If I’m Awareness, then Why Must I Abide in It? (Ashtavakra Gita 1.4 ) - 7th October 2016

The fourth verse is: 'Abide in awareness with no illusion of person; you will be instantly free and at peace.' Now, he has said that you are awareness alone. In the previous verse, he said you were awareness alone. Now, why is he saying 'abide in awareness'? But I am awareness alone, no? If I'm awareness, then why do I need to abide in it? This is the question you must ask: what's going on? You said I am awareness alone, then you say 'abide in awareness.' What does it mean?

So, he has clarified this. He says, 'with no illusion of person.' What does this mean? It's very simple, actually. Some of us, we have children. So, when we play with the children, the child might say, 'Let's play doctor-doctor.' So, we pick up the pretense of being a doctor while we continue to be who we are. So, we picked up the pretense of being a person while we have always continued in reality to be awareness alone.

Therefore, the abidance in the Self or abidance in awareness only means not to pick up the pretense of personhood. Right now, in this moment, you don't have the pretense of personhood. You don't have it. You are free right now. You are free. You are—unless you pick up the pretense by picking up your next thought. Show me how you are bound without buying a thought. Show me how you are suffering without buying your next thought.

As Papaji said, we need nothing for this natural happiness, but you need something to be unhappy. What does it mean? It only means this. So, this is the bad habit that we are here to cure. This is the rehab for this habit.