Who Gets Affected by the Thought?

SomeHmes what we hear in Satsang and our spiritual knowledge itself can become quite burdensome. So, in a way, I apologize for that, because it can happen this way that when we are trying to be empty we can pick up a noHon that to be empty means that there must be no more thought coming. Actually, to be empty means the allowing of all thoughts to come and go. We are just not concerned with their content. But what can happen in the spiritual seeking is that trying to remain empty itself becomes more suffering than what we came into spirituality for. Is it somewhat like what is happening with you?

It’s okay, it’s okay. So, I would just say, just relax, relax into it, let everything that you are trying to do and what you heard in Satsang, don’t try to use the snap theory [snapping fingers], don’t try to remain empty, just let go for a moment. Whatever is coming is completely fine.

For your temperament, there are two soluHons to not be affected, the first soluHon is to try and find the one that is affected by the thoughts, the one who gets affected by the thoughts, when you say the thought affects me, can you locate this me that is affected? Do you find the sufferer of the thought? That is the first way. But if this doesn’t appeal to you and you feel you are more of a devoHonal temperament, then you can surrender every thought to God, to the Guru and say: “Whatever you want to say is God’s problem”. Or do you feel like, what do you feel? Do you feel to expose this ‘me’ that gets affected by it or do you want to just let go and say: “Not my problem”?

You want to know who it is. Okay. So, that’s a very good start. So, when you say a thought comes and it affects me, locate this me who is affected.

Yeah, what does it mean? Is it the body?

But the body doesn’t want freedom, no? If the thought comes and says: “You are not empty enough! You should be more empty! Ananta comes and snaps and people become empty. When will you become empty?” It is not talking about the body. [Silence] The body is free right now. It is not bound. It is in no chains. So, who is the one that wants freedom?

Mind wants. So it is the bondage itself which is claiming to want freedom. And therefore making freedom itself into your new bondage.

If working would mean that you are peaceful in the moment then you don’t need anything to make it work. That is the gie that every moment gives to us anyway.

Aaah! But to grab it would be to fail. Because grasping is suffering. And it’s not just Ananta saying that. So, if you don’t try to grab it, does it go away?

What is missing right now? [Silence]

Are you doing something special to hold it right now?

The “but” will come, but let it come, it's fine. And even the “but”, it does not change the simplicity of this.

So don’t try to snap out of it, don’t try to be empty, because the mind is using spiritual instrucHons as the egoic bondage. And if any of you feel that, you must come up and expose in this way, which is very good. Because this is the bane of the spiritual seeker, that the mind can use these benchmarks which it hears in Satsang itself to create a new prison for itself. Not trying to be empty is also empty. [Smiling]