Forget About Everything You Are Right About - 8th May 2018
Saar (Essence)
Ananta guides a seeker to investigate the nature of separation, revealing that 'me' and 'other' are merely mental stories. He invites the realization of the ever-unchanging truth that exists beyond all conceptual opposites.
Separation is the belief, not oneness.
The person walks into this dark night of the soul, but God walks out.
If you have found a truth that has an opposite, forget about it.
contemplative
Transcript
This transcript is auto-generated and may contain errors.
Everyone, welcome to Satsang. What shall we speak about today? A few hands are starting to appear. You, very short, school religion. Once it was a person. That's the question.
Good morning. I haven't got a chance to attend the Satsang for many days, but the question was bothering me a lot and I wanted to ask you how it can be taken care of. I have a class at 12:00.
Yes, my dear. You want to type the question? You want to come?
I'll read it. My friend says it is possible, but I wonder how. And if it is possible, then why would we need relationships then? Because according to my limited understanding, we have relationships to make us feel complete. But when one's real, once complete in himself, why would such a person need any relationship? There are trained selves. It is possible, but I wonder how. If it is possible, then why would we need relationships then? Because according to my limited understanding, we have relationships to make us feel complete, but when one is complete in themselves, why would such a person need any relationship to find completion in oneself? Actually, you know, I was going through this thing that, like, you know, whenever we do something for someone, so we'll do something for someone, there tends to be a kind of expectation in return, which I know is not correct, but then, you know, it tends to be there no matter what I do for it. So then it can be, you know, in turn creates a lot of suffering then when we don't get the expected thing in return. I mean, it's a small thing on me, but then with that, this small thing creates a lot of suffering. So, you know, I was wondering, because my friend says that he has gone through that phase and he says it's possible. Trying, trying, trying, it doesn't seem possible for me.
No, clear idea. Let's look at this question. So, as long as there is belief in separation, as long as there is actually belief that there are two, yes, then it will seem like whatever one is doing, it can seem like one is doing for another. This possibility of one and another can be there as long as there is belief in this separation. Yes. So the invitation here is to check whether really there are two. That's why it is Advaita, that there are no two. Trying to believe in it's not an experiential reality for us. No?
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Yes, yes. But okay.
Can we verify this? What if it is the opposite? What if the twoness is a belief and your experience of what we are is only one? So what do you have to do? Like, we are validating whether the separation is a belief or whether we have—whether not-twoness or non-separation is the belief. So, when you don't right now, are there one or two or none?
Right now it seems like it's me and there are others.
Huh. So just look and say, what are you calling me? What are you calling me?
This body-mind.
This body-mind. This body-mind. But you know by now that there is no 'me' in this body-mind. So what is this? Is it different from that which was born? It's a different body from that which was two or three. He has a rule, isn't it? Every cell of this body is different. So there is no continuity with this body. There is no constant 'me' that was born to our mother which is here now. The mind is constant? The mind is what? Just a bundle of thoughts. So it is coming and moving. Then the thought is—we say your mind is when there is space between thoughts, there is no mind, you see. So you cannot see something which is coming and going like that because you are referring to yourself as continuity. 'This person did this to me,' you know? Those exactly. So then if it is the story, then this one is a belief. We are validating which one is the belief, isn't it? So this story, if you have no story right now, separation—what if this was also just—and actually in this moment you are in view of it. In this moment you are empty of your past conditioning. In this moment, if I don't give you a moment to think, you are empty of all validation. You can't even tell me 'I'.
Yes, yes.
So without belief, without condition, what are you? And that which is arising, that everything, what is that? What is the separation between that which witnesses and that which is arising? That which appears as—which means witnessing—and that which appears? If you don't have a belief, if you don't have a story, if you don't have a notion, what is the separation between them?
I also become a thing to be witnessed.
Okay. Can you witness all my thoughts? If you witness this 'I' and tell me what was witnessed?
It's something like, you know, there's a movie going on and I am the main protagonist and then the story is going on from this protagonist's point of view.
Yes, but what we were doing is that, you know, validating whether the separation, me and other, was the story, you see. And what is Nikita here without the story? Because when I said that there is only one, there are no two, then it can feel like, 'Whoa, but that is the belief.' So we were just checking that in experience whether there is separation or in experience whether there is only oneness. That is what we are validating. And my proposition to you is that separation is the belief, not oneness. Okay? So stay just with your experience. Don't resist any perception and don't try to solve anything also. This table, which is what is, and then tell me how you have the sense of me and other.
You know, whatever emotionally or physically, it's limited to my body and my thoughts. And because if someone else gets hurt physically or even mentally, I can't experience their hurt or their pain. That is why there's that separation, probably.
So let's validate that from our experience also. It is not completely true that when an object in our perception feels something, seems to feel something—like suddenly if something happens here and, you know, this like I saw it or something for this one, you will also feel it out. Certainly this is it. If, like I did this example, if you are driving on the road and the cyclist in front of you falls down, you'll also see how, although that one would not be related to you, take it into our experience. But how would we see? Because trying to make that calculation, just naturally something which is at a deeper level feels very interconnected, you see. Yeah. So that is naturally so. But the point is, actually, in actuality, we can't even confirm the existence of another. Like Maharaj Nisargadatta said, 'The only truth I can speak is that I am.' The only truth that I can speak is 'I am,' but ultimately even that is not true. So you have never experienced the presence, the existence of another. You have only experienced your own being. And therefore, you know, they could just be like dream characters. We could be having this formulation in a dream. Exactly the same words could be spoken and you would know in the dream it might feel like, 'Oh, you are that one and I am this one,' but actually, in actuality, what is there? Are there one or two or none?
Exactly, exactly.
So if this exact situation would also appear in that which we call the dream state, now that we are in this waking state, you see, then it could be very much like what King Janaka said. Janaka said to Master Ashtavakra, he said, 'Master, I am very confused. I don't know whether I am the king who had the dream that I was a butterfly, or I am the butterfly that is having the dream that I am the king.' So we cannot really see, except the content of our current perception, if something is or not, you see. You cannot say that another is experiencing this, which cannot even confirm the existence of another. It is just a perception that is happening. Yes. From our experience itself, what we are validating is from our experience itself, from our perception itself, from the witnessing itself. Is there a sense of being another or me and mine without a belief, without a story? Or it is needed to have a belief, have a story before I can say me and mine or me? This is the story. No doubt, really slow down and not go to your mind for the answer. Just from what you are perceiving, is there a 'me' right now?
Yes, from your perception, your insight, can you spot—
What about the body? This also is just a perception. Then how does this, that is the pure witnessing itself, identify with this perception? Even the belief only with this slowly, you see. Trying to do it, try to identify with this body-mind. You say very beautifully that 'I am that witnesses all of this,' and I see that this body-mind also is witnessed. Now, how does this witness identify with anything, including this body-mind?
Because of the perceptions. If anything touches or my thoughts, I can sense my thoughts like something is coming to me. But if something else is coming to someone else, I would not be able to see their thoughts or understand their thoughts. So probably that's why that separation of me and other.
Yes, that is also a presumption that they are having these thoughts. We can look at—we just explored this and said we can't even confirm their separate existence because, for all you know, they could be just dream characters appearing in our perception, isn't it?
It's not true in my experience. Probably that's showing you an experience because yours is like—probably you're living that.
Yes. So let's get slowed down at this and let's look. So you don't have the experience of another's thoughts, yes? So is it a belief that they must be having thoughts? Yes, it is. Yes. So if you don't believe anything right now, we can come back to this question. So how is it that that which is the pure witnessing then identifies as something? You see, I will give you an example. When a child is told—like this happened with us when our son was small. The body was small, a toy to hang on his crib, you see. We were excited because we spent money on the toy, so we said, 'We want to play with it.' So he kept pointing to the toy, 'Play with this toy, toy.' So your woman, whose hand was up, and you got a bit excited, 'Okay, he's going to play with the toy which is hanging on top of him,' and then you start playing with his hand instead, you see, the hand instead. So the children don't have this idea, this notion that, 'Okay, this is toy, this is outside, it means this is hand, this is inside of me.' For them, toy and hand are the same. It is entertaining them with whatever perception seems to be coming up or appearing for them. In the same way, it is true for us without our notions. You see, like you said very nicely, who said this body is also another perception? You said this body is another perception. And I said if you don't believe in other, if you don't believe in others' thoughts, if you don't believe in others' emotion, don't believe in the concept of another, just like me not believing in the concept of me, see? And we see from there, then what do you find here? If you don't believe anything at all, then do you find yourself to be something limited? What I mean, I don't know what is not limited. Witnessing is not limited. This body-mind seems to be limited, you see. Now let me see if we can stretch this even more. So now this witnessing, in its manifest existence, has given to itself the power to consider itself to be something. It can identify as something. Now all that is appearing, you can identify with either as me or mine. We have identified with all that has been appearing and that has caused all this trouble. Yes. You can come with me on this little experiment. So instead of identifying with just this body, identify with every body which is in front of you. And I go, 'Boss, you can tell me.' So what is the body? Identify with every object which is there in your perception. You have the power to identify with one appearance, and you also have the power to identify with every appearance. And you can try this slowly when we have time. Let me just tell you the experiment and then you tell me. Yes. So slowly you start with identifying with one body in front of you, then all the bodies in front of you, then all the objects—every object, not just bodies, every object we can identify with equally, you see. Consider yourself to be everything, all of this which is appearing. Then also include the space. I mean, what did we consider?
You also have the power to identify with every appearance, and you can try this slowly when we have time. Let me just tell you the experiment and then you tell me. So, slowly you start with identifying with one body in front of you within all the bodies in front of you. Then all the objects—every object, not just these bodies—every object we can identify with equally, you see? Consider yourself to be everything; all of this which is appearing. Then also include the space.
I mean, what do we consider 'me' or 'mne'? Like, I really don't understand what do you mean by identifying. Identify as me? As all of this as me? Don't pick out just one body from your perception, which is the one body that desires to experiment? You have to tell me whether it's possible or not.
Okay, so now you go for class whenever you see this recording, and I will just run through what I wanted to do and then you can pause at every step and you tell me tomorrow or day after when you get the time. Yeah, that's it. Okay, then I'll join you. Then we have this beautiful Kabir singer, Prahlad Singh Tipanya, who is coming to our house. So he's been singing tomorrow for us, but you can send me a message. You can come day after at 11:00 here and we can continue the conversation. You can tell me about your class.
The set of perceptions—there are millions of them, you see. We have taken some of those and we have called it the body. Now we have identified with this body and we have added another set of perceptions called thoughts, memories, imagination. All of this, we call that the mind. So we identified with one set of sensations that we call the body and another set of sensations that we call the mind. Listen to the experiment now, otherwise we won't have time. Among all these perceptions, we are not to single out any of them. We treat them at the same level. So, either we don't identify with anything at all, or we identify with everything. Do this: don't identify with any perception as 'me.' See if it is possible or not. And then the mind will give you all kinds of things like, 'How will I go to class? How will I do my homework? How will I listen? How will I speak?' using all of this. But no, that is just the perception. Don't put 'me' on it. Don't identify with the resume. So you try this for a day or two and then you come and report what happened. And try both of them: identify with everything and identify with nothing.
Yes, I see. Either of those. But memory is another set of perceptions, another set of sensations, you see. So don't identify with that also? I will identify with my memories because I have that, you know, that storage. I mean, like that storage is there that you come back to. But someone else's memories I won't be able to identify with. So that's why only that—there is a separation of me and my story and, you know, someone else's rules. I don't know whose memories don't come to me.
Suppose at 11 o'clock you joined the satsang and actually you fell asleep. It was so boring, what they were speaking, and it was so boring that you fell asleep. So that's what happened, and now you're here having this conversation in my dream. Now the last 10 minutes of this dream are also memory, but who do they belong to? You started dreaming you're a cowboy in Texas. You're a cowboy in Texas and you have your lasso and you're doing all the cowboy stuff. The dream started with you on top of the horse already. How do you remember how to ride a horse? Whose memory is that? If I ask that cowboy, 'How are you?' he'd say, 'I learned horse riding when I was very young, at five and four, on a pony,' you see? So this memory is as much just a present perception as everything else. You only give it reality with your identification with it.
We can never really confirm. Like even in this conversation, if I ask all the ones who are sitting here what was really spoken, everybody will have a different memory of it. And then we'll be like, 'Oh yes, could be, could be.' And that is why this Leela goes on in this beautiful design. It can seem like this play goes on, you see. But the beautiful example is that you don't start a dream with amnesia, do you? You don't enter a dream and then you're like, 'Okay, who am I? Why am I wearing this cowboy hat?' Once I had a dream here—the dream was just starting and I could see these people there, I think they were starting to appear, and then something happened and something came back to this dream or waking state, whatever you call it. And for a moment there was regret. I said, 'No, but that was my family. These people are new to me.' So when they appeared, there was memory of them and it felt like they were family. So memory is as unreliable an instrument as any other appearance, you see.
So when you go to class, you do this experiment for one or two days and don't identify with anything, including the memories which are coming to be called 'my memory.' You don't have to do anything, just don't label anything as 'me.' Don't make any separation. Go for your class. Thank you. Bye everyone.
Father, please explain about that dark night of the soul.
Now, usually I don't explain these kind of things because what happens here is that whatever I end up explaining, I hope you don't start believing that this is what's happening to you. I can explain about some energy and you'd be like, 'Oh, this is what's happening to me.' And if I try talking about a dark night of the soul, then the mind will come and say, 'Yes, this is what's happening to you.' Even those for whom it is not happening, they start picking up this idea that 'this is what is happening to me and I must be done with this' or something like that. So I'll just share a little bit about it, but you don't have to take it too seriously. You don't have to take it personally.
It can feel like when we're coming to the end of conditioning, we come into this awakening of true recognition of who we are. We are coming to the point of nothing; all that is false falls away. It can feel like everything in the design of this play starts to feel very oppressive, and the mind starts interpreting everything in a very, very serious, in a very, very gooey sort of way. Everything can start seeming like it's an attack. You feel like there is no peace, there is no joy. Everything starts to feel meaningless in a personal sort of way. So this is a very common occurrence. It is not a prerequisite, but it is a very common occurrence for those who are coming to this end of one chapter and coming to this new chapter. So it can feel like at the end of this chapter there is this extreme sadness, extreme confusion, lack of understanding, meaninglessness, but still taken personally. So it can feel like the person walks into this dark night of the soul, but God walks out.
The best part about having a Master is that you don't have to worry about these things. You can keep coming to satsang, and dark night or light night, nothing—you don't have to fight anybody. You don't have to worry about anything at all. Guru's grace is always there. That is why safely: Guru Kripa Kevalam. The dark night idea is only shared in satsang sometimes because it tells you not to feel despondent. If it is feeling like this, then when a term is applied to it, it feels like, 'Okay, this is part of the natural functioning of this, so there is nothing terribly wrong with me which is happening only to me.' You feel like, 'Yes, all these emotions, all these states are coming, but it is all naturally being taken care of.' So the term gives you some reassurance that it is taken care of. Then you can apply the gun. Otherwise, the safer way always is to forget about you, you, you, you, you.
Somebody asked me the other day, 'How do I surrender?' I said to them, 'Don't bring any conclusions to them. Don't make any conclusions with them.' Oh, that is surrender? Is that it? Yes. Try it. Try living without a conclusion, without a position. Live without any stance. Then you will see that all of this was a facade. Life has just always been life. What is has always just been what is. You, you, you, you, you. View of emotions and positions and opposites. Forget about everything that can have an opposite. Yeah, no, he gave us all vanity. Forget about everything that can have an opposite.
If you feel that you have found the truth, if you feel you have found a truth which has an opposite, which was the false, then forget about this truth. This is very important. If you feel like you have found a truth which actually had an opposite which you call the false, then forget about this truth. The Truth that you are being pointed to in satsang does not have an opposite. It does not have an opposite. It is the ever-unchanging Truth. It cannot be shaken, cannot be changed to false. The Truth, this Truth with a capital T, is always true. So if the sentence is about 'Oh, I had something which is true, which was false, but I better hold on to it because it could become false again,' then forget about it. Forget about right and wrong. Forget about worship and non-worship. Forget about duality and non-duality. Forget about cause and anything. Forget about me and mine. Forget about being an adult. When sitting in the airport lounge, airport waiting, most importantly, forget about everything you think you are right about.
Thank you all so much for being in satsang today. Guru Sri Mooji Baba Ki Jai. Kevalam. Chicken land, many places outside on a beach. Think Nick used to join the beach in busy cars, of course, all the time. Chicken land first. And so tomorrow we have this beautiful performance by Prahlad Singh Tipanya, who is a beautiful singer of Kabir, Kabir songs. So great and insane. So we are very happy and delighted to host him here. We have the broadcast at five.