Self Realization : I Am That

 गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः। गुरुः साक्षात् परं ब्रह्म तस्मै श्री गुरवे नमः॥

Greetings

In the past few blogs, you've delved into why a Seeker remains skeptical about the experiences gathered from their surroundings and how they make their life simpler by minimizing unnecessary attachments. You've also grasped that the Seeker's benchmark for truth is simple yet of the utmost standard, consistently guiding them to discern between reality and illusion, and driving them towards seeking truth.

Beginning with this blog, we embark on understanding the Truth that a seeker perpetually pursues. This journey commences with comprehending one's True Nature, known as Self Realization (Aatm Gyan). Subsequently, we explore the genuine Nature of Experiences (Maya ka Gyan) around you, deciphering their truth. Lastly, we aim to fathom the relationship between your True Self and the Experiences around you, termed as Oneness (Brahma Gyan).

Self Realization (AatmGyan)

If someone wishes to understand who they are, they might likely have the following answers. Let's delve into each of these responses and analyze them individually:

• Name: You might identify yourself by your name, but even if your name changes, you remain unchanged; nothing truly alters within you with this new name. You can confidently affirm that you are not defined by any name you've been given. Similarly, you can see that you are not any worldly designations, relations etc.
• Body: Some claim to be their body, but it's essential to analyze this using your firsthand experience and logic, the only reliable tools you have to ascertain the real truth. With these tools, you can genuinely determine whether you identify as the body or not. Reflect on memories of your childhood body at ages 5 or 6. You'll notice significant differences in shape, size, color, weight, etc. between that body and your current one—they are entirely dissimilar. You, as the Experiencer, have witnessed the growth from a young body to the adult body you inhabit today, yet the Experiencer behind these changes has remained constant. Similarly, even if medically alterable body parts like eyes, hands, liver, heart, teeth, etc., or even a change in gender occurs, the Experiencer remains the same; only the body's experience might change. Your firsthand experience and logical analysis confirm that you are not the body but the Experiencer of the changing body.
• Mind: Some claim to be nothing more than their mental experiences, such as memories or ego. Once again, employ your tool—Firsthand Experience and Logic—to verify whether you genuinely identify as all these mental experiences. Recall a memory of your body and gauge if you are the memory or the Experiencer of the body. Similarly, try generating or recalling emotions like anger, happiness, sadness, love, etc. What do you observe? You are a consistent Experiencer of these memories and emotions, always in the background, witnessing the changing emotions. Your firsthand experience and logical analysis unmistakably reveal that you are not even the mind but the Experiencer of everything the mind produces.

With this, you can easily recognize that you are neither the Body nor the Mind, but rather the immutable Experiencer who observes all changes, whether it's the experience of a changing body or the ebb and flow of different emotions. You are the one who witnesses this Mind-Body tool in action but remains forever in the background. Similarly

• When this Mind-Body tool interacts with other Mind-Body tools, you are the Experiencer of the interaction.
• When this Mind-Body tool performs its daily chores, you remain the Experiencer of all the activity.
• When this Mind-Body tool imagines anything, you are still the Experiencer of those imaginations.
• When this Mind-Body tool feels happiness or sadness, you are still the Experiencer of those emotions.
• When this Mind-Body tool experiences dreams during sleep, you are still present and experience those dreams in the background.

You are an immutable observer who witnesses all experiences. Sometimes, you experience the world around you; at other times, you experience your body, and sometimes, you experience the activities of the mind. Throughout these experiences, you remain undisturbed and unperturbed in the background, regardless of whatever is happening.

Now, perhaps you are curious to know about this Experiencer, always present in the background of all your life experiences, and how to meet or learn more about them. In the last blog, you learned that to fully understand any topic, you only need to ask seven questions: What, Why, When, How, Where, Who, and How much. We will utilize these questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Experiencer. However, before we commence unraveling the truth about the Experiencer, let's establish some rules that will facilitate comprehension and ease your journey as a Seeker.

Language and Definitions: It's essential to consistently employ precise and accurate language without blending words lacking meaning, as we embark on a journey to comprehend subjects associated with experiences, some of which might be metaphysical or parapsychic. Incorrect word usage can impede understanding and hinder clear communication of conveyed ideas.

Experiencer: By now, you are aware that the one in the background of all experiences is referred to in this blog as the Experiencer.

Existence: All that exists is part of Existence, whether perceived or unperceived, metaphysical or parapsychic, truth or ignorance. Everything that exists together constitutes Existence.

Tatva or Fundamental: Tatva can only refer to that part of a topic which remains when all the unnecessary parts of that topic are removed. Wood would be considered a Tatva or fundamental component for a table, while water would be considered a Tatva for sea waves. A Tatva can assume different shapes, giving us the illusion of being vastly different from the Tatva itself; however, the Tatva always remains present and unchanged.

Analyzing the Experiencer through the lens of the 7 fundamental questions.What is an Experiencer?

What is an Experiencer?

The answer to 'What' always clarifies the definition of the chosen topic. Therefore, with this question, we aim to understand what this Experiencer is. 

You understand that you are neither the body nor the mind but rather the experiencer of all the surrounding experiences. Attempt to derive experiences from the true self, which is undoubtedly present and is also witnessing your effort to acquire experience, yet you will not succeed in gaining any experience from it. Through your firsthand experience and logic, you easily notice that the Experiencer differs from the ebb and flow of emotions, that leaves traces of experience. The Experiencer remains there without emitting any experience. Reflect on this for a few weeks. so you can firmly establish in Truth that the Experiencer experiences everything, and there is no experience from the Experiencer. This leads to the easy conclusion that the Experiencer is unknowable. You can only acknowledge the presence of an Experiencer that is self-illuminated and always present in the background of all experiences.

"Experiencer is Unknowable & Self-illuminated"

Why is there an Experiencer?

Answers to the question 'Why' focus on reason, so this inquiry will aid in understanding the rationale behind the existence of the Experiencer. 

Let's delve into it. Through either your logic or numerous firsthand experiences, you can easily perceive that if there is a reason for something, there will be a cause and effect. In this scenario, the 'Cause' becomes the Reason, and the 'Effect' gives rise to the Experiencer. You also understand that there is always a time delay between a Cause and its Effect. While this time delay might be minimal, it is certain that the 'Effect' will only manifest after the 'Cause.' So, if the Cause of the Experiencer existed before the birth of the Experiencer, who witnessed this 'Cause'? It can be no one other than the Experiencer. Thus, you can easily conclude that the Experiencer will always be present before any 'Cause' to witness it. Reflect on this further for a few weeks until you completely agree with this concept or find an answer that contradicts logic.

Hence, the Experiencer transcends all reasons and serves as a witness to all causes, remaining Causeless.

"Experiencer Transcends all Causes"

When is the Experiencer there? 

The answer to the question 'When' typically provides a timeline of existence. Hence, this question aids in understanding when the Experiencer does and doesn't exist. 

Again, utilize your primary tool: Firsthand Experience and Logic. Imagine a scenario where the Experiencer came into existence at a specific time, and before that time, the Experiencer did not exist. Let's imagine you have a clock, and at a certain moment, the Experiencer came into existence. If anyone is capable of acknowledging that an Experiencer didn't exist, it would only indicate that the Experiencer is already present, experiencing someone conducting an experiment. The Experiencer will always be present, experiencing all that unfolds. Reflect on this for a few weeks until you completely agree with it or find a logical instance when the Experiencer didn’t exist.

"The Experiencer is eternal; the concept of time does not apply to it."

How is there an experiencer? 

The answer to the question 'How' typically delineates the process of formation of something. Hence, this question should elucidate the process of the formation of the Experiencer. 

If you already agree with the previous questions of What, Why & When, then you can easily conclude that if there is a process to create an Experiencer, then who would be the one to experience the process before the Experiencer was created? Similarly, if there is a process for ending the Experiencer, then who would witness the absence of the Experiencer? There cannot be any process that can't be experienced by the Experiencer. Reflect on this further. 

"The Experiencer is beyond the process of Birth and Death. It is indestructible."

Where is the Experiencer? 

The answer to the question 'Where' typically offers precise information about a place. Therefore, this question should provide information about the location where the Experiencer is present.

Let's imagine if the Experiencer is present at any location, then who will be experiencing whether an Experiencer is present in that location or not? It will still be the Experiencer itself, experiencing someone's effort to locate the Experiencer. Similarly, if the Experiencer is present at any location, then there will be a place where the Experiencer is not present. Who would experience the absence of the Experiencer? You can easily discern that the Experiencer is not confined to any location or place; it continually witnesses experiences emanating from all locations. 

"The Experiencer transcends the concept of locations."

Who is The Experiencer? 

The answer to this question typically identifies a person, so this question should identify an individual who can be considered as an Experiencer.

From the earlier part of this blog, you have already verified and proven that an Experiencer is not any specific person; rather, it is one who experiences the body mind tool and its personality as an experience. The concept of Person itself is an experience. The Experiencer is not any particular person, but rather a person is experienced by the Experiencer.

"The Experiencer is beyond any Personality"

How many Experiencers are there?

The answer to this question provides the quantity of an entity, indicating whether there is one or many experiencers. To quantify any entity, there must be a boundary within which the entity exists. This boundary can be defined by Space or Time. For instance, an entity can exist within coordinates such as Latitude X, Longitude X, to Latitude Y, Longitude Y, like a country or a tree, or within a timeframe from Time X to Time Y, like the experience of night or the morning grogginess felt immediately after waking up. Utilize your firsthand knowledge, try attempting to identify any boundary for the Experiencer, which is yourself. As there is no experience emanating from the Experiencer, so there is no information about boundaries. If there were any boundaries, you would have observed them. Hence, you can easily conclude that the Experiencer cannot be more than one. This implies there is the same Experiencer for all that exists—be it you, me, all animals, plants or everything.

• Since the Experiencer is not more than one, can we say it is one? 

"Even to ascertain 'one,' you would need to perceive the boundaries where the Experiencer starts and ends. Hence, at most, you can affirm that the Experiencer is omnipresent and not more than one."

From the analysis of the 7 questions on the Experiencer, we observe that the Experiencer transcends the concepts of Definition, Reason, Time, Process, Place, Personality, and is Omnipresent, and this Experiencer is none other than you. You might be encountering this knowledge for the first time, so I suggest contemplating and deliberating inwardly, weighing both perspectives, to & fro, before accepting it as truth. Feel free to leave comments if you have any questions or wish to discuss this further. 

In this blog, I endeavored to elucidate who you are. This knowledge isn't mine but has existed since ancient times, known as Self Realization or Aatm Gyan. For a Seeker, understanding oneself holds utmost importance. The recommended practice for a Seeker is to be in continuous remembrance of this knowledge, termed as Self Remembrance (Sakshi Bhav). You can commence this practice at any time with your Guru’s permission. However, you can still proceed with Self Remembrance but without a Guru, the results may not be as potent. I wish you success in this practice of Self Remembrance, leading to firm establishment in Self Realization. If you don’t have a Guru, strive harder to find one. 

I will meet you again through a new blog.