The Self is realized not by one's doing something, but by one's refraining from doing anything -- by remaining still and being simply what one really is.'
Ramana Maharshi
We are that which we seek
In our book, 'Awakening The Fire Within', we discuss the four major schools of yoga: action (karma), devotion (bhakti), knowledge (jnana) and meditation (raja). They are four paths which crisscross with one another, eventually ending up at the same place, the Self. Temperament is the predominant factor determining which path a student will choose to follow. Each path starts from the supposition that we are separate from our Source and must, through sustained effort, prepare our bodies, minds and hearts for the ultimate attainment: Self- or God-realization. The premise is that we are born separate and must re-unite with the Source. Thus it is a journey that the individual self must make in order to arrive at its place of ultimate Origin. Each path demands purification and emphasizes specific practices that will prepare mind and body for this final encounter. Whichever path we choose, the traditional view is that the journey will be arduous and long.
The method of Self-enquiry, which can be easily practiced by students of any the four paths (or equally by those who do not practice any form of yoga) makes the journey much easier, simpler and pleasant. Self-enquiry, as it has been promulgated by Ramana Maharshi, starts from a different place. It emphasizes that we are already that which we seek. We are already the Self but are unaware of this due to ignorance of our true nature. In other words, there is nothing we need gain since we have already gained it. Having already gained it, all that needs to be relinquished is the false idea that we are something other than what it is we seek. The source of our problem is quite simple: we have identified our self with the body. Of course, there is a body and there is an empirical self. But both the body and the empirical self are appearances occurring in 'being-consciousness'. 'Being-consciousness' is our true nature and is not itself an appearance. Rather, it is that which allows appearances to happen. Without it, there is no body and no ego. Alternatively, 'being-consciousness' continues in the absence of the body and ego appearances. The Self is stable, whereas all other appearances are intermittent and changing. The illusion that these appearances represent us automatically creates deep insecurity. We feel the tentative nature of everything, including ourselves. We disappear at night during sleep and return upon awakening. We feel one way at one moment, another way the next moment. Our ideas are difficult to hold onto: we vacillate on our intentions; our needs, wants and desires are undergoing continual modification, and so forth. The Self, however, is ever present and restful. It is always there as a stabilizing Presence, no matter how chaotic our life may be on the surface. The Self is neither matter nor energy and is therefore not influenced by time, space or causality. It stands aloof, as the silent Witness of all that occurs at the phenomenal level of life. It is our true nature and ultimate refuge. Since it is not subject to causality, it cannot be born, nor can it die. As the classic Hindu text, the Bhagavad-Gita states: 'Weapons cannot cut the Self, fire cannot burn it, water cannot make it wet, nor can wind dry it.' Thus, the Self is immortal.
The 'Here and Now' is always here and now. Time and change appear to be flowing through it, but in a manner similar to a movie being played out on a screen. Without the screen there would be no movie, yet the screen itself is not affected by the images that are bouncing off its surface. Time appears to be passing, but in fact the only moment that is, is Now. Location appears to be shifting as our bodies move around, but in fact the only place that is, is Here. The Self, as 'being-consciousness' is the screen upon which the world-appearance and the empirical ego is projected. Without the Self nothing can appear, yet if nothing appears the Self is still here and now. When our bodies die, the Self remains. All the memories may be lost, all the familiar images may be gone, but the quintessential essence of ourselves is untouched.
The quintessential Self is not something to be found anew. It is already present. In fact, it is overwhelmingly present yet, paradoxically we are not aware of it. Why? Because the Self is not an object to be seen like other objects. It is our very self and thus overlooked. We are trained to look outside, into the environment for the evidence of what exists. But the Self is not external and it is not accessible by the physical senses, so it's there but we do not see it. Only when the mind is brought to a state of absolute stillness, do we become aware of the Self. We become aware, because it is all that is left when every other 'thing' has been removed. We are not asleep yet we are not aware of externals or even subtle internals, such as memories and concepts. What is left when all thought ceases is an awareness of awareness, by Itself. This awareness clearly has a Presence, and this Presence is not separate from ourselves. It is, in fact, our Self. Even if this absolute stillness of mind lasts only for a few seconds, we will not forget it. We will know, unequivocally, that who we really are is not at all what we thought we were. Who we are is not some 'locus' of experience, but rather the space of consciousness within which our intellectually created locus lives. By extension, we also are not the body that carries our name, but rather the space of consciousness within which what we know as 'our body' lives. Our body is as much an appearance as is the tree on the horizon. The same is true of our ego-sense, except that the ego is a thought-form ad therefore the senses are not directly involved.
'First one sees the Self as objects, then one sees the Self as a void, then one sees the Self as Self: only in this last state there is no seeing because seeing is being.' [Ramana Maharshi, page 273, Padamalai]
'Only that stage is final where there is not seeing, where there is no time or space. There will be no seer, seeing and an object to see. What exists then is only the infinite eye (pure awareness). '[ibid.]
'Being-consciousness' is always here, now. We do not need to travel anywhere to find it. Nor do we need to do anything physical, such as yoga poses or breathing techniques in order to get to it. Ramana Maharshi emphasized that the Self is immediately accessible to one and all and that no intermediary is required to know It. We do not require anyone or anything to access the Self because we are already It. A guru or teacher can be a support, can remind us that who we are is the Self, can encourage us to practice Self-enquiry, but beyond these things it is up to us recognize what we already are. Like a man who wrongly sees a snake on the road and feels fear, we need only recognize that the coiled up snake is merely a piece of rope, and then our fear is gone, instantaneously. The more complicated and difficult the sadhana (spiritual practice) we follow, the less effective it is. Since we are already what we seek, the most effective method must be the simplest. Sri Ramana states emphatically, 'be still'. By simply being still we will realize our true nature. Of course, he recognized that 'being still' is almost impossible for most people, and so he recommended the method of Self-enquiry as a support. With consistent practice over time, anyone can gain the ability to 'be still' and transform their life accordingly.
How does Self-enquiry work?
Of the millions of thoughts that appear and disappear in the mind there is one thought which is supremely important. This thought is the 'I'-thought, which invariably takes the form, 'I-am-the-body'. This 'I'-thought is the primal thought which must arise in the mind before any other thought can follow. The 'I'-thought is the first person singular thought. All other thoughts are in the second person ('you') and third person (he, she, it, they, those, etc) categories. The second and third persons can arise only after the arising of the first person. The entire world is composed of second and third persons, yet for any and all of those things and persons to appear, the first person, 'I' must be there.
In sleep, the first person disappears and with it the world of second and third persons. If the sleeper begins to dream, the first thought that will arise will be the 'I'-thought, followed by the entire panoply of objects and characters in the dream. No matter how bizarre the dream may be, there will always be the first person at center stage. The moment the first person withdraws from the stage, the show is over and what remains is deep, dreamless sleep. With this knowledge, we are now in a very powerful position to gain mastery over our turbulent, unruly minds. Instead of fighting against the continual barrage of thoughts to which we are subjected daily, we need only conquer the 'I'-thought. If we can stop the rising of the 'I'-thought (first person) we will automatically stop all other thoughts (second and third persons) at the same instant. And, if we can hold the 'I'-thought at bay for a few minutes, then all other thoughts will be kept at bay as well.
Many meditation techniques try to stop thoughts by focusing on a mantra every time a thought -- any thought: first, second or third person --rises up. This method will work, but it's slow because it will deal with any and all thoughts, of which there are a countless number. Other techniques emphasize focusing on the breath. This method works, up to a point. Again, however, even as other thoughts gradually thin out, the attention is still being held on an object (in this case the breath) and an object is not the Self. Still other techniques encourage focussing on a candle, a picture, a dot, a blank wall, an idol, etc, in order to keep thoughts away, but in every case the mind is still focussed on an object, and an object -- even the most sacred -- is not the Self. All of these methods are useful and must be respected. People who use these methods consistently will advance. There is no question about this. However, this approach is indirect, while the method of Self-enquiry is direct. Self-enquiry is the one method which focusses exclusively upon the first person singular, the 'I'. All other methods focus on second and third persons. These other approaches will succeed eventually in removing all other second and third person thoughts, but one second or third person object will inevitably remain (the picture, flame, dot, idol, etc). In order to get to the Self we will also have to abandon that object as well, which means we will need another method to remove the thought we've been using to remove all other thoughts.
With Self-enquiry we forget about dealing with second and third person thoughts. We put our entire focus on the first person singular knowing that when the primal 'I'-thought disappears, all other thoughts will disappear with it. This is the direct means to realize the Self.
"...When the first person ceases to exist through one's enquiry into the truth of that first person, then the existence of the second and third persons will come to an end..."
Ramana Maharshi, 'Ulladhu Narpadhu', verse 14
When the first person, 'I'-thought is destroyed through Self-enquiry, we are left alone, with the Self and as the Self. This is how we awaken to our true nature, by removing the empirical ego which obscures the true vision of who we are.
Self-attention
Every competent teacher, whether their orientation is spiritual or worldly, emphasizes the importance of developing one-pointedness. The ability to stay focussed on one thing long enough to achieve success is critical. What stops most people from accomplishing their dreams is simply their inability to fix their attention on a goal or intention long enough that it becomes a reality. They get distracted, quit what they are doing when they encounter difficulties, and head off in another direction; they meet with obstacles and walk away; they have self-doubts and surrender in defeat: they don't stay focussed on their original intention and see it through to completion. This one weakness is the cause of so much suffering, despair and failure.
Developing the ability to be one-pointed is critical in any endeavor, especially in the quest to know ourselves. If we are committed to know the Self, then this too will demand one-pointedness. With Self-enquiry we make our point of focus the Self, right from the start. We begin by asking the question, 'Who am I?' and looking for the 'I'-thought or the 'I'-feeling directly. Our attention does not go anywhere else -- a mantra, a candle, the breath, etc -- except back to the 'I am'. The thought or feeling of 'I am' is not the Self, but it is a doorway. Every time we ask the question 'Who am I?' and look for the 'I'-thought/feeling we are pushing against that door. It will be just a matter of time before that door opens and we enter into the vastness of 'being-consciousness'. Just as it takes one-pointedness to acquire a PhD or win an Olympic medal, so it takes one-pointedness to discover our immortality. The Self is immortality, in fact, the only immortality. Everything else, which is governed by the law of cause and effect, has a beginning, a middle and ultimately, an end. For human beings, the end is the death of our precious bodies. At best we can extend our lives through a healthy life-style and perhaps some special yogic techniques, but the most we will accomplish this way will be life-extension. We may earn another five, ten or twenty years. If we are adept yogis, we may gain fifty or a hundred years. In the end, however, this physical vehicle will disintegrate. When we realize our true nature through the practice of self-attention, we lose our fear of losing our physical bodies. We know that we are immortal, because we know that we are not our material bodies, nor even our energetic bodies, but rather the pure 'being-consciousness' that transcends causality. Once we awaken we attain immortality, even though our bodies will eventually drop away.
We should not delude ourselves, thinking that 'being-consciousness' is anything like the 'consciousness of...' of ordinary consciousness. Whatever occurs after the death of the body will undoubtedly be something very different from what we are experiencing as we read this essay. The brain, which is the storehouse of memory and the instrument of intellectual processes will cease functioning. The body and senses, which give us all the pleasures and pains we associate with being alive will no longer be there to give us those experiences. So, what will be left? 'Being-consciousness'. But what will 'being-consciousness' give us? It will give us 'being-consciousness', whatever that is. 'Being-consciousness' is our immortality. It is the essence of life. It is pure Existence beyond the ordinary duality of existence/non-existence. It is the pure Existence underlying existence/non-existence. The Vedas call it sat-chit-ananda: being-consciousness-bliss. So according to these ancient teachings, the state of simple 'being-consciousness' is bliss. But how could it be bliss if there are no objects and other living creatures from whom to derive our pleasures? Surely, the experience of bliss demands an I-other duality. Well, this information is not accessible to us, when we are still in the incarnate, body-attachment state. Perhaps the state of nirvikalpa samadhi give us a hint of what it could be like. In nirvikalpa samadhi the meditator has ceased all thinking, all perceiving, all physical and emotional sensing. Is this a state of bliss? The answer is 'yes'. There is a perfect awareness of being which accompanies a condition of absolute peace and effortlessness. It is so restful and intimate that the meditator does not want to leave that state. The body and its needs will eventually pull him out, but while in nirvikalpa samadhi there is no sense that anything is missing, no sense of an empty void, no longing, no unconsciousness, no dullness, no lack. Perhaps this gives us a hint what could after the body drops away at the time of death.
"The means to set aside thought-attention and regain Self-attention is as follows. At the very moment that each thought rises, if one vigilantly enquires 'To whom did this rise?', it will be known 'To me'. If one then enquires 'Who am I?', our power of attention (the mind) will turn back from the thought to its source (Self); then, since one one is there to attend to it the thought which had risen will also subside. By repeatedly practising thus, the power of the mind to abide in its source increases." Ramana Maharshi, 'Who am I?'
Every competent teacher, whether their orientation is spiritual or worldly, emphasizes the importance of developing one-pointedness. The ability to stay focussed on one thing long enough to achieve success is critical. What stops most people from accomplishing their dreams is simply their inability to fix their attention on a goal or intention long enough that it becomes a reality. They get distracted, quit what they are doing when they encounter difficulties, and head off in another direction; they meet with obstacles and walk away; they have self-doubts and surrender in defeat: they don't stay focussed on their original intention and see it through to completion. This one weakness is the cause of so much suffering, despair and failure.
Developing the ability to be one-pointed is critical in any endeavor, especially in the quest to know ourselves. If we are committed to know the Self, then this too will demand one-pointedness. With Self-enquiry we make our point of focus the Self, right from the start. We begin by asking the question, 'Who am I?' and looking for the 'I'-thought or the 'I'-feeling directly. Our attention does not go anywhere else -- a mantra, a candle, the breath, etc -- except back to the 'I am'. The thought or feeling of 'I am' is not the Self, but it is a doorway. Every time we ask the question 'Who am I?' and look for the 'I'-thought/feeling we are pushing against that door. It will be just a matter of time before that door opens and we enter into the vastness of 'being-consciousness'. Just as it takes one-pointedness to acquire a PhD or win an Olympic medal, so it takes one-pointedness to discover our immortality. The Self is immortality, in fact, the only immortality. Everything else, which is governed by the law of cause and effect, has a beginning, a middle and ultimately, an end. For human beings, the end is the death of our precious bodies. At best we can extend our lives through a healthy life-style and perhaps some special yogic techniques, but the most we will accomplish this way will be life-extension. We may earn another five, ten or twenty years. If we are adept yogis, we may gain fifty or a hundred years. In the end, however, this physical vehicle will disintegrate. When we realize our true nature through the practice of self-attention, we lose our fear of losing our physical bodies. We know that we are immortal, because we know that we are not our material bodies, nor even our energetic bodies, but rather the pure 'being-consciousness' that transcends causality. Once we awaken we attain immortality, even though our bodies will eventually drop away.
We should not delude ourselves, thinking that 'being-consciousness' is anything like the 'consciousness of...' of ordinary consciousness. Whatever occurs after the death of the body will undoubtedly be something very different from what we are experiencing as we read this essay. The brain, which is the storehouse of memory and the instrument of intellectual processes will cease functioning. The body and senses, which give us all the pleasures and pains we associate with being alive will no longer be there to give us those experiences. So, what will be left? 'Being-consciousness'. But what will 'being-consciousness' give us? It will give us 'being-consciousness', whatever that is. 'Being-consciousness' is our immortality. It is the essence of life. It is pure Existence beyond the ordinary duality of existence/non-existence. It is the pure Existence underlying existence/non-existence. The Vedas call it sat-chit-ananda: being-consciousness-bliss. So according to these ancient teachings, the state of simple 'being-consciousness' is bliss. But how could it be bliss if there are no objects and other living creatures from whom to derive our pleasures? Surely, the experience of bliss demands an I-other duality. Well, this information is not accessible to us, when we are still in the incarnate, body-attachment state. Perhaps the state of nirvikalpa samadhi give us a hint of what it could be like. In nirvikalpa samadhi the meditator has ceased all thinking, all perceiving, all physical and emotional sensing. Is this a state of bliss? The answer is 'yes'. There is a perfect awareness of being which accompanies a condition of absolute peace and effortlessness. It is so restful and intimate that the meditator does not want to leave that state. The body and its needs will eventually pull him out, but while in nirvikalpa samadhi there is no sense that anything is missing, no sense of an empty void, no longing, no unconsciousness, no dullness, no lack. Perhaps this gives us a hint what could after the body drops away at the time of death.
"The means to set aside thought-attention and regain Self-attention is as follows. At the very moment that each thought rises, if one vigilantly enquires 'To whom did this rise?', it will be known 'To me'. If one then enquires 'Who am I?', our power of attention (the mind) will turn back from the thought to its source (Self); then, since one one is there to attend to it the thought which had risen will also subside. By repeatedly practising thus, the power of the mind to abide in its source increases." Ramana Maharshi, 'Who am I?'
Tales of power
Sakti is another name for energy or power. According to ordinary common-sense, which is based on a perception of the world derived largely from the physical senses, the living person -- i.e., the individual spirit, is separate from the material objects that it perceives. There is a built-in dualism in ordinary experience, which everyone must accept in order to function in this world. In spite of this, over the centuries scientific investigation has revealed that matter is fundamentally energy. As such, the whole notion of 'discreteness' -- which is the idea of a universe made up of separate, distinct objects -- has fallen into disfavor. The acceptance of 'discreteness' is important for practical affairs, for example, I recognize that my body is distinct from your body and I do not touch you without first receiving your permission. This distinction is vitally important in a civil society. Yet, at a more subtle level, our bodies are not really distinct. If I enter the presence of someone who is deeply depressed, after a while I will feel that person's depression at an emotional, even physical level. Everyone has experienced how their own energy level fluctuates in accordance with the energy level of someone they are spending time with. In the presence of some people we feel more alert, while in the presence of others, more fatigued. It is the interaction of sense-data and the intellect which creates the impression of separate 'things' composing the universe. In fact, these 'things' can be reduced to energy and the energy exchanges among them. Thus, it is more accurate to says that we are witnessing 'power' rather and objects and events. 'Power' is, so to speak, dressed up to look like 'things', but this is only an impression created in the mind. What we are witnessing is power, neither more nor less.
Now the question is, what is the source of 'power'? If power has a source, then our own bodies must arise from that same source, since they too are made up of power, even though they appear to be 'things' quite distinct from the other things which make up this universe. At one point in time, we did not have a body. Then we became a tiny embryo. Over time we grew into these large, complex bodies. Growth involves energy, but what is the source of this energy? Our universe may have started with a 'Big Bang', appearing at a tiny point at the beginning of time and setting off a chain of events which has evolved into this vast cosmos. Whatever Source is, it is not a 'thing' or something directly perceivable. We may call it a field of all possibilities or of pure potential, etc. but it is something of which we cannot be aware until it begins to manifest. In its unmanifest state, we cannot know of it. At best, we can infer it and look for some manifestation of it to give strength to our inference. The ancient rishis (seers) who gave us the upanishads (collectively call Vedanta) intuited that power (sakti) and awareness arise from the same source -- i.e., 'being-consciousness' (Self). If what they intuit is true, then there is no real duality of energy and consciousness. This would mean that the energy/matter we witness and the consciousness by which we witness energy/matter are not separate. It would mean that the seer-seen polarity is only apparently so, while in reality there is no true distinction between the perceiver and that which is perceived.
Sakti is another name for energy or power. According to ordinary common-sense, which is based on a perception of the world derived largely from the physical senses, the living person -- i.e., the individual spirit, is separate from the material objects that it perceives. There is a built-in dualism in ordinary experience, which everyone must accept in order to function in this world. In spite of this, over the centuries scientific investigation has revealed that matter is fundamentally energy. As such, the whole notion of 'discreteness' -- which is the idea of a universe made up of separate, distinct objects -- has fallen into disfavor. The acceptance of 'discreteness' is important for practical affairs, for example, I recognize that my body is distinct from your body and I do not touch you without first receiving your permission. This distinction is vitally important in a civil society. Yet, at a more subtle level, our bodies are not really distinct. If I enter the presence of someone who is deeply depressed, after a while I will feel that person's depression at an emotional, even physical level. Everyone has experienced how their own energy level fluctuates in accordance with the energy level of someone they are spending time with. In the presence of some people we feel more alert, while in the presence of others, more fatigued. It is the interaction of sense-data and the intellect which creates the impression of separate 'things' composing the universe. In fact, these 'things' can be reduced to energy and the energy exchanges among them. Thus, it is more accurate to says that we are witnessing 'power' rather and objects and events. 'Power' is, so to speak, dressed up to look like 'things', but this is only an impression created in the mind. What we are witnessing is power, neither more nor less.
Now the question is, what is the source of 'power'? If power has a source, then our own bodies must arise from that same source, since they too are made up of power, even though they appear to be 'things' quite distinct from the other things which make up this universe. At one point in time, we did not have a body. Then we became a tiny embryo. Over time we grew into these large, complex bodies. Growth involves energy, but what is the source of this energy? Our universe may have started with a 'Big Bang', appearing at a tiny point at the beginning of time and setting off a chain of events which has evolved into this vast cosmos. Whatever Source is, it is not a 'thing' or something directly perceivable. We may call it a field of all possibilities or of pure potential, etc. but it is something of which we cannot be aware until it begins to manifest. In its unmanifest state, we cannot know of it. At best, we can infer it and look for some manifestation of it to give strength to our inference. The ancient rishis (seers) who gave us the upanishads (collectively call Vedanta) intuited that power (sakti) and awareness arise from the same source -- i.e., 'being-consciousness' (Self). If what they intuit is true, then there is no real duality of energy and consciousness. This would mean that the energy/matter we witness and the consciousness by which we witness energy/matter are not separate. It would mean that the seer-seen polarity is only apparently so, while in reality there is no true distinction between the perceiver and that which is perceived.
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