Let's do a self-exploration meditation on the renunciation of personhood.
For this self-inquiry,
You will need a mirror and your childhood toy.
If you don't have your own childhood toy,
Any children's toy will do.
The renunciation of personhood.
Let's sit comfortably.
Let's close our eyes.
Observe that the person just sat down to do this self-inquiry meditation.
This self-inquiry meditation is called the renunciation of personhood.
How can that which is meditating be renunciated by the meditation?
If it is renunciated,
Won't the meditation end?
The renunciation of personhood does not mean that you have to stop being a person.
That is not possible.
So definitely there is a deeper meaning to the renunciation of personhood.
Let's explore that together.
If the eyes of the person are still open,
Let's close the eyes.
Notice that you are aware of the eyes that are closed.
Notice that you are aware of the sensations in the body.
You can witness whatever is happening in the body right now.
This means that you are definitely not the body.
Notice that you are aware of the thoughts in the mind.
You are definitely beyond the thoughts.
Notice that you are aware of the feelings in the mind.
You are definitely beyond the feelings.
You are definitely not the mind.
You are simply a witness to the body-mind person.
Who is the person?
What is personhood?
In your own direct experience,
Isn't the person simply thoughts plus feelings plus sensations?
Aren't you witnessing the person right now?
If you are witnessing the person,
It means you are definitely separate from the person.
Notice that your focus is right now on the person.
Turn the focus 180 degrees towards your own self,
The witness of the person.
Dissolve into the witnessing space.
There is no sign of a person now.
There are simply sensations appearing and disappearing.
There are simply thoughts appearing and disappearing.
There are simply feelings appearing and disappearing.
If you look closely,
These sensations,
Thoughts,
Feelings are not made of a separate substance than you,
The witness.
Examine the core substance,
The stuff,
The matter that you,
The witness,
Are made up of.
Then,
Examine the core substance,
The stuff,
The matter that sensations,
Thoughts,
Feelings are made up of.
Is there a difference in the core substance?
If everything is the same witnessing space made of awareness,
Made of alive and conscious nothingness,
Then where is the so-called person that is identified by its Nama Rupa,
Name and form?
In your own seeing,
In your own direct experience,
Is there a Nama Rupa to sensations,
Thoughts and feelings?
Or are they simply dynamic,
Alive and conscious nothingness?
If thoughts,
Feelings and sensations are simply a dynamic,
Alive,
Conscious nothingness,
Is there a person that stands inherently independent of the dynamic,
Alive,
Conscious nothingness?
No,
There is nothing like a person.
There is nothing like personhood.
Considering oneself to be a person is simply a blind and baseless belief.
Considering oneself to be a person is not based on direct experience.
Considering oneself to be a person is not based on inner seeing.
It is simply a conditioning.
As a baby,
You were devoid of the sense of personhood.
A conditioning,
A belief is simply thought.
Therefore,
Personhood is simply a thought.
The renunciation of personhood means simply renouncing that which is not based on direct experience,
Which is not based on inner seeing,
Which is simply a fake and pretentious idea.
And what is the direct proof that it is a fake and pretentious idea?
It is your own direct experience that you were born devoid of the idea of personhood.
It was acquired as a learning,
As a conditioning later.
Personhood is simply thought,
Fake and pretentious thought.
Once the wise one sees something as fake,
He drops it.
And resorts only to the inner conviction developed by inner seeing.
Do you have the readiness to drop the fake and embrace the truth?
Now slowly open the eyes of the fake person and look at the mirror reflection of this fake person.
Can the Nama Rupa of the reflection in the mirror ever be a distraction from the inner seeing?
If your inner seeing is strong,
Would it be shaken just by this perception of sight of this person in the mirror?
If you,
The witnessing space,
Are not different from thought,
Feeling and sensation,
Can you be different from perception?
The Rupa or form of the person is simply perception of sight,
Sound,
Smell,
Taste and touch.
Witness this Rupa.
Witness the form of the reflection of the so-called person.
Can you find a line demarcating where you,
The witness,
End and the perception of the sight of the person begins?
Examine the reflection very closely in the mirror.
Can you find such a line?
Loudly say the name of the person in the mirror.
Witness the sound of the name of this form by saying it out aloud.
Is there a line demarcating where you,
The witness,
End and the perception of the sound of the person begins?
Repeat the name a few times and see if you can find such a line between you and the person.
Witness the touch of one hand on the other of the so-called person.
Is there a line demarcating where you,
The witness,
End and the perception of touch of the person begins?
Witness the flavor of the skin by tasting the hand.
Is there a line demarcating where you,
The witness,
End and the perception of taste of the person begins?
Witness the odor of the so-called person.
Is there a line demarcating where you,
The witness,
End and the perception of smell of the person begins?
Is there any perception different from the same alive and conscious nothingness that you are?
Is there any perception different from you,
The witnessing space?
Can any perception of sight,
Sound,
Smell,
Taste and touch prove the existence of an inherently independent entity called the person?
Or is it now evident in your inner seeing that the person is simply a projected thought,
A projected idea?
Is it clearly evident to you in your direct seeing that the person that is simply a projected thought is restricted to the waking state only?
The dream state has another projected person thought.
Is this evident to you by your own direct experience?
You know by your direct experience that you are the witness of the waking,
The dreaming and the deep sleep states.
How can you,
The witnessing space of all three states,
Be restricted only to the waking person thought or only to the dream person thought?
Aren't you beyond all states?
If you are beyond,
Then how can you be limited?
Do you recognize your unlimitedness in your own direct experience?
The person is simply thought.
Personhood is simply a belief.
Worth of the person is simply an idea.
Death of the person is simply imagination.
Quit imagining that you were born or that you have a birthday.
Quit imagining that you will die or you will have a death day.
All these beliefs must be shunned along with the idea of personhood.
Because all are simply fake thoughts,
Not reality.
Now look at your childhood toy.
Once upon a time,
This was so dear to you.
You felt your life depended on it.
Hold the toy in your hand.
There was a time when you would never let it go.
Day or night,
You never parted with the toy.
When maturity dawned,
The toy shed off automatically and naturally.
Let the toy fall away from the hands.
When maturity dawns,
Toys drop away naturally and automatically.
When maturity looks at the toys,
After renunciation,
There is total dispassion.
Do you recognize the flavor of dispassion while looking at the toy?
Now look back at the reflected person in the mirror.
Can you spot the same flavor of dispassion yet?
When the wise one looks at the so-called person,
There arises the same dispassion,
Vairagya.
Your journey is not complete until your dispassion blossoms for that reflection in the mirror.
Let dispassion blossom.
Let the inner seeing triumph.
Let the truth win over the fake.
Renounce personhood.
Renounce personhood.
Renounce personhood.
