True Knowledge is the Dropping of Ignorance - 1st December 2017

So this secret I want to tell you all today, that I have told you before, is that as you are empty of any notion about yourselves, the truth is here. The truth is completely apparent to you. You don't have to take a step. You don't have to move an inch to find the truth. If I were to take a different approach, I would say, "Okay, you want the Self? Just for a fraction of a moment, don't think." So when you say "don't think," in that moment the mind would just stop for a moment and the truth is completely apparent. Now, I don't usually say "don't think" because that becomes a theme also, then you know, thoughts are just coming, so then, "Oh, why can't I stop thinking?" So don't worry about that. But do you see that as you are empty, as you allow these notions to come and go, what you are is completely present? You are aware of your own existence. You don't have to struggle with it at all.

Don't have to make this a conclusion, that whatever judgment, conclusion, concept you might be believing about yourself, the truth never changes. The truth is not waiting for your mind's certificate. The truth is not waiting for your energy to settle down. Whatever benchmark you have created for yourself to be free, to find freedom, the truth is not waiting for that benchmark. You might have said, "But I need to settle into this." Truth is not waiting for that. "I just have to stabilize a bit more." Truth is not waiting for that. Because in all of this, the "I" is the false one. It is not the true "I."

The ocean is not waiting for the waves to have a certain quality before it becomes the ocean. But the ocean, strangely enough, gave itself the power to identify with the wave, to believe the idea that "I am a wave." That's why I've been asking, listen, feel: how long will you believe yourself to be this, just this set of sensations? And if you want to believe that you are a set of sensations, then take a bigger jump and believe that you are every set of sensations. Every visual, every sound, every taste that exists is closer to the truth of what you are than to believe that amongst the millions, you use these few thousands—you know what I mean? The body set of visual perception and sensations of the body that we call the body. But the experience is only of a certain set of sensations which we have conceptually divided and made a "me" out of it. There is no actual "me" there. We have used a term "I" or "me" to divide up, to define a certain set of sensations. But in actuality, if these sensations are me, then the sensations of the sound of the traffic of the road are also me. The sensations of your heads looking confused or nodding are also me. All the tastes in Japan are also me. Why limit yourself? What is the basis of this limitation? It is not tangible. But the greater truth is that in reality, I am beyond even all of this. All of this is an aspect of me, but it doesn't cover that aspect of me which is not in phenomena, beyond all sensation.

So I'm pointing out your greatness to you. Everything in the world, whatever you can perceive, is just one aspect of what you are. That which is aware of all of this is not contained in any of this. How big a bucket do you need to fill all your awareness in? It sounds like phonics, but when we consider ourselves to be an object, this is exactly what we are doing. So little to be considering this body is the bucket. So if awareness can fill this bucket, why can't it fill that bucket? It is not in this body bucket. This body bucket is just a bucket of flesh, blood, similar constructs. Where is that which witnesses all these perceptions? When you have a dream, the entire dream is there and there is a body, but where are you? In which pocket in the dream are you contained? This is the projective power of consciousness. It can create these unlimited dreams, but you are that from which even this appears, rises. And no matter what arises, it does not touch you. It does not harm you because you are not in phenomena.

So this is the "you" that which is so beyond even the entirety of all the physical realms, that is now considering itself to be contained in this tiny pocket of the body and constantly chanting the mantra, "What's in it for me? What's in it for me? What's in it for me?" And it is even more vicious than that because not only is it saying, "What's in it for me?" the mind is also saying, "Let it be me first and me alone. If I can have it, I want to be the special one." So not only is there this great misunderstanding about who you are, you are trying our level best to make this misunderstanding special. How many times have we heard this report that, "I am completely fine if none of us are getting it, but it's most irritating if people around me are having all these insights and realizations but I seem to be lost"? It's the same "What's in it for me?" and "Me first, me alone." This "me" is our greatest misunderstanding, and it does not survive this moment. This misunderstanding is dealt with automatically by the truth in every moment. The desire to play the game can make it seem like it continues over a period of time, and this is what I've been wanting all of you to see. Right now, you are complete without the notion of completion. You are more special than any specialness that you can chant. The sun and the moon and the earth are tiny pebbles for you. What specialness do you want at the body level? What I am speaking is not fantasy, but what you believe about yourself is the fantasy.

You are that which is so beyond all this. There are nine faces on the camera and so on. How to deny this experience? But have I not said it is this experience not contained within you? Only when you define your container as this body do you feel that this experience is outside of you. Why would consciousness want to deny its own projection? We are only saying that you are not contained in it. You are something which is beyond this. All this objective universe is just an aspect of you. And then we can debate a little whether that which is an aspect which comes and goes is real or not real. I am not even getting into that. Where are you in all of this? What do you consider yourself to be?

All conditions are forms which have been trying to take position. And we say freedom. Every person has been trying to attain the glory of the Father, believing itself to be separate from the Father itself. When this notion of separation is dropped, there is nothing left but you. You is this fine "I." I mean, I seem to prove, I see the mind uses even our deepest spiritual insights and makes it about me. "I found it." Why does this still happen? How quick we are to become. You could be experiencing your very original Self in which there is no "me" and no "you." All this universe might be just a little bit of shining light put in the midst of all this, and your mind would come and say, "Well, okay, this is good. What is in it for me?" The greater sacrifice is this "me" at the heart of the Satguru.

This is the biggest attachment we might feel later because attachment is our family, our children. But actually, it is only because they are "my" children, "my" grandchildren, "my" plants in the garden, "my" house, "my" body, "my" relationship. Imagine if you cared about every relationship as much as you care about yours. Imagine if you cared about everyone's money as much as you care about yours, everyone's freedom as much as you care about yours. We often call this ego, the character. Actually, I call it... every time you know that it is the ego talking, not you, nobody can use this knowledge for any sort of personal benefit. Just like knowing that it is a movie doesn't change the content.

My house, my body, my relationship—imagine if you cared about every relationship as much as you care about yours. You wouldn't. So imagine if you cared about everyone's money as much as you care about yours, everyone's freedom as much as you care about yours. We often call this ego. The character actually is a call it. Every time you know that it is the ego talking, not you, nobody can use this knowledge for any sort of personal benefit. Just like knowing that it is a movie doesn't change the content of the movie, the thing has to happen. It is what the Zen masters were trying to say when they said, 'Before enlightenment, chopping wood, fetching water; after enlightenment, chopping wood, fetching water.' Because this, and I usually say, oh no, but it is a chop to this expectation that something should be different in my life now that I am discovering the truth of who I am.

If you truly are, then you know that it is not this bucket of flesh and blood which is discovering the truth. Why should things be different for this? This is still attachment to this set of sensations. You are not contained in this universe. If anything, the universe is contained in you. If you give it the notion of reality, it is contained in you. If you don't even give it the notion of reality, the universe never happened. But either way, you remain untouched. I am trying to convince you that reality is the fantasy and fantasy is reality. That's why when I say something like you are not contained in this universe, mind it, it might seem like a big fantasy at first. But just see for yourselves that all that which is perceived, you are not contained in that. This is the pattern to you actually right now. This is not a fantasy. And the idea that you could be something limited is so fantastic; it is complete fantasy. And yet this seems to have become our idea of reality.

Who are you? What I mean is, just a little bit of looking at this will make it clear that no sensation can contain me. I cannot be a perception. Who is perceiving all perceptions? And what is aware of that? Is that in opposition, in resistance to anything that is? That's why we say that resistance equals ego. What is this? The interpreter coming says it should be another way, this is not it. Some ideas. Empty yourself of all concepts. I don't even want to say vomit them out, because I know what some of you are doing: vomiting it out and then eating the same food again, and then vomiting. That's what it seems like. When is this going to get over? Now, if you like it, if you don't pick up the same old stories again, that is much more effort. I am not giving you a difficult task. The task is done for all of you. I don't need to know what your circumstance might be. Write it down; I can tell you right now, it is now. What is your move? Happy to remain empty without story? The notion 'what's in it for me' or the notion 'but, but, but'—still more something comes. Are you still so attracted to this? It contains nothing of value to you. Let it go.

I am like Ashtavakra enough. The mind is complex; let it go. You will not get to the truth through the mind. The mind is the machine of the false; it is the machine of misery. You will not get it with your intellect. You cannot reason your way into the truth. You cannot compute it. So both these devices I used, just put them down. Just be. As you put down your mind and just be, are you not aware of this? No reasoning is needed, no concept is needed, no effort is needed. What to do? If I keep reminding you that you are like the space in the room, but you keep believing that you are the mosquito in the room, I just keep reminding every day: you, you, you, you. It's almost time for holy silence. It's a great idea. All of you will join that. Enjoy the presence. This is good. Thank you all so much for being in satsang today. Satguru Mooji ki Jai.