श्रीरामSatsang with Ananta
Awareness & Attention

There Is Nobody Who Is Unaware of Their Own Awareness

The Self is known not through thoughts about it but in the natural gap between thoughts, yet any conceptualization of this becomes another thought.

Seeker

Absence of thoughts.

Ananta

If there is absence of thoughts then how will you conclude that this is the Self? In the sense that would that conclusion also not be a thought - ‘absence of thoughts’ – then how would you know this is the Self. Because to say ‘this is the Self’ would also be a thought. So atleast you are admitting then, in the gap between the two thoughts you are the Self. Every thought has gap no? Otherwise you would hear it as a constant ‘dadadadad’. It would just be one thought, there would be no such thing as thoughts if there was no gap. Try to produce a gap-less thought. Can you do it? Just have one constant thought. You cant do it, you see? In the gap that is the Self. Now, how you know in the gap is the Self. The mind will say in the gap there is nothing. Then the thought comes back, you say ‘nothing’. So absence of thought but the presence of what will convince you that this is the Self.

Key Teachings

  • The Self is found in the gap between thoughts, not in the thoughts themselves
  • Even the statement 'this is the Self' is a thought - conceptualizing the Self paradoxically takes you away from it
  • Thoughts naturally have gaps; without gaps there would only be constant mental noise, not discrete thoughts
awarenessself-inquirythoughtsgappresenceconsciousness

From: There Is Nobody Who Is Unaware of Their Own Awareness - 27th March 2020