I Am That 65 Chapter 23 Discrimination Leads To Detachment 1

You are all drenched for it is raining hard.

In my world it is always fine weather.

There is no night or day,

No heat or cold.

No worries beset me there,

Nor regrets.

My mind is free of thoughts,

For there are no desires to slave for.

What is he talking about?

Absolute.

The absolute.

What did you say?

Emptiness.

Questioner,

Are there two worlds?

Maharaj says your world is transient,

Changeful.

My world is perfect,

Changeless.

You can tell me what you like about your world.

I shall listen carefully,

Even with interest.

Yet,

Not for a moment shall I forget that your world is not.

That you are dreaming.

Questioner says what distinguishes your world from mine?

Maharaj says my world has no characteristics by which it can be identified.

You can see nothing about it.

I am my world.

Please highlight that.

I am my world.

My world is myself.

It is complete and perfect.

Every impression is erased.

Every experience rejected.

I need nothing,

Not even myself.

For myself I cannot lose.

He is talking about the absolute.

He is permanently established as the pure consciousness.

He doesn't step down from there.

Maharaj says I need nothing,

Not even myself.

For myself I cannot lose.

Questioner asks you don't need even God?

Not even God?

Maharaj says all these ideas and distinctions exist in your world.

In mine there is nothing of the kind.

My world is single and very simple.

So there is no God in that world.

So you should be ready to let go of your so called God if you want to get there.

So questioner says nothing happens there?

Maharaj says whatever happens in your world,

Only there it has validity and evokes response.

In my world nothing happens.

What does he mean?

I am only the witness.

I am not seeing,

Hearing,

Tasting,

Touching,

Smelling.

The first step.

Without this first step everything else is just theory.

It's been said a zillion times and it doesn't go into the head of the listener.

What is the first step that this listener has to do?

Take a step beyond and see I am not this body mind.

I am the witness of this body mind.

Whatever is happening,

Every action,

Seeing,

Hearing,

Tasting,

Touching,

Smelling are actions.

Where are they happening?

At this body mind level.

All action is happening here.

But I am here.

I am not this.

When I am not this,

This is the key.

This is the first step.

Take the correct stand.

Without the correct stand everything is theory.

All of Upanishads is theory.

The first stand is I am the witness of the doer.

I am the witness of the doing.

I am the witness of the experiencer.

I am the witness of the experiencing.

So all that happens,

Happens where?

Here at this level.

Not here.

Very clear?

That is why the witness cannot see,

Cannot smell,

Cannot taste,

Cannot touch,

Cannot hear.

It wants to,

But there is a very clear distance between the person and the witness of the person.

This is the key.

This is how you understand,

Oh everything happens in your world,

Not in my world,

Maharaj says.

Clear?

Very,

Very clear?

This is the key.

If you forget this,

Then where is Advaita Vedanta?

Where is Advaita Vedanta?

Then whatever philosophy you said is there on Dwaitampath also.

But it is only philosophy for the ears.

Do you understand the difference between philosophy and direct path?

Direct path means first you directly take the first step.

If you miss the first step,

Everything is philosophy.

All philosophy falls flat on its face.

You have to take this first step.

It is a direct experiential step where I say,

Yeah,

I am not Ekta.

Ekta is speaking.

I am only knowing what Ekta is saying.

And I am knowing at the same time that these so-called reflections of Ekta are knowing.

Oh,

I can only know.

I cannot speak.

I cannot move hands the way Ekta is moving her hands while speaking.

I can only know the movement of the hand.

I cannot sit the way Ekta is sitting.

Do you get this?

Everything happens at this level.

Outer and inner.

Do you remember yesterday's chapter?

Everything happens at the outer level.

At the inner,

Nothing happens.

Very very clear?

What does he mean by your world and my world?

He is established there.

He doesn't slip.

Because you slip and you become this person again and again.

So he says,

Your world.

Now very clear?

Now we will read that part again.

Questioner says,

Nothing happens there.

Maharaj says,

Whatever happens in your world,

Only there it has validity and evokes response.

In my world,

Nothing happens.

So the questioner says,

The very fact of your experiencing your own world implies duality.

Inherent in your experience.

Maharaj says,

Verbally,

Yes.

Verbally,

Yes.

But your words do not reach me.

Mine is a non-verbal world.

In your world,

The unspoken has no existence.

In mine,

The words and their contents have no being.

Very very clear?

In your world,

Nothing stays.

In mine,

Nothing changes.

My world is real,

While yours is made of dreams.

Very very clear?

What is he calling your world and what is he calling my world?

Very very clear?

So questioner says,

Yet we are talking.

So Maharaj says,

The talk is in your world.

In mine,

There is eternal silence.

You understand this,

Right?

Witness cannot speak.

In mine,

There is eternal silence.

So my silence sings,

My emptiness is full,

I lack nothing.

You cannot know my world until you are there.

This even you know.

Till the time you are stuck here,

You cannot understand that.

Only when you take that step back as the witness,

When you get to that world,

Then you know,

Yes,

That's true.

Right?

Do you know that is true?

Question for you,

Homework question for you.

Do I really know that that world is silent?

That it's empty,

But the emptiness is full.

Nothing changes there.

And there is no speech there.

There is no action,

No sight,

Sound,

Smell,

Taste,

Touch there.

Do you recognize all these qualities that Maharaj just described?

That's your homework number one.

So Maharaj said in the last sentence,

You cannot know my world until you are there.

Questioner says,

It seems as if you are alone in your world.

Maharaj says,

How can you say alone or not alone when words do not apply?

Of course,

I am alone for I am all.

He sees that he is the projection,

Projector.

He is projecting everything.

So I am all.

Obviously,

I am alone.

But still these words don't mean anything because words do not really apply there.

So questioner asks,

Are you ever coming into our world?

Maharaj says,

What is coming and going to me?

These again are words.

I am.

Whence am I to come from and where to go?

Questioner says,

Of what use is your world to me?

So Maharaj says,

You should consider more closely your own world.

Examine it critically.

And suddenly,

One day,

You will find yourself in mine.

So the self-inquiry is key.

Self-investigation is key.

Self-exploration is key.

That is what is the meaning of examine it critically.

Only when you examine critically did you recognize,

Oh,

I am not this body-mind.

I am the witness of the body-mind.

And instantly you are in Maharaj's world.

Very clear?

So questioner says,

What do we gain by it?

Maharaj says,

You gain nothing.

You leave behind what is not your own and find what you have never lost.

Your own being.

Because according to the questioner,

He is looking for something.

Something higher,

Something magical,

Mystical.

I will gain some higher power.

Siddhis they are called.

He says,

No,

You don't gain anything.

In fact,

You lose that which was never yours.

I have mistakenly assumed this is me.

And everything that belongs to this is mine.

Therefore,

I think,

I act,

I do,

I enjoy or I suffer.

I have taken everything of this.

You lose all of this.

All of this is gone.

It's a relief because most 99.

9% of people 99.

9% of it is suffering.

Maharaj said it very clearly.

All desires are suffering.

And that 0.

1% that you think is joy is the fake joy that you are faking.

Most of your fake joy is to show somebody else that I am very happy in life.

Inside whatever is happening,

But you want to show somebody else.

You want to make it known to somebody else.

Recognize that.

It's all suffering.

All of it is suffering.

So you lose all of this.

Along with this identification,

All of this is gone.

What does it mean?

Will the world end?

Has the world ended for me?

I am still here,

No?

Talking,

No?

You still made me fly from US to India,

Right?

You still pulled me here,

I still came.

So has the world ended for me?

No.

The world as it appears to the outside continues.

For inside it has ended.

But you cannot see the inner,

You can only see the outer.

The inner can only express itself to you.

For the inner,

The world has ended.

For the outer,

It continues.

Till it's shelf life.

This has a shelf life.

That is unknown.

Shelf life is unknown.

So that continues.

Till there is residual fuel.

Buddha got enlightened at 36.

From 36 to the age of 80 something,

He was teaching.

And he tells Ananda,

I haven't spoken in the past 40 plus years.

So Ananda says,

What?

I have only heard you speaking.

No,

I have not spoken in the past 40 plus years.

Do you get it?

The outer might be doing what it's supposed to do.

But the inner,

That is the true world.

That's exactly what Maharaj is talking about.

This continues of its own accord.

I got nothing to do with it.

So I will read that again.

You gain nothing.

You leave behind what is not your own.

And find what you have never lost.

Your own being.

So the questioner says,

Who is the ruler of your world?

Maharaj says,

There are no rulers enrolled here.

There is no duality whatsoever.

You are only merely projecting your own ideas.

Your scriptures and your gods have no meaning here.

Very clear?

Those who are still a little one foot in Dwaitam and one on Advaitam should highlight this.

Your scriptures and your gods have no meaning here.

Don't project your ideas about that world.

Lots of people think,

I am going to get a halo around me.

I am going to get enlightened.

Or I am going to get the power to walk on water.

Nothing like that will happen.

Nothing like that.

Nothing special.

It's the most ordinary thing.

It's something that you have been ignoring.

Because you wanted it to be all miraculous and magical and mystical.

Spiritual shopkeeper said,

Okay,

I will sell this idea.

I will charge him thousand dollars.

And the fool will come to me for a mystical magical description.

Let me make that mystical magical description.

That's how you started the business of the spiritual shopkeeper.

So don't blame him.

As is the demand,

So is the supply.

Your interest in something magical,

Mystical out of the world gave birth to the spiritual shopkeeper.

It's in your hands to just stop this.

The truth you are getting from people like Maharaj.

Take the truth.

Now do it experientially.

Do I really see what Maharaj is saying?

Do I really see what Maharaj is saying?

Get your doubts resolved.

Become very clear.

There's nothing mystical or magical about enlightenment.

Most ordinary thing.

And this whole chapter is about inner world versus this outer world.

This person even gets into an argument ahead in this chapter.

And you will see how Maharaj tackles even the argument.

So you become very very clear.

He is not here to sell stories to me.

He is telling me the truth.

If my ego cannot take it,

That is different.

That's my problem.

But he is there to tell me the truth.

So drop all these mystical ideas.

And really do your investigation.

It shouldn't take you ages and lifetimes.

How many lifetimes?

As many lifetimes are there.

How many leaves are there on this tree?

That many lifetimes you are going to take to enlightenment.

No.

Not at all.

Very nice story.

Cute.

For a comic book.

Not real.

Right here,

Right now you can get enlightened.

Satori is not far away.

You are the one pushing it away.

Because I don't want to see the truth.

Do you recognize that?

Must have come up many times in these days.

I don't want to see the truth.

She tells me too much truth.

That is too much truth.

I don't like so much truth.

Give me some false.

Do you see the ego hankering for false?

Don't fall in that trap.

Don't fall in that trap.

Just a past habit pattern.

I don't fall into that trap.

I have to stay alert.

Alert.

Every time this ego comes up.

Go away.

Don't spoil my retreat.

Your scriptures and your gods have no meaning here.

So questioner says,

Still you have a name and shape.

You display consciousness.

And activity.

So Maharaj says,

In your world I appear so.

In mine I have being only.

Nothing else.

You people are rich with your ideas of possession.

Of quantity and quality.

I am completely without ideas.

You see the difference?

When you identify with this body mind.

You say,

Oh I am rich.

I am whatever the title given to you by your work.

I am this.

I am that.

You put all these names and you put titles there.

This is your world he says.

But I never identify.

Means Maharaj doesn't even say that he is an Advaitin teacher.

Are you seeing this?

That also belongs to this body mind.

He is saying he is free of these ideas.

Completely.

Complete silence.

How do I get there now?

Witness.

Does the witness speak?

Does the witness have a title?

CEO of so and so incorporation.

Does the witness have a title?

Parent.

Child.

Sibling.

None of these.

No ideas.

I am rich.

I am poor.

But the witness is free of that.

Because the witness is beyond the waking state.

All titles belong to only waking state.

Only to the waker.

Witness is the witness of the waker,

Of the dreamer and the deep sleeper.

The moment you go to the fourth.

There is no more identification with the little why.

Why?

I have the entire supreme.

Why will I settle for less?

Is this very very clear?

This is the same reason why Maharaj did not succumb to marketing,

Publicity,

Money making.

We will talk about it ahead.

He did not succumb to any of this.

Because this is all limited to the waking state projection.

Why should I settle for less when I have all?

The highest.

Very clear?

In your world,

I appear so.

Means I appear as if I am doing activity.

In mine,

I have being only.

Nothing else.

You people are rich with your ideas of possession,

Of quantity and quality.

I am completely without ideas.

Questioner says,

In my world there is disturbance,

Distress and despair.

You seem to be living on some hidden income.

While I am a slave for a living.

Maharaj says,

Do as you please.

You are free to leave your world for mine.

You also live on hidden income.

So questioner says,

How is the crossing done?

How do I cross from my world to your world?

Maharaj says,

See your world as it is.

Not as you imagine it to be.

Please highlight.

This is what you have been doing all these days.

With the degrees of seeing.

What does the mind imagine the world to be?

Solid.

Made of matter.

It is continuously.

Time,

Space,

All continuity is there.

There is cause,

There is effect.

Complete logical world,

Very perfect.

Is it like that?

No,

Lies.

In your direct experience there is the now and the now is gone.

Again there is the next now.

Gone.

There is only one arising at a time.

When there is only one arising at a time,

Where is the question of continuity?

And if there is one arising at a time,

Where is the question of cause and effect?

Both cause and effect must exist simultaneously for them to be even existing.

No.

There is only one arising at a time.

Random arising.

You create stories.

You are creating stories of this world.

Why?

We discussed this today.

Why am I creating stories,

Making this a nice,

Perfect world,

Very juicy,

Delicious world?

Why am I doing that?

It is not permanent.

And?

Validation.

I am seeking validation for my attachment,

For mamata,

Mineness.

This is my world,

No?

My family,

My friends,

My work,

My social circle,

Mine,

Mine,

Mine.

It's perfect.

Everything falls into place.

It's perfect.

Happy world.

I am very happy in my world.

But this is all lies.

All fake.

All pretense.

Wake up to the truth.

No.

It's random.

It's random.

It's random.

There is one perception at a time,

One sensation,

One thought,

One feeling.

There is no connected story.

There is no continuity.

There is no proof of the existence of the beloved.

Is your beloved here?

In this now?

There is no proof of the existence of the beloved.

The beloved is only in the memory.

Moment to moment to moment there is just the now.

Just the now.

This is all that I know.

And this keeps changing,

Keeps changing,

Keeps changing.

And I assume this is who I am.

Oh,

If this is who I am,

Then what about this witnessing?

Oh,

That I should push away.

People will think I am gone cuckoo.

No.

That is the truth.

This is the lie.

So waking up to this truth.

Waking up.

This is very important.

And how does that happen?

He has given you a little key over there.

See your world as it is,

Not as you imagine it to be.

This is Viveka.

I am removing imagination and just seeing the truth as it is.

Viveka means discriminating.

You have rice and you have pebbles in the rice.

How do you remove the pebbles and throw away?

So you have just pure rice left.

That is called Viveka.

Discriminating.

Filtering out the wrong,

The incorrect.

That which I have imagined.

The illusion from the truth.

I am removing all the illusion from the truth.

That is Viveka.

So he says see your world as it is.

Not as you imagine it to be.

Discrimination will lead to detachment.

Detachment will ensure right action.

Right action will build the inner bridge to your real being.

There he has given you a full summary of the entire path.

Viveka leads to Vairagya.

Discrimination will lead to detachment.

Viveka leads to Vairagya.

When you start removing all the illusory stuff and you are left with only reality.

When you start removing all the illusory stuff and you are left with only reality.

You know the now is made of nothingness.

Nothingness is quite boring.

All the passion is already removed.

There is no juice and nothingness.

What are you going to be passionate about then?

You will see it is all futile,

All futile,

All a game.

That is the development of detachment.

There is no attachment to this even.

The body and the world completely lose meaning.

They are just like your toys.

You might have not thrown them away.

You might still have them.

But you don't hate them and you don't particularly love them either.

They are just there in the corner occupying some space.

Complete detachment.

That is called Vairagya.

Then Vairagya,

Once it is developed,

That will ensure right action.

What is the right action?

In which direction is the action?

The direction of the witness.

We are moving towards the witness.

There is only one witness.

The direction of the witness.

We are moving towards the witness.

There is only one direction.

One way street.

Right action will be ensured.

And that right action will build the inner bridge to your real being.

Only when you move to the witness do you recognize the witness is the bridge between the Vyakti,

The person,

And the pure being.

A Vyakta.

See your world as it is.

Not as you imagine it to be.

Discrimination,

Viveka,

Will lead to detachment or Vairagya.

Detachment will ensure right action.

And right action will build the inner bridge to your real being.

Action is a proof of earnestness.

Do what you are told diligently and faithfully and all obstacles will dissolve.

And this is the path laid by any scripture.

Any,

Any,

Any scripture.

Adi Shankaracharya taught you Viveka.

Maharaj is also talking about the same Viveka.

Both are saying the same thing.

Both are saying the same thing.

You have to develop your discrimination of sieving out the illusion from the real.

When all the illusion is sieved out,

That is the right action that you have completed.

You are left only with the real.

And the real is that I am the witnessing space.

That's it.

This witness cannot do.

It's simply silent.

It's simply silent.

There is only knowingness.

There is no doership.

There is no experiencership.

And doership and experiencership are the parents of suffering.

Right?

Once doership and experiencership are dropped,

Suffering is erased.

It's a very simple shortcut method which every sage saw.

Everybody says exactly the same thing.