The Truth Is Much Simpler Than That - 5th February 2018

Now, one of the most—I want to say fine almost, but fun, but also sometimes seemingly very painful parts of this play is the 'me' trying to become God or trying to find God. And this is what the sages have referred to as the fish swimming in the water thirsting for water. But actually, it is even one step further than that; it is like water thirsting for water itself. The truth is much simpler than this. As long as you have the idea that you have to meet something, that you have to meet God, meet yourself, you will find only God. Meet yourself without any interpretation or judgment. This is most naturally present. You are not actually doing anything at all. The concept of this meeting itself will dissolve against yourself.

So we can say recognize yourself, find yourself, meet yourself, but all these terms—recognize, find, meet—they all dissolve because you will see that there is only the Self. You asking to become 'me'... to become the 'me', you need at least a moment in time to refer to some thought as yourself. But even without that moment in time, we just are. Therefore, it is this 'me' which is effortful, which is dependent on time. It's not you. If there is a God, God is here. If there is a Self, Self is here as your own very own presence, as your own reality. You don't have to take even one step. You are there.

And what you're finding about yourself is beyond all inferences you can make, even beyond the idea of whether you got it or not. This 'me' is used to owning things, so now it wants to own God or our Lord. 'Did I really find it? Please confirm to me.' Yes, it is not like that. It is your very existence, which means it is what you are made up of. Where does the drop of water which is in the ocean have to go to find the ocean? And the funny thing is that there is no drop of water actually; it is all just ocean.

Now, in the design of this Leela, this play, it will feel like when you identify yourself just as a wave—this is what we are calling the 'me', 'I am just this wave'—then it can feel like a lot of turbulence. Sometimes very high, sometimes very low. All these what we call the ups and downs of life. But that is only when you identify yourself as a limited object. You see, because only the object which is facing the turbulence... the space is not saying, 'Oh, this is too turbulent for me.' Only when we identify ourselves as a limited object can it feel like something is happening to me.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi invited all of us to ask this question: 'Who am I?' Because he knew that when truly inquired and truly we look, you don't find this 'me', you find the Self. Whether you call it Self or God or Satguru, it's all the same.