Transcending Words in the Search for Self

That's the only one in existence . There's nothing more , nothing beyond that . And then you've got um , in Buddhism there's no self . And really it's saying the same thing . And I think , where Advaita is a bit different , it says that even if you say there is no self or it's contentless , then frankly there has to be . There is a self that is observing that .

Now that self is not limited in terms of the body , mind , it's obviously formless , it's imageless , it's boundless , it's nature is of bliss and peace and and all that . But I somewhat feel that whenever people see non-duality , they think I come from a Buddhist lens , I come from a completely Advaita , vedanta lens , and that's the way I use my language .

So I just wanted to make that clear because otherwise what happens ? We go round and round about with words . We go round and round about with words , but sometimes I think it's good because it kind of helps others see where we are pointing towards .

But I cannot , from my experience , when we say that there is a formless self , that formless self doesn't have an identity , it doesn't have a name . We can call it many names , but it truly has no name . It's that awareness which is unbreakable , ungraspable because no concept can define it . There's no word here that even sticks to it .

It's like nothing can stick to that . It is that , you know , kind of nirgun , without attribute , without attribute . So because even if I say that something is empty , I'm also aware that it's also full . You know , for example , it's full , full of its own awareness . Um , I know it sounds silly to say , but that's literally it , um .

So so that's one of the things that I wanted to talk about very briefly . And then the other brief thing is that I think some from one of the comments on YouTube , it's like when people say to me there's no will , there's this , and that I hate that type of speak and I really despise it because it's so reductive of the human experience .

And this is where non-duality goes off the rails , so to speak , and something which I have refused to do for a long time now , where you know , if you follow Advaita Vedanta , then you have to understand that all that exists is Brahman . So even this name and form that we see is nothing but Brahman , is nothing but the Atman , the true self , the only self .

That is the true self , the only self that is . So I feel like a lot of people just get stuck on the words , and it's normal . I guess we're all trying to in a way . We are all trying to understand or not understand it . We understand it . I'm not saying that those people that commented definitely understand it . There's no doubt about that .

But what I mean by this is there is a certain fixation on words , and I think what we're doing is we're trying our best to describe it with words , but we're ultimately going to fail . It's like the closest you can go is what the scriptures say . That's for me , that's my perspective . No one has to agree to even utter a word .

We've kind of destroyed it in a way . Do you know ? I mean ? So it's not necessarily very easy to just point and say this is it , or it's emptiness , or say that there's only the self and there's nothing more , there's no body and mind .

I think all that is again , I'm very skeptical or not skeptical bad word , wrong word I would say I'm very cautious , that's the word . Cautious to take away the functional reality , the dependent reality , the relative reality which is this world . It's mythia . It's neither real nor unreal .

You know , it depends on our , the state , the reality that we're in at that moment . For example , when I'm at work , I have to be in the relative reality , I have to be functioning , I have to use my mind , I have to use thought , I have to use imagination , I have to use all of those things .

When it comes to the ultimate level , I can just rest in formless awareness . I don't need anything else . In that sense , even in the functional realities where all the four yogas appear from , you know , bhakti , even devotion , that's a function to get to that union . Even the knowledge that I am Brahman , I am Brahmasmi , is a function to get to that union .

Even the knowledge that I am Brahman , I am Brahman , is a function .

It's a pointing , but the moment I say that , and the reason why I don't like to say this , like on YouTube , for example , I'm creating that course and the whole point of that course is that when you , when we finish that course as a collective , we can use language the way we need to use it , not necessarily just , uh , say , say the highest truth , and anyone

can watch this video , and the problem with that is they can misunderstand what we're really pointing to or they can try to bypass a lot of the work that we've already done . So I forgot what I originally said . Oh yeah , so we're talking about the yoga as being a function .

So even gyan yog , self-inquiry , when we ask the question who am I , who , to whom does this thought arise , to this imagination arise , that the sound arise ? Yeah , that's helpful inquiry . Um Raja Yoga .

When it comes to meditation , of course , meditation is just simply , you know , an activity we do which allows us to still the mind and actually observe the mind , very important to do in Advaita Vedanta .

How else are we going to observe our vasanas or our samskaras , those one-off incidents that happen , that could become vasanas , vasanas being the latent tendencies that we have that bring about habitual kind of choices we make . So meditation very important , extremely important . Then we have Karma Yoga . Now , that is just everyday activity .

What I'm doing right now is Karma Yog . It's a function . We're talking about the highest , we're talking about the divine , we're talking about the Lord , we're talking about Brahman , that's the highest , that's Karma Yog .

Right now , when I'm working and I offer all that I do to Brahman , does that mean that my salary disappears from my bank and Brahman takes it all ? No , well , brahman is taking everyone's salary , technically speaking . But do you see what I mean ?

Like when you work you say , okay , that is the result of that work , that's the outcome , but I'm not the doer here . And when we're saying I am not the doer , what we're talking about is that formless consciousness , not being the doer . The doer is the body and mind . That's what's doing the action .

Brokrati would deal with brokrati , so nature will deal with nature . So that's's fundamentally what I wanted to talk about . Maybe the language . Obviously it's not a deep lesson , it's not a deep exploration for me , but I just wanted to like clear things up .

Because if we're going to keep going back to discussions on language and not necessarily what is being experienced , it can , it becomes an intellectual exercise . Nothing wrong with that , very much needed .

But when somebody , if you're talking about the highest realization and you're thinking that the other person has an intellectual understanding , you kind of and say they don't have an intellectual understanding , what you're doing is literally kind of making no real point and it doesn't really matter when that person wants to talk about the experiential understanding and we're

still stuck on the intellectual . You can't have a real conversation . It's more like a one-way talk .

So obviously , yesterday I talked about some of the craziness that's been going on on YouTube , the beef that's happening on YouTube and certain non-dual teachers who end up leaving non-duality and they end up thinking they're christ and they go through some sort of psychosis . This is the point why why I don't like neo-advaita , because I think that's what it breeds .

I don't , I've never , I don't see breeding real enlightenment and not saying that there's not exceptions , of course I mean , of course there's gonna be exceptions , but it's just very interesting that these people create cults . Um , just yesterday I started watching on hbo max . It's hbo max in the , in the states .

I don't know about everywhere else , but it's about Asad Ambabu , who was an Indian guru . He ended up doing a lot of crimes which are disgusting , you know , when it comes to the things that he did and you know , I I think that's also from some level of psychosis that somebody is not dealing with their vasana .

So when you , even though you may get self-realization or whatever , if you view it as you're getting a non-dual awakening , whatever you may view it as if you don't actually deal with your vasanas , your thought patterns , the way , the movement of your thoughts , when they , you know , see how they arise .

You know there's vrittis , that movement , unless we do that close analysis , we don't really . Or we do that close investigation , we don't transcend . Unless you know we do bhakti practice or karma . You know , selfless service , serving others . So , yeah , it's very easy .

You know we can go from the highest realization , or the appearance of the highest realization , and be seen as incredibly human , but with , I would say , the lowest form of action , the evilest form of action . And to stop one from doing that means you have to ensure that your vasanas are dealt with . You know your latent tendencies .

You got to make sure that your , the desires you have are they . You know where are they arising from . So if you desire lust , it's a lustful desire . You're desiring a certain someone . Have a look where that's arising from . That is , from a genuine place of love or is it from lust ? And if you achieve that , what will you get from it ?

And you don't have to do it on people , just even things you know . If you desire a thing , what is that creating in you ? If you don't get it , will madness ensue , and that's the type of investigation we need to do and check within ourselves .

So the whole point of today's video , I guess , is about being very careful with our language , but understanding language has its limitations , and also to deal with your inner vasanas , your inner latent tendencies . Be very mindful of your actions , your thoughts . Remember anyone declaring anything like enlightenment or awakening ? Fine , nice , brilliant , well done .

But ultimately , time reveals everything and I hope that since 2021 , you've only seen me evolve and not get worse or not take steps back . The whole point when I started this channel , this podcast , was to share whatever wisdom I have and understand that I'm evolving as , or refining as , a spiritual aspirant .

Again , as I mentioned on Shiva's podcast , I'm not going to declare any enlightenment . I don't intend to and I don't plan to , but my words should be enough . The insights that my words bring should be enough to tell you everything , and that's why I think if my words aren't doing that , then that means I just have more work to do on myself .

Nothing wrong with that , and I think that's what's got to be normal .

I think if most people came onto YouTube from these neo-advaita circles , if they came in with that humility to say they haven't realized the full truth or they haven't allowed the body and mind to integrate or synchronize with that ultimate reality , I think we would all have a bit more compassion .

But when you come across and say , oh yeah , you know , I had this non-dual realization , but then you fall back into dualism and then you claim to be Christ that's dualistic thinking then did you really have a non-dual awakening ? I don't .

As I mentioned yesterday , I don't think anyone can have a non-dual awakening or non-dual realization and then come back from that .

This is where I may like kind of actually praise Tony Parsons and actually Jim Newman and even Emerson , that at least they're consistent , at least they've kind of , you know , maintained their message and you've not seen them , you know , go into some sort of messiah complex .

So even though I've been critical of them , I still will say I'm fairly , I still see something good in them . But yeah , I think that's all I want to share today and let me know your thoughts , let me know your comments , let me know what may be worrying you about the way the YouTube is . I know we can't do anything about it . Life is what life is .

Youtube is what YouTube is . We're going to get this influx of non-dual , pseudo non-dual teachers and neo-advaita teachers like I get it , I get it . Uh , we can't stop that and neither can we be truly , you know , kind of disturbed by it .

We can only , you know , deal with it effectively through our practice of dharma , practice of righteousness and making sure that whatever we do creates the least amount of harm as possible .

But one thing I want to mention and maybe this is where we can think more clearly on is you know , how do we create that environment in the non-dual circles where it's okay to say you know what , you had a non-dual awakening , you can put on , you can create youtube videos , absolutely fine .

But how about we embrace some humility , how about we embrace that we are all together as one in this ? Yeah , I think that's enough .

I think I forgot my original thought behind what I was saying , and that shows you the shallowness of thought , the fact that even thought is so unreliable and why awareness is so Impeccably amazing , because Awareness doesn't disappear , thoughts disappear . Thoughts cannot stay consistent .

Yes , that siren out there Is telling me to End this video , but , yeah , yeah , do write a comment , do join the discord server . It's in the show notes , in the description below um . You know , if you want to support the podcast , you can join as a member , um , and you can . This can be temporary while we get the school set up and fully rolling Again .

I anticipate the end of the I want to say summer , but I think it's going to end up being the end of the year . So yeah , because I also have a holiday , a vacation in the UK , so that will put a pause maybe . So yeah , but anyway , thank you for listening . Thank you for your patience in my ramblings today .

Today I thought I was more rambling , but I really thank you for supporting the podcast and hope to see you soon . Bye .