श्रीरामSatsang with Ananta
Awareness & Attention

What Should I Believe You To Be?

Self-realization is recognizing that the aware presence witnessing all perceptions is your own unmanifest nature, not something to perceive but to acknowledge as what you already are.

Ananta

What a dilemma to have. What a dilemma to have which is, what should I consider you? Saguna or Nirguna? Saguna is with qualiHes, with aZributes, with size, shape, Hme, duraHon. Nirguna is without any quality. So, what should I refer to you as, or should I believe you to be? Saguna or Nirguna, saying that either Saguna or Nirguna [are] one Govind, one Krishna, one Lord. The name is not important. The one Reality is what is important. Now, there are two ways in which we can approach a poinHng like this by a sage. First way is to say, [it's also okay, it's alright], the first way is to say 'Ah, how beauHful. It must be that in Reality the Lord is one, the unmanifest and the manifest. So nice. And there is a sage who has come to the discovery and shared that with us. We're so grateful to him, thank you.' That's the first approach. So we take that into a construct of our belief system and say, Reality is both, unmanifest and manifest. That's the first approach and that is the usual approach. What I want to suggest to all of you is that, use these as pointers to give you direcHon right here, right now. It's as if you are visiHng a friend's house and you lost your way somewhere. And you stopped a [inaudible] and said, 'Sir, Madam, can you please help me get to this address'. And you met this sage who is poinHng you to where you want to go. So, treat all of these as immediate pointers, even what you hear in Satsang, when you read from scriptures and when you hear a Bhajan like this, these are immediate pointers not just to enjoy poeHcally, which is also very beauHful. But the primary is the first which is to say, how does it help my Self recogniHon right here, right now. So, if Reality is both the unmanifest and the manifest and it is always here, subtle and gross, everything, the sages pointed to all opposites and said, You are the One Reality my Lord. So, if the Truth is this one Reality, where can it be right now? Why must we be the second hand consumers of this Lord and enjoy the by-product 'Beauty' instead of meeHng what the sage is saying? Gyanesh, most likely. So, the sage Gyanesh, very beauHful sage, has shared this [The Bhajan Saguna Nirguna] with us. So, is he sharing because he wants you just to hear it, [and it's been heard now for hundreds of years], and for you to hear it and say 'Whow, Gyanesh must have really come to such great Self discovery, and we're so lucky that we can hear about his discovery for him', or isn't it Hme for us to say 'What is it, why can't I see exactly what he is speaking of'? So, let's find that one Reality right here, right now, before we get distracted with other things. The sages said Saguna and Nirguna, the manifest and the unmanifest, you are the One Lord. So, where is That one? I will introduce That one to you even if you feel like it is missing. What is the way to introduce that? Just find a way, use whatever pointer which helps you the most to not be concerned about what your mind is saying. I could say open and empty, don't believe your next thought, don't idenHfy, let go, whatever works. Allow everything to come and go. Don't think about whether you come to that point, nothing, just [clicks fingers] now. You don't even need a poinHng. Just naturally. Now noHce. If only the manifest is there – is only the manifest here? That means, are only percepHons here? That which is not a percepHon, because we mostly in our lifes speak of percepHons, let's for a moment look at that which is not a percepHon. That which is not a percepHon, what can we say about that? What can be said about it? Is that that which witnesses all the percepHons or no, that which is aware of all the percepHons, or no? Confirm by looking, not because you know this already. And looking is not sight. Don't let the words confuse you, they're very simple. Just be open and empty. NoHce that it is not just percepHons. How many feel like it is only percepHons, there is nothing beyond percepHon? Anybody? Don't be scared because I know you know the right answer, but if you sHll feel like 'I have to meet it, I'm not clear about it yet'. It's actually very simple. You will noHce that that which is aware of these percepHons is unperceivable. And yet you are aware of these percepHons. Undeniably you are aware. You may be confused about who the 'You' is, but that it is you, you are not confused about. You may say 'But, I don't know who that is'. Yes, we're not talking about that. We're just saying that it is you, isn't it. Any percepHon, any percepHon, it is you that is aware of it. Otherwise you would not call it a percepHon or a sensaHon or a phenomena. You, that You, you can never perceive. And that is why you feel like 'My Self inquiry is not working', because you are waiHng to perceive your Self. In the Self inquiry, many are waiHng to perceive themselves. And because it doesn't, the Self will never become perceivable, you feel like it is not working, although actually it is always working. [Chuckling] Okay, we're coming back to this. So, that which is aware of all of these percepHons, that is the unmanifest. And the way you know it [clicks fingers] right now without trying is the only way you will ever know it. Let's be clear about this. The way you know it right now, which is independent of perceiving and thought, is the only way you will ever know it. That will not change. The mode of Self knowledge, the mode of Self recogniHon, the mode of Self realizaHon will never change. It is only like this. So, that which is not a percepHon and you're aware of right now, is your Self. And the beauty of this recogniHon is, that in this, can you draw a line between yourself and that which is being perceived? Is there a line which says okay, I end here [raises hand and indicates a line around his body] and the world starts from there [gestures outside of the ficHonal line]? 'Welcome to world [gestures a globe], hope you have a good stay'. Is it like that [Chuckles]? Nothing. So, that separaHng line is only noHonal in the construct of the manifest. Never in our Reality. So, this is the One Lord, the One Reality, the One Absolute, the One Self. Because here there is no disHncHon between the unmanifest and the manifest. If you find a disHncHon, tell me, a dividing line, a boundary. It is impossible because that which is the unmanifest cannot be described in any spacial or temporal terms, any terms of Hme and space at all. It's not possible. So, who is not finding the Govind of Gyanesh's Bhajan? This is it. Now, if you wanted something else, then that false desire has to be dropped. Because there is nothing greater than this. Your mind, some of you who are new may be saying, 'But, this can't be it. What's the big deal in this?'. Freeze. Meet this without your head. And tell me what you're discovering. This is the most magnificent, the beyond-all-imaginaHon discovery that You are. That which is witnessing all of these percepHons, where is it located? It has no locaHon. Are you hearing yourselves? Because we hear this so oeen, we just become like [showing a bored expression] 'Yeah, it has no locaHon'. YOU have no locaHon! There is no 'where' about You. You are not in this universe. That which is aware of the universe is not in this universe. That is the You that you are meeHng when you say 'Oh, it is beyond percepHon'. Beyond percepHon, but every percepHon is in Hme and space. What is beyond percepHon? You. Where? Cannot find, because You are beyond Hme, You are beyond space, Hmeless and spaceless. So, please don't buy into any noHon that 'Oh, just this? Can't be just this, it's too simple'. AZaching value based on the difficulty of the aZempt is a very worldly construct, 'The biggest thing to try is the hardest'. And that is why spiritual seeking seems so difficult. It is the opposite here, you see. When you let go of your grasping, of your trying, which is open and empty, then This is apparent to you. If you don't carry the monkey on your back saying 'What about me now? What did this do for me?' Drop that idea and meet your Self. This is the most magnificent discovery which sages for Hmes immemorial have been poinHng to. Just this.

Key Teachings

  • The one Reality (unmanifest and manifest) is here now - recognize it as your own aware nature, not something to perceive or achieve
  • That which is aware of all perceptions is the unmanifest Self - unperceivable yet undeniably present; don't wait to perceive yourself
  • Self-knowledge requires no effort - the mode of awareness itself is the only way to know the Self; let go of grasping
saguna-nirgunaself-awarenessdirect-pathnon-dualityawareness-witness

From: No Matter How Much Conditioning You Have, This Is True for All of You - 12th May 2021