Tag: Self enquiry

The Truth of Existence is ultimately simple and never absent. It could not be otherwise. Sri Ramana used to say that the Eternal Divine nature cannot be present at one time and absent at another. So we must become aware of our Self in this present moment. It is only in the present that the Self is Realized. That is because the very nature of the Self is Pure Presence. It is Pure Being.

Truth is always Self-Seeing and Self-Being. Self Sees It Self by the power of its own inherent Truth. It needs no external agency for validation.  You do not need anyone to tell you that you exist. You know you exist. Your existence announces itself perpetually and continually. That is the nature of the Self. It is unbroken and the whole mass of Awareness-Existence-Bliss. In Sanskrit, we refer to it as Sat-Chit-Ananada.

Advaita says that Self is the Truth and it is One without a second. There is no second outside of this One to verify its existence.

The Truth is only found by turning within. It cannot be found looking anywhere other than where you are in this present moment. The great Realization is that the Seeker, the one who seeks the Truth, ends up knowing that He/She is the Truth It Self. That is the end of seeking. Where can you look for the Truth when the Realization dawns that you are already rooted in the Truth of Existence.

We are already the Truth. There is nothing to gain which can add something to our original nature. We must See this with our inner Eye. This knowledge is not objective knowledge. This knowledge is purely subjective. That is why we call it Self-Knowledge. It is not the knowledge of objects of perceptions. The best one can say is that It is only what One Is.

Self is Always Self-Awake and complete. The awakened and quiet mind is able to recognize the Self shining through clearly. It is only Self-Recognition through the medium of the mind.

The mind identity that arises out of the Self, and that is of the nature of Self in essence, has the feeling of limitation and weakness due to identification with the body. Many explanations are given for this such as Karma, Maya, etc.

So the practical instructions of the sages emphasize contemplation on the essential nature of identity and existence. This method is known as Self-Inquiry. It involves inquiring into the nature of one’s own being and existence with conviction.

Without faith one can never jump into the arms of the Divine Beloved.

We do not have enough personal strength to go into the unknown. The personal identity cannot step into the unknown without faith. To allow that final surrender to the Divine to take place at all is called Grace.

Faith allows for total and immediate availability to the Divine, which ultimately is nowhere other than in one’s own Self. Without faith, one speaks eloquently of water but does not take the drink and remains thirsty.

Sri Ramana pointed out that any “doing” with the mind presupposes the retention of the mind. It is this very nature of “doing” that preserves the ego identity and does not allow the conscious sinking of the mind into the Self from where it arises.

There is no antidote to this except for faith. The complete acceptance of things as they are (not my will, but Divine will), when it permeates meditation and life, undermines the resistance of the mind.

Faith is important. It evokes Grace. It is the preface to Grace.

What is, is you. Self is Realized in the Present as Pure Presence. It is only your own Eternal Presence. If you pay attention, Self reveals It Self as your own Heart of Awareness.