You Are Never Really Over-Shadowed by the Mind - 10th May 2017

Now, the thoughts come and tell you that you are something limited. What to do with these thoughts? You can inquire into them and say, 'Who is it that this is like?' Take an example of a thought that troubles you. What bothers many the most in life? 'Am I good enough?' This is the thought that comes, right? 'Am I good enough?' I might inquire into that. I could be doing this in the most simple way, because many, many people who are in spirituality find themselves plagued with this sort of unworthiness. 'Oh, freedom is there, but it must be only for those special ones. Is it really for me? Am I worthy of this freedom?'

This kind of thought troubles you. So, you take it into your inquiry and say, 'Who is this I that could be unworthy? Who could that I be that is unworthy?' We wouldn't have any existence right now. This I that could be unworthy—where is this one? People like that, we can take any thought that troubles us, and you will find most of the thoughts have a very limited idea of 'I' as a limited entity who's unworthy, who's guilty, who's fearful. And we use that in our inquiry. Say, 'Who is it that should be unworthy? What is the I that is unworthy?'

And as you inquire into it, some of these things don't leave the inquiry. You keep it up for as long as whenever you get some time. Keep asking, 'Who can I be?' until the thought, when it comes, it becomes laughable. So when the thought comes and says, 'No, no, no, you are very unworthy' or 'I am very unworthy,' you will see that once it loses all of the juice, it becomes laughable. So inquire into it, and don't make it like a dry inquiry. Don't just say, 'I know there is nobody actually.' Not like that. Just be. Let the thought come. Let attention go to the thought 'I am unworthy' or 'Am I worthy?' and you can see: who is I that would be worthy or unworthy? And seeing that, looking and confirming to yourselves that there is no such limited entity who could be unworthy.

Next time, if this thought comes, see if it still has some juice. Then use the inquiry again. If it comes and you just smile at it and laugh at it and say, 'What are you talking about?' like that, then you know it has lost its power. We have what we call 'buttons' in the human condition. Like this, on a remote control. Where we have some relationships or something, simple inquiry like this can take away all the power from these thoughts which are referring to you as if you are something very small.

Thank you so much for giving special advice. I'm sure you follow that, and it's really my pleasure to be here.