one
[46:47] who noticed that there were less
[46:49] thoughts.
[46:53] It's this simple.
[46:58] So, if your identification is with this
[47:01] awareness, which is witnessing all
[47:03] experiences, it's witnessing what kind
[47:06] of thoughts are coming, what body is
[47:07] doing, what's going on around in your
[47:09] room or whatever
[47:12] is happening, like body sensations,
[47:13] thoughts, emotions.
[47:15] All of this is being witnessed
[47:18] by you.
[47:20] So, there is no other.
[47:25] This you
[47:29] is your core.
[47:31] I am.
[47:40] So, pause for a moment
[47:44] and notice
[47:52] the awareness
[47:55] is here.
[47:56] And even when there are no thoughts,
[47:59] they're still here.
[48:01] How can you be the mind?
[48:15] And now there are some more questions
[48:17] here.
[48:21] One is from Nita Sharma ji. Guruji, how
[48:24] to identify in this particular work
[48:26] passion we should do or follow?
[48:29] Or we should only flow with life?
[48:33] See, flowing with life doesn't mean you
[48:36] will not take the necessary action.
[48:39] You
[48:41] notice
[48:44] that what
[48:47] gives you a sense of joy, excitement,
[48:52] when you feel fully yourself,
[48:55] that's a signal
[48:57] that this is what This is the path you
[48:59] should follow.
[49:02] And
[49:03] if there are scenarios or situations
[49:07] which
[49:10] are not your preference,
[49:14] don't give unnecessary energy to it by
[49:17] resisting it.
[49:18] Because
[49:21] by resisting any situation or scenario,
[49:26] you get stuck in it.
[49:31] You get
[49:32] You are the one who who are holding on
[49:34] to that.
[49:35] Situation itself is neutral.
[49:38] Your perception is labeling it as
[49:41] Oh, I'm stuck here. This is bad. This is
[49:43] what not This is not what I want.
[49:47] So,
[49:48] be very careful. Don't resist.
[49:52] It is showing you something.
[49:55] If it is not your preference, look for
[49:57] alternatives which are
[49:59] aligned with your heart.
[50:01] Your heart already knows.
[50:06] Okay, I can see Sarika ji raised her
[50:09] hand and you are unmuted also. So,
[50:12] please ask your question, Sarika ji.
[50:15] >> Pranam, sir.
[50:17] >> Namaskar.
[50:18] >> When I'm
[50:19] listening to you, all the problems go
[50:21] away.
[50:22] And as soon as I'm back into
[50:25] my own self, all the problems come back
[50:27] bang on.
[50:29] >> Uh so, it's like, you know, you
[50:32] suppose you
[50:33] are carrying a very heavy backpack,
[50:36] okay, with lots of
[50:38] dumbbells in it, lots of weight in it,
[50:40] okay?
[50:40] >> Yes. Yes.
[50:41] >> And then sometimes you drop that,
[50:44] you feel the relief.
[50:46] So, that's an opportunity
[50:48] for you to decide that I don't want to
[50:52] hold the same bag again.
[50:54] It's It's a choice.
[50:57] Or you can lighten up your weight, you
[50:59] know, you can notice that, okay, I this
[51:01] is an opportunity to analyze which
[51:04] weights I'm carrying unnecessarily.
[51:07] Maybe
[51:08] uh in something sometimes
[51:11] uh
[51:13] you know, someone said something or
[51:15] something happened in the past.
[51:17] Sometimes we keep on holding on to so
[51:19] those weights with us.
[51:21] Okay, so whenever you feel this moment
[51:25] of pause,
[51:26] that's an opportunity for you to hit the
[51:29] reset button.
[51:32] To see that you're analyze your own
[51:34] baggage and see, okay, which weights I'm
[51:36] carrying unnecessarily that's weighing
[51:38] me down.
[51:39] I feel
[51:41] as if there's a lot of pressure, there
[51:42] is a weight I'm carrying.
[51:46] So, that becomes your opportunity
[51:48] to let go of things which are no longer
[51:51] required.
[51:52] And it becomes It's It's not about
[51:55] whether you should forgive someone,
[51:57] forgive yourself, or let go of the past.
[52:00] Whatever happened happened.
[52:02] Or
[52:03] your expectations with yourself that oh,
[52:05] I should have done this by now, by now.
[52:08] All of this is
[52:10] old baggage.
[52:13] It belongs to that heavy rucksack.
[52:16] There is an opportunity for you
[52:18] to let go of it.
[52:23] So, every moment of pause gives you that
[52:26] opportunity.
[52:29] So, I hope you got the answer.
[52:33] >> Decluttering is easily said than done.
[52:37] >> Okay, that's uh Can you
[52:40] um
[52:40] really inquire this thought? Was it not
[52:43] just another thought coming
[52:45] and saying, "But I believe it is not
[52:47] that easy."
[52:53] So, if you really inquire, you'll see
[52:55] that there is some belief there which is
[52:58] saying it's it can't be this easy.
[52:59] Decluttering can't be this easy.
[53:02] If you let go of that, then you'll see
[53:04] yes, it should be possible.
[53:08] Then the opportunity would be there.
[53:10] Then you will see from a broader
[53:12] perspective that yeah,
[53:13] it is possible.
[53:15] It just I just have to figure out how.
[53:18] But if the belief would be it is not
[53:20] easy,
[53:22] it is
[53:23] uh
[53:24] easier said than done. If that that
[53:26] belief will be there,
[53:28] then you will not be able to see the
[53:29] other options which are there, the
[53:30] alternatives which are there.
[53:33] First of all, you would to see that yes,
[53:35] anything is possible.
[53:38] So, it should be easy. I just have to
[53:40] figure out how.
[53:42] And I'm sharing the how.
[53:44] It's just that as soon as this belief
[53:46] would lighten up, then you will see yes.
[53:49] Solution is simple.
[53:53] I just don't have to keep on going back
[53:56] to the same identification.
[54:00] And I can say okay, there is
[54:02] a different perspective to the same
[54:04] situation possible.
[54:08] Okay?
[54:10] All right. So, any other question?
[54:13] >> Yes.
[54:14] >> How is the thing?
[54:15] >> Yes.
[54:17] Gauravji, yes.
[54:19] >> The my question question is in chat box.
[54:23] >> Okay, the question is in chat box. All
[54:26] right.
[54:28] Okay. Often it happens that the life is
[54:31] moving at its own pace and then
[54:41] Okay.
[54:43] So, your um
[54:45] The question is you're saying sometimes
[54:47] you feel the God's presence and
[54:48] sometimes you feel that it's just the
[54:51] imagination. Yeah?
[54:54] >> Yes.
[54:55] >> Okay. Now,
[54:58] as we
[54:59] um when we started the session,
[55:03] uh
[55:04] we started with this
[55:07] idea
[55:10] that anything which is based on belief
[55:17] it has a limited lifespan.
[55:21] Because
[55:24] you only need to believe something
[55:27] if you don't know it.
[55:31] Okay? Now, I'll ask you a simple
[55:33] question.
[55:34] Are you a human being.
[55:42] So, the answer would be
[55:44] yes, I am. So, is it a belief
[55:47] or you know it?
[55:52] Similarly, if I ask you,
[55:54] do you exist? Are you here?
[55:59] So, you may question that okay, maybe I
[56:01] may have Some people say that okay,
[56:03] everything is Maya, this might be dream.
[56:05] It's might be illusion, simulation. But,
[56:10] you don't need you don't need to believe
[56:12] all that.
[56:14] Just
[56:15] stick to the simple fact that you exist.
[56:20] You are here. Even if it's dream, you
[56:22] are you are experiencing.
[56:24] If it is real, you are here to
[56:25] experience it.
[56:28] So, this is knowingness. You don't need
[56:30] any belief for this.
[56:34] You know it.
[56:35] So, when you stick to the knowingness,
[56:39] all other doors open.
[56:43] So, yes, you do not need
[56:46] to believe
[56:48] in your idea of God because it is
[56:51] possible that your mind has imagined
[56:55] something.
[56:56] It has some imagination for God.
[57:00] And it might be not fully aligned with
[57:03] the truth.
[57:05] Because mind can imagine anything.
[57:09] And that's what is causing lots of
[57:11] issues in major religions and all
[57:13] because everyone has their own idea of
[57:15] God.
[57:16] No.
[57:19] If
[57:20] your idea of God is supported by a
[57:23] belief,
[57:25] that will
[57:27] not really help you
[57:29] at the core core level.
[57:33] Yes,
[57:34] the
[57:35] awareness
[57:38] can be called God.
[57:39] You can use the word Shiva.
[57:42] You can use the word Krishna
[57:44] consciousness. You can use any word. How
[57:46] does it matter which word you use?
[57:48] Call it God, you call it awareness.
[57:51] You call it anything.
[57:53] Don't get confused with the words.
[57:58] Notice where are these words pointing.
[58:04] So,
[58:07] that would give you the answer for that.
[58:10] No need to believe.
[58:12] Question everything. Question your own
[58:14] beliefs.
[58:15] Question your
[58:17] own idea of who you are, also.
[58:22] And then, the truth will be revealed.
[58:30] Everything is here.
[58:32] And
[58:37] there is no external authority you need
[58:39] to rely on.
[58:44] You at your core is the real authority.
[58:47] You
[58:49] are
[58:50] what you are seeking.
[58:53] Because there is only one being.
[58:55] There is only one
[58:59] awareness. It's not individual
[59:01] awareness.
[59:03] It has no location.
[59:06] It is infinite.
[59:08] It is internal.
[59:11] It's
[59:12] always there.
[59:14] That's the
[59:15] meaning of eternal, right?
[59:18] So,
[59:20] no need to believe this, also.
[59:21] Inquire
[59:23] and notice
[59:26] who you really are.
[59:28] And whatever answer mind gives, question
[59:31] it, doubt it.
[59:33] Because mind doesn't know that.
[59:35] Mind doesn't know the truth.
[59:38] But the silence behind the mind, the
[59:40] silence behind all these thoughts
[59:45] is already that.
[59:48] You are already that, regardless of what
[59:51] you believe.
[59:55] Nothing can change that fact.
[59:58] Nothing this mind or body will do or
[1:00:00] believe change the fact
[1:00:03] that you are already that.
[1:00:08] So,
[1:00:10] thank you for joining. And
[1:00:15] I think the time is up and uh
[1:00:17] if
[1:00:19] this was helpful, we may do that again.
[1:00:22] Uh I would love to know if it was
[1:00:24] helpful.
[1:00:25] And uh
[1:00:27] if you have any personal questions, I
[1:00:29] hope you know
[1:00:31] um
[1:00:32] how to contact us and uh we can have
[1:00:35] one-on-one conversation also.
[1:00:38] So, may you live a blissful life
[1:00:41] and please keep reminding you
[1:00:46] by simply asking this question,
[1:00:49] "What is aware of
[1:00:53] this experience?"
[1:00:58] Whatever is happening,
[1:01:00] whatever body is experiencing, what is
[1:01:02] happening around you, whatever you're
[1:01:04] listening or seeing,
[1:01:06] or using the five senses, whatever your
[1:01:08] mind is thinking,
[1:01:10] please remind yourself,
[1:01:13] "What is aware of all this? How do I
[1:01:17] know it's happening here? How do I know
[1:01:19] it's here?"
[1:01:24] So, that will
[1:01:25] take you back to
[1:01:27] your awareness.
[1:01:30] It's not your awareness, you as the
[1:01:32] awareness.
[1:01:33] Because it is not personal, it's it's
[1:01:36] same for all beings. It may express
[1:01:38] itself in many ways, but there is only
[1:01:41] one being.
[1:01:44] Has no shape, no size, no story, no
[1:01:47] history.
[1:01:49] That's why it's called eternally pure,
[1:01:51] beyond time, beyond space.
[1:01:54] That's what is described in Bhagavad
[1:01:56] Gita.
[1:01:58] Fire cannot burn it.
[1:02:01] Water cannot make it wet.
[1:02:03] Never born, never dies.
[1:02:07] So,
[1:02:08] this should be
[1:02:11] If if you really want the mind to taste
[1:02:15] real sense of completion, satisfaction,
[1:02:19] fulfillment,
[1:02:21] the only way
[1:02:23] have
[1:02:24] anyone has ever found this sense
[1:02:28] is
[1:02:29] by being,
[1:02:31] by recognizing
[1:02:33] awareness.
[1:02:36] That's what all scriptures are talking
[1:02:38] about. That's what all masters are
[1:02:40] talking about. The way of expressing
[1:02:42] that is different. Some are direct
[1:02:43] methods, some are indirect methods.
[1:02:45] Every method is trying to take you to
[1:02:49] this recognition.
[1:02:51] So,
[1:02:53] please remind keep on reminding
[1:02:55] yourself.
[1:02:57] You are always aware. You don't need to
[1:03:00] do anything to be aware. You just have
[1:03:02] to notice it. Keep on noticing.
[1:03:05] This is the only practice you need.
[1:03:09] So, may you live a blissful life.
[1:03:15] Thank you for joining.
[1:03:17] Namaskar.
