Know the Self
The following are Questions & Answers from ZOOM meetings with Shiva Rudra Balayogi discussing the nature of the Self and the importance of Self Discovery.
Baba:
Just now, it’s likely everybody would have identified or imagined themselves as a personality, with a name and so on, and identified that personality as the body. Whereas the truth is something much beyond the birth and the death of the physical body. The nearest clue as to what you are is the Consciousness of Existence which you always feel. Even now, amongst so many thoughts, millions of thoughts, you always feel you exist. That is not the body. The reality of that Consciousness is beyond the body; it is infinite in form. You may not see it with your eyes, you can only feel it as you yourself. Until you achieve Samadhi, it’s not easy to feel as if you are space. That is what one needs to become aware of and realize through sadhana (meditation and self-effort). We repeatedly say you are much more than you imagine yourself to be. Practice meditation and know your real Self. Consciousness has shifted to the body; now, it has to shift back to its origin.
Question:
That means our attention has to shift onto the Self.
Baba:
Yes, the attention.
Baba:
The Self is not something imagined, yet we must use the nearest imagination to give the best clues possible of what it is. In your mind, amongst the millions of thoughts, there is one thing that is not a thought; it is the Consciousness of your own existence. I would call this the Consciousness of Existence. All common people have the feeling they exist, “I exist”, but hardly anybody bothers to notice what they are actually.
By Consciousness being in touch with the brain’s reflections and registering them, the attention has shifted onto the body, and Consciousness experiences everything occurring in the body. Any good, any bad, any pain, any happiness, everything in the body consciousness experiences as if it is happening to itself.
The Consciousness of Existence is your real Self; you are That. You will experience this during meditation when your attention shifts back to itself as the Consciousness. Your effort during meditation is to just watch. You’re not analyzing, you’re not thinking, you’re not trying to do anything else. You are trying to stop the mind from its imaginations and then become aware of your Self.
Question:
So, in summary, we won’t find peace and contentment from knowledge derived out of words, or from the body, only from knowledge or direct experience of the Self, which requires silencing the mind. Is that correct?
Baba:
Yes, exactly; instead of knowledge of the Self, it is the direct awareness of the Self, the Consciousness of the Self. When you settle onto yourself, you settle in yourself, you exist in yourself; that is what has to happen. That is when you won’t need anything for your existence and automatically there is total contentment, and that contentment gives total peace.
Baba:
The Self exists in the purest form of consciousness, where there is no imagination, no visualization, no thoughts or visions, not even the imagination of “I”, or “Who am I”, is there. That is the Self. When thoughts and visions are present, we refer to consciousness as mind. Mind itself is infinite. Nobody bothers to know what the mind is; they only know and recognize the thoughts and visions that are in the mind. Thoughts and visions are in the mind but they themselves are not the mind. Mind is a combination of consciousness and energy. When purified, its ultimate truth is (Pure Consciousness), which remains always unperturbed and undisturbed in the total stillness of Maha Samadhi. That is the Reality; that is the Self.
When it is in stillness means it has no imagination, no desire, and automatically it is contented because it doesn’t need anything to exist. We have imagined we need to sustain the physical body, and the body is me; that is why we have to struggle. The Self doesn’t have to struggle; it exists even without oxygen; without anything, it can simply exist. So that is the Self.
Question:
Is the Self just pure awareness?
Baba:
We can say that also, somewhat, pure awareness.
Question:
So the truth is, we are not a person, we are the awareness. We are actually consciousness with bodies, rather than bodies with consciousness.
Baba:
Yes. Conscious of the body. You imagine yourself with the body, instead of your real Self. You have misidentified your Self in fact.
It is like you are in a home and instead of remaining aware of what you are, a personality inside the house, you identify yourself to be the house, the walls, cement, bricks, anything that is there.
Baba:
Yes, that eternal existence is what is known as the Self, because that is the Consciousness of existence that is in every one of you. In everyone’s Consciousness, that is there, that Consciousness of Existence is there. That is what the Self is. That is what the ultimate Truth is.
Question:
In this sense, does Truth mean that which is never changing, unlike relative truths?
Baba:
Yes, it is not a thing that has appeared; it has always existed, and that’s why it has existence value. The rest of our universe, everything else, has only an appearance value but no existence value.
Question:
So these bodies don’t exist?
Baba:
They don’t have the existence value; they have appeared; they are temporary. Everybody will agree the body will go away one day. That is what we call the birth and death of the body.
Baba:
Yes, because existence is like that; however, if we address it, it will be an imagination. Due to the imagination, we will be limiting it. The nearest imagination has to be used when we have to teach. In fact, all knowledge of this world, every terminology, every language, and every word that has been used (to describe, to understand or to know) is simply an imagination. The Self is beyond our imagination, the universe itself is beyond our imagination, the truth is also like that. We can say the Truth is like the form of space. You can recognize space either as a void or (imagine it) as something filled with space (objects); you can recognize it as zero or absolute. It is impossible to determine what it is and its name. In ancient times great sages used the word “That”, which simply means existence beyond all imaginations. It is impossible to explain how IT actually is; one has to experience it (directly). A Master can use the nearest imagination to give a clue and then tell you what you are supposed to do, which is very important. A yogi won’t be talking much about God or Ultimate Truth except for giving some clues (and inspiration). Instead, he would like to tell you what you must do to experience that Truth yourself. Every individual must put forth self-effort, known as Purushartha and then experience that Truth (for themselves).
Baba:
A basic first point is, your effort should be to silence the mind because your mind is too preoccupied with its own imaginations, and because of that, it cannot give you the truth. And when the mind becomes quiet, in that stillness, what remains is that Truth of Self, what we call Self Realization. So, this is the core of the teachings, the main point. I have tried to elaborately explain, like data points, how one can achieve this through discipline, dedication, and patience. The core of the teaching is that achieving Self Realization is most important; it should be the priority. Having been born as a human being, it should be your life’s purpose. You have a once in a lifetime opportunity to know your Self; you can become aware of your Self, you can abide in your Self, and achieve that supreme peace you are looking for.
Question:
Most of us spend our entire life serving our personality, our likes and dislikes, and rarely take the time or are aware that we are something more than a personality. Whatever the Consciousness of Existence might be, you’re saying it is essential to know that if we want to be at peace with life.
Baba:
First, try to know who you are and what you are, then see what you need or don’t need. Are you totally contented? Do you have the peace for which you are looking? That is the basic reason you look to things or objects of the world or for anything. You must realize you are not the personality that you are imagining all this time. It’s the body that is born, and it is going to disappear; it will die. You are much more beyond the birth and death of the physical body, so try to know your Self. If you know that, then you will know what you need and what you don’t need. You will realize the peace you have been looking for, which has been elusive thus far, is you your Self. Simply what is needed is for you to become quiet mentally, that’s all.
Question:
Baba, you said knowledge is essential for eliminating our doubts and giving motivation and direction. But ultimately, we must stop thinking to know the Truth, because Truth is not a concept. We may go on and on and on analyzing and dissecting life and ideas; however, at some point, we have to say that’s enough and get into the job of meditating.
Baba:
Yes, definitely, enough is enough. That’s all done; now we look for the Truth. It is an existence; it is there. It is you yourself. That is the source from where the “I” feeling is coming. So it’s not a concept; it’s not the personality. That’s why it is known as “Tattva,” which means that. It is simply that, that Truth.
Question:
As the mind becomes quieter, we feel more expanded, ultimately identifying with being Consciousness itself. Is that space-like awareness a permanent reality?
Baba:
Yes, I use the terminology consciousness, a Pure Consciousness, which is the nearest imagination I can give while teaching or trying to make you aware of what the Truth is. It is the One from where you are getting the Consciousness of your own existence. Amongst the millions of thoughts arising in the mind, that which is not an imagination of yours is the Consciousness of Existence; it is the reality, it is the fundamental Truth, it is the existential Truth.
Question:
Would Consciousness trying to become aware of itself be a good definition for meditation?
Baba:
Yes, When Consciousness becomes quiet, it becomes aware of itself. Until then, it is simply aware of what it is imagining. So that is why the imagination needs to be stopped. To stop the imagination, watching is one of the greatest technologies. If you simply keep watching, you become a witness automatically. You won’t be doing anything else, then all thoughts and visions disappear. As long as you are recognizing and analyzing, you are holding thoughts. You keep thinking, trying to come up with solutions and formulas. But (if the Truth of Your Existence is what you are searching for), you are simply wasting your energy. The Truth is not visible.
