“WHO AM I ?”
Advaita:
‘Self- Inquiry’ Meditation Technique
(Source: Unknown)
“I am not the imaginary ‘i’; the ego, my name. I am not the temporary ‘i’ – my body, or my mind.
I AM The Everlasting Life force, behind all living beings. I am the source of Universal Love and Happiness. Aham Brahamasmi – ‘I AM’, Brahman.”
- Advaita Self-Inquiry Meditation:
Technique for Beginners
Advaita Self Inquiry Meditation is a 5000 year old Meditation technique, explained in the teachings of Sri Adi Sankara, Sri Ramana Maharshi, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, and in the Spiritual Texts: Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Yoga Vasistha.
Advaita Self Inquiry Meditation, is superior to other types of Meditation; as it results in permanent transformation, and helps you manage your emotional vulnerabilities like anger, stress and anxiety, through out the day, and is not something that you benefit only during the short period of meditation. The meditation technique brings empathy and Compassion towards all living beings.
In Advaita Self Inquiry Meditation you begin the meditation with a simple question, ‘Who am I?’
The goal of the three stages of Advaita meditation technique is to go beyond your ‘Body’ (Stage One), and ‘your Mind that generates thoughts’ (Stage Two), and stay in the Meditative Stage of ‘Thoughtless Mind’ or ‘Breath Awareness’; called Consciousness (Stage Three).
Each time you slip from Stage Three to Stage Two or Stage One, follow the technique to progress to the ‘Meditative Stage – Stage Three’. Try to stay in ‘Stage Three’ atleast for a few minutes initially. Slowly with daily practice you can stay in ‘Stage Three’ for 15-20 minutes and more.
Read through the instructions below : Stage One to Stage Three. When you are ready, sit in a comfortable posture, close your eyes and inquire within and try to move from Stage One to Stage Three and stay in Stage Three as long as possible.
Stage One : You are not the Body.
Start by asking yourself a simple question, ‘Who am I?’ Am i the body? Is my body permanent? What happens to my body after death? Your body is not permanent as it goes through the stages of birth, adulthood, old age and disintegrates after death. So you are not the body. If I am not the body, then ‘Who am I’?
Stage Two : You are not the Mind with all its thoughts
Am I the mind, that generates the thoughts or desires? When a thought or desire arises during meditation ask a question, To whom do the thoughts or desires come for?
The answer to the question is that, all thoughts or desires come to serve ‘i’ – the ego, your name’ the imagination of who you are.
‘i’ – the ego, is the first imaginary thought, created by the mind, and all other subsequent thoughts, come to serve the first imaginary thought ‘i’ – the ego, your name; the imagination of who you are.
When you say in meditation, there is no ‘i’ – ego, your name, your thoughts or desires, have no one to serve, and they immediately die.
The moment you say this, all thoughts that arise during meditation disappear. Each time a thought arises, keep saying this to get rid of the thought.
Imagine your ‘i’ – the ego, your name’, as an imaginary bubble that you have created, and all other thoughts that arise are bubbles that attach to the imaginary bubble – ‘i’ – the ego’.
When the bubble ‘i’, the ego – your name’ bursts, all other thought bubbles that come to serve ‘i’ – the ego, your name’, also burst and disppear.
You are left in a state of thoughtless calm mind.
If you are not the mind, with all of its thoughts then – ‘Who am I’?
Stage Three: Stay in the thoughtless Meditative state of ‘Breath-Awareness’ or ‘Consciouness’
You are not the body, that disintegrates after death. You are not the mind, that generates thoughts to serve ‘i’ – the ego, your name, the imagination of who are. If you are not the Body or the Mind, then ‘who are you’?
The Breath Awareness, or The Life florce, that swells in your heart – in a state of thoughtlessness, is ‘Consciousness’, or ‘God Awareness’.
Your fascination with the body and mind had hidden this from you.
‘Consciousness’ is all that is. You are nothing but Consciousness. Stay in the Meditative State as long as you can. If you are Consciousness then all the living beings around you are also Consciouness. Universal Love and Compassion is your True Nature. 🌹”
(Thank you, Karl Natal)