Consciousness Picked Up a Notion of Limitedness - 28th June 2017

Then what is here that perceives all of this? No matter what the content or quality is, what is it that perceives? No experience needs to happen. This is a little bit of looking, this little bit of self-audit in a way. So the phenomena, what do you do in this? We said the phenomenal perception, all of that is here now. Do you exist or not? Even if you were to try to say no, you cannot step out of your existence as we know when you are, yes or no? When it comes with the basis that you exist, even if you say, 'Oh, I don't know if I exist,' it implies that there is an 'I' which you're confirming exists. Now, that which exists, it has been told to us by parents, by the worries of this mind, that that is a limited entity, that that is something enclosed in this body, or it is the body itself. Or if you want to become fancy about it, then you can say it is the body-mind organism.

Actually, there is no such thing. There is a subtle phenomenal temptation called the body and there is a set of phenomenal temptations called the mind. There is no such organism which is the body-mind; it is just a convenient way to refer to this mishmash of sensations. And that's why sometimes terminology becomes important. Maybe then we replace this term body-mind. Body-mind so much it can feel like an actual entity which is the body-mind. Actually, there is no such thing. All that we are perceiving, the set of sensations—can we call them sensations? All our perceptions for a minute, let's call them sensations. So everything that is experienced is experienced within this space of sensation. Very simple what I am saying. If you think that everything that is experienced is experienced as a phenomenon perception, for a while let's call it a sensation.

Now, whether it is this voice you're hearing over the computer or phone in front of you that you are seeing, all of that, let's say for a while let it be the sensation. Everything that's in your experience, let's call it a sensation. Now, in this set of sensations, if we didn't have the ability to divide it up and say, 'This is me'—some sensations like the sensation of the body—if we didn't have the ability to label this 'me,' the thoughts 'me,' the sound from the clip 'not me,' the people who are sitting in the Zoom meeting 'not me,' but actually in our insight, what is it? It is to go through both sensations as part of one phenomenal experience. There is only ever one experience. The appearance of this phenomenal play is always only one.

So in our perception, there can be a hand here, there can be another body sitting over there. So if we cannot apply the label 'me' to this hand and 'not me' to that body, then I can still use distance on the film. So this notion of separation, this term of a separate identity, is a trick. In turn, conditioning is what we have become conditioned to believing. Children are not born with this; we learn it from parents and then we learn it from this mind itself. It is supremely simple because if you were to open up this body, you would not discover an entity called 'me' in over there. I did wander of this body and many different bodies. You experience this body, then with a... I had a dream in which I had another body, it was visiting another realm. So it is like anything.

See, what are the sensations of this body? Because we visually look at this body and it is the fact that I seem to be visiting the world through this, through these eyes, that makes it seem like I am an entity inclusive. Because I also just remain with my insight about what my true position is, you will find that all experience—the sound of this bird, the sound of the traffic on the roads, the hearing of these words coming out of this mouth—all of this is happening within my own being. I cannot have an experience outside of this. So the mind has one primary function, and that is to convince consciousness itself, its own creator, that 'Consciousness, you are limited, you are an identity.' I am this unlimited being which is unlimited. It's a mess. The job of the mind is to condense it, to convince you that 'I am something,' and that something is just a notion.

So the sensations of your body are experienced within the same space that you are experiencing these words, that you experience the visuals of this world. In fact, it is these visuals that keep changing, the content of the play which keeps changing. This space remains unchanging. Even if your mind is making a special visual out of what I am saying, even that space which the mind is conceptualizing is within the space of you. Very simply, where are you experiencing these words? 'I experience within me.' But this 'me' is not something contained in this body. Where is this body experienced? The sensations of the boundaries of the body also in that same being, the same existence, the same existence.

So if for five seconds we lose the ability to believe a notion about ourselves, leave our limitation in any way, you will see that you're experiencing also. In fact, even when you're believing notions, you're experiencing a fullness, but it seems like you are taking a more limited perspective about yourself. So the taking of a more limited perspective about yourselves, and that is why this is consciousness speaking with consciousness, one being experiencing all these sensations including these words. So oneness, not twoness. Advaita stands for... it is not a position to aspire towards, it is not something that we will get to. It is our fundamental unit which cannot be changed.

So this oneness is unchanging, and all of this phenomenal play relies on the existence 'I am,' on my being to exist. The story from the mind always will be that you are a limited entity, a limited object contained within this phenomenal experience, and that you'll always have excuses to say that you are all there is is less. So Nisargadatta Maharaj basically says God is everywhere. That could sound like arrogance or blasphemy, but it is saying the same thing. All there is is one, and that one is you. Now what label you put on that—will you say consciousness, God, I—is alright, it's a matter of interpretation.

So the real import of the question 'Can you stop being?' is to make this clear. If this existence is unstoppable in that way, that it is this being, this consciousness, which is the light and the screen, the director, the producer, the actor of this entire phenomenal play, but we don't have to rush to the insight. All that is important is to have a simple insight about what you are this very instant without coloring that insight with some judgment or inference. If you want to go now, stay here. What is your insight about yourself? All these are words which are not meant to be believed; they're just provocations, used to check for yourself whether these words are true in your own experience.

And also as you are watching, observe the tendency of the mind to rush to make an inference about what you experience. Okay, let me expand a little further on what I mean. So there is an insight. When we look at this flower, it is looking at the plant; it is our immediate perception. Now very quickly, the mind can come and offer up its inferences about it. So really big, it's merging with the white of the words. Yeah, this is for real. Is this one Photoshop? You see, the insight about it was clearer without even the label 'flower.' You see?

So in satsang, we speak something like this which is direct. If you can keep inferences aside for some time, and if you have to use words, we use words just as cleanly as possible to describe our direct insight. Then you find that that which has been pointed to is clean and obvious. And then if you decide—and you mean if you will consciously decide—that you are not done with this play of 'I am somethingness,' you're not done, that will lead you like the case of... like before we started sharing, we were talking about dentists with friends over here. Now to lend them that, so some days when I'm brushing my teeth in the morning, I see some craters in my teeth and I know that it is all the late-night desserts which are calling them. I am not done with the taste of that, so I keep playing with it. Very bad.

So as you are getting this insight about what you really are, there will come this invitation from the mind to continue to play as if you are something, as if you have a boundary, limitation, you have a name and a form. And it is completely up to you as consciousness to continue to play with that notion or to allow that notion to just come and go. But at least after hearing these words, after checking for yourself, you know that it is part of your play. Because in this moment, I know that you are that which I speak of, that which I am. The only difference is the outer expression associated with being a seeker.

The habit of mind is to continue to play as if you are something, as if you have a boundary, limitation, a name, and a form. It is completely up to you, as Consciousness, to continue to play with that notion or to allow that notion to just come and go. But at least after hearing these words, after checking for yourself, you know that it is part of your play. Because in this moment, I know that you are that which I speak of, that which I am. The only difference is the outer expression. What is seen is how Consciousness is playing out in those expressions, and whether it is playing as if it is believing these limited notions about itself.

What I am saying is that another way to inquire into what you are is to say, 'Okay, what is here?' We already saw that there is a phenomenal world which includes all phenomena. Is it just that? Are you also here? Are you a phenomenal object? Are you an appearance? Are you something which comes and goes? And if you are an appearance, who are you appearing to? If we are limited by time and space, then we must be another appearance because appearances have duration. If you are just an appearance, who is aware of this appearance? Who is aware of your existence?

That signals to the second part of what I want to share now. There is no rush to get into this. The great sages say, Guruji says, that Consciousness is the dynamic aspect of myself. What does it actually mean? This is explored with an exploration of your being, of your existence, of Consciousness. Now, they also said that even this, which is all there is, all that is within, is an aspect of the Self. To the mind, this is completely strange. How can all there is be an aspect of myself? It is a beautiful pointing because it is bringing us to the discovery of the Self—that which is aware even of existence.

It awakens as Consciousness, and yet that which awakens as Consciousness remains as it was. What is that? There are no two here. It is also true that beingness, playing as 'I am,' you see, is now playing as seeing and being. So it awakens as Consciousness, and with its awakening is the awakening of this waking state, of the dream state, any state where 'I am.' And yet, the second part of the phrase is very important: although it awakens as being, it itself continues to remain as it was. That is why in Indian spirituality it is said that from the fullness, fullness arises, and with the rising of this fullness, fullness continues to remain as it was.

So the Self—this definition of 'I' is the Self—this Self I really mean is unchanged, untouched with the rising of this being, the rising of the waking state, the dream state, or any other meditative state. It is being itself coming to the recognition of its own source. And it is being itself which has the ability to believe itself to be something small, funky, and limited. So that which is aware even of existence, that which is aware can say, 'Yes, there is an experience of the sleep state, there is an experience of the dream state, there is an experience of the waking state, there is an experience of Turiya.' If you don't know the term for Turiya, as I was saying the other day, it's like saying, 'Yes, I was in the garden, I was in the playground, I was in the street, I am in this room.' Simply, all these appearances and disappearances, I am aware of this.

This is where the mind is unfathomable, and yet to you, it is very natural. So if I ask you, 'Are you aware now?' you say, 'Yes.' You do not have a phenomenal experience of this awareness. Your mind will come and say that you are only saying 'yes' because there is a perception of phenomena, because 'I am aware of something, therefore I must be here.' Well, if that something was not there, then I would not say I am aware. But this is not true because we know. I am sitting on the couch and I am aware of both sitting and couch. These are perceived things. If they are not there, what is our experience of awareness? And that which has the experience of awareness, what is the nature of that one? Is it 'I am aware'? Is the 'I' and the 'aware' separate, or is 'I' and 'aware' the same?

And please, please, please don't let the mind convince you this is some abstract, intellectual, mental discussion that we are having. I am speaking very simple things. This needs some silence to hear these words. I ask you, 'Are you aware now?' You say, 'Yes.' I ask you, 'Which is the I which is aware? Is that separate from the awareness?' And this itself, all that is needed is to allow this question to hit home, and not by a judgment or an answer about spiritual insight. So all that we have said in satsang today is that I exist, and ultimately even this 'I am aware'—I am aware that I am. In all these words, all that we have said is that this 'I' is the Self.

Another thing I want to say is that formerly you still believe this idea that, 'Okay, I come to this discovery and awareness, and this awareness is really moving with really no real point in this world to come to this discovery.' What's the point? What is it bringing? Many will still have a limited notion of the 'me' and say, 'So even when this was in it for me?' I want to tell you that as Consciousness is coming to the recognition of its source, Consciousness is experiencing its own divinity. This is the fragrance of this divinity. The words of a sage versus the words of an intellectual—all of this is only shared for Consciousness to just remember, to recognize its divinity, to not remain in a limited existence.

Nothing has changed for awareness absolute. What fails to be absolute? Nothing really changes fundamentally. Nothing changes for the person; no person has ever existed. Only in the play of Consciousness, Consciousness believing itself to be a limited entity and Consciousness recognizing its divinity have a different flavor, have a different fragrance. And from the absolute perspective, we can say that nothing ever really happens. So when life events happen and the mind convinces Consciousness that it is something limited and it's all messed up, then it is important to say these words: nothing has really happened. One is introducing you to your God presence, to your existence, which is the light of this universe. What a wonderful existence it is, you see, even if its creation was all a lie. So, in some way, so that being can taste its own being, you see, to taste your presence.

It is the altar of your heart right now. Tell me if you find a person sitting there. What is at the core of your existence? All outer beliefs, images, all of our spiritual endeavors culminate in this falling down at the altar of your own presence, at the altar of your own heart. You can go for years to fulfill the longing, but as the video we had earlier said, it is ever returning to its own source. All are running around in circles. All of that is fine as far as the play is concerned. This is it. This is the sense that longing is for. If it is for the realization, the recognition of the truth, the longing is for this. All that is needed is to be still. No words can introduce you to that which is outside of yourself.

Yesterday, some of us were sitting together and the feeling came here that what has been shared, irrespective of the state of this body or the energy levels here, what we shared with my entire family irrespective of where you are. So it is for some time. The key thing here is to resume our broadcast from Monday to Friday and to keep them short and sweet. It is over within the intent, which we never know how it will play out. It might take a few days to get the schedule on the way. All the things are not over. The key thing here is to realize it at least relative to Sahaja. So they'll get on that. Today on the embassy website it says that the passport has been processed and it's on the way to you by courier. Whether there is a visa in it or not, but it is my hope I will be able to go. As much time as we can spend together, happy to share. And before we go today, we welcome requests for questions.

Yeah, excuse me, can I do this on the mic? This is good. I have to create an outfit. Even I'm not so sure it's relevant now, but only in the hope that it might try to expand something in me to ask it or connect me more with satsang. When I do, when I see that it's all happening in nature, in the awareness, that's fine. But it's like it's still and it feels peaceful and it feels increasing joy here. But it's very field, you know, it sort of feels tied to the things of this body. For example, I am experiencing you here within me in the computer, and what I'm not experiencing is what you're experiencing there in India. It's probably pretty warm; I'm not experiencing that. So it's like, at least the mind says, yes, it is expansive, but it feels very limited to the current time, using a body where the body is located. And that's okay, you know, maybe that changes, I don't know. Or even if this isn't worth much, why did inquiry?

Yes. So it might arise one day as an insight that the only true thing we can say even about phenomena is that which is our current experience. You can only say 'I exist.' Why? You cannot see, you cannot really confirm the existence of an entire universe. We are only seeing what is in front of you. Many different things like this, and in the dream experience, many are happy to see all of this is the conviction of my Consciousness, one Consciousness. All the rivers, mountains, and another come from there. And yet, even there, it can seem like, 'Oh, I am contained within this body, subject to time and space.' So let these insights arise. There's a natural insight if it has to. You remain with this inquiry about what you are and what is it that is aware of your being, your existence.

And then all of the insights, if they have to arise within one existence, whether they are two of us or like will be there, it's all actually only about you, but not you personally. Then the words which sound like riddles actually will become very clear. What is going on? When Ashtavakra says, I remember we were together as close to terminology, we had this verse: 'You are the one witness of all there is.' Ashtavakra did not say there is you, which is the little fellow, one of Consciousness, and all of you are experiencing variously. It said, 'You are the one witness of all there is.' And I know that as long as we are in this realm of getting away from the limited conditioning, some way, all of these can seem like abstract concepts. They can seem like fairy tales or something nice to have, but it feels like it's not my experience yet.

What I am saying is that it is your experience already, and yet it is not for your inference. Your mind is in the way. So this is what I mean by insight and inference. Now, as you get comfortable with remaining with your insights, then you find that all these inferences were actually upside down from your own experience. In case this is not because the sages have said something, and even if their insights don't come in this way, but actually only this one being here, at least this much will become clear: that there is no individual entity called Richard here. That is the important part, because only Richard can suffer. Only that which is limited, that has name and form, can suffer. So this world becomes a play. Then allow these insights to come and go; that will become part of the play. Sometimes the sharing of the insights will happen not with the intent to frustrate you or something. The sharing of the insights will happen just to put a small or big firecracker in your mind or something, just to explode it in what we call the heart. This is to like our mind-blowing experience. Your mind is blown for a few seconds. In those few seconds, I can do a bypass. I can request you to check what is here. That is why some of these things are said. Why I also enjoy it is I enjoy giving insights very much. I enjoy telling you that you are not an object in this world; it is the world which is an object in you. And I know that the mind has to...

To just put a small or big firecracker in your mind or something is to exclude it in what we call the heart. This is like a mind-blowing experience; your mind is blown for a few seconds. In those moments, I can do a bypass. I can request you to check what is here. So that is why I also enjoy giving insights very much. I enjoy telling you that you are not an object in this world; it is the world which is an object in you. And I know that the mind cannot do anything with that, but because there is some trust and some love you feel for me, there will be some great openness. And for a minute, your mind will not move. So the second I can enter, and that is enough.

Now imagine this Leela. One of the ones that we have been making up some bhajans want to share one or two of them today. A couple of them you already heard, the older ones that others were singing. Sahajiya, she recorded two albums; there are two or three new ones also that she is continuing up. So I hope you enjoy, and it's all in the words, right? Don't worry about the section.

The first line became elongated. Until about five years ago, I think it's so different, powerful, didn't it?

The last one, okay, it came like a lullaby. Put in a very beautiful bhajan of the Leelas for Krishna. And at the supreme Krishna level, in the Sambandhas, he is also a baby. So she could do the Leela. Check, ask, you're not doing the bhajan? We don't check the knowledge. English Krishnaji? Oh, stop it. It was awesome. Golden Krishna. Go, ah, it's now Krishna. Nagar, location to gargle time. People see God, see the day. Yeah, sure. To me, he is the God-given, granted. All the services are sent to the day of control. To Shiva, God, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Krishna.

Thank you all so much for being in Satsang. Thank you. Satguru Mooji Ki Jai.