What Is Left After Negating Everything?

What is this box of intellect that we speak of? The box of understanding, the box of knowledge that separates true and false, right and wrong, this way or that way — where does it come from? Without making a reference to yourself, without making a false reference about yourself — let’s go that far — without making a false reference about yourself, is there an up or down? What is up? Without referring to yourself as an object in space, what is here? Now, if frustration comes, then we must see what is this frustration? What is the source of it? What is at the root of it? The Zen master said (we were reading a book), the name of which I don’t remember — where they said that the most potent pointer is ‘no’. But don’t even make that into a lifestyle, don’t become a ‘no-er’. And, funnily, the Chinese or Japanese word for ‘know’ is ‘no’, so in the Zen book, they said the most potent pointer is ‘no’. [Smiles] It’s very nice. In India, in Vedanta, we have neti neti, not this, not this. Zen master is saying, ‘No, no, no’. The whole Ribhu Gita is full of ‘No, no, no’, where Bhagwan [Shri Ramana Maharshi] said, ‘If there was one book that I would recommend for you for freedom, it is the Ribhu Gita. Even if you don’t understand, still read it’. What is it? Full of no, isn’t it? Even to the extent of saying, ‘No guru, no disciple, no Satsang.’ But it also says ‘no opposites’! No Satsang, that means I can party every day? No? [Laughter] Then, we can say, the vase is just made up? [referring to a Zen quan] No. There is no goose? No. Oh, there is too much identification, identifying as goose and the vase, they are one. No. [Laughs] If everything is negated, including all negations themselves, including all opposites, what are you left with? Frustration? This is what we must check. If you negated both ends of the opposites, are you left with frustration also? Everything that we have thought is just a thought. I know it can sound like a very, very obvious thing to say, but everything that we have ever thought is just a thought, it has never been Reality. Reality is just now. Before we can even say, ‘This is now — oh, I have to be here now!’ that is already too late. [Laughs] Before we can decide, ‘But that’s what I must do — I must stay in the now!’ Already late. Before there is a notion of now or past or present — because even these are just thoughts. Now, past, present — just ideas. World, body, mind, even Being, Not-Being, nothing and no- thing — all ideas. No idea represents Reality. I say this everyday, probably. [Chuckles] And you don’t need an idea because you are Reality. This is also just an idea. [Smiles] Everything that starts with I must, I should, I must not, I should not, I did, I will, I won’t — you have some more? — I got it, I didn’t get it — all made up. What is that thing? Horn of the hare [referring to Chapter 8 of the Ribhu Gita, in which everything is described as an illusory horn of a hare].