Contemplation on the Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 17 - 30th August 2017

So for verses like this, we truly have to see that this discovery of the Self—that one which is untouched by any of the tastes, unchanging, the unmoving, the ever-witnessing awareness—this Self, to settle in the taste of this, then you will find that the greediness of the desire about worldly tastes is not so much. And yet, it is not that the taste of the world goes away. We can experience this full vibrancy, and yet it is not compared to the taste that you are having of your own Self-recognition. We cannot be bored by the Self. All other tastes might bore you. The best music might bore you, the best food might bore you, the best sensual experience might bore you, but the taste of the Self is never boring. It's never too much. Nobody ever says, 'Oh, there's just too much Self.' So sweet and salty, we can see that for any other phenomenal experience, we can see that too much or too little, but this Self is never too much or too little.

Rare in the world is one who does not relish past enjoyments nor yearn for enjoyments to come. I've spoken about this life being, for most of humanity, the seeming struggle to run away from pain and to seek pleasure. Many times in spirituality also, we have this similar pleasure-seeking, where we are concerned more about the bliss of the taste of Self-realization than about Self-realization itself. It is not different. So usually I give the simple answer, which is to say: if the truth is Sat-Chit-Ananda, in the Self is such, Sat-Chit-Ananda, then focus on Sat and Chit, which is truth and the existence, truth and being, and let Ananda take care of itself.

But actually, as we are looking at this now, see that the nature of your unassociated presence is an untainted joy itself. What happens is that we end up confusing this joy and we want to convert it into some sort of a personal joy. 'I want to be the claimant to this joy. I want to be the owner of this joy.' The individual 'I' still comes in. Then it can seem like, 'Oh, there is no bliss. Where is the bliss?' But if you were to explore your own existence right now, you notice that this joy is beyond any taste of phenomenal joy. It is the joy of existing. All of us are tasting it. Like, this is one of the possible reasons why we say that consciousness or awareness plays this game of existence, of coming into existence, because it gets joy from it.

So you think about that as you remain with your present motives, that this presence is never empty of joy, empty of bliss, of peace, contentment. But when we make it personal, when we make it the aspect of our report card of freedom—'How much joy am I feeling?'—then we are consuming losses. So simply put, through worldly eyes, this joy can seem elusive. Sometimes you taste great, sometimes you don't. Through the eyes of your pure being tasting itself, this is a pristine joy. 'I am that I am,' being enjoying its own beingness, its own existence.

So what is the point in this? The point in this is that if you are the source of all joy, and all phenomenal joy is subservient to this pure joy of being, where must you look for joy? It cannot be in outer objects and cannot be with the eyes of a claimant, cannot be with the eyes of a person. If you remain empty of concepts and taste your own existence right now, put away the measuring tape, so to speak, the barometer. Now existence, to just exist without trying to exist as something, and you will find that even for this unassociated presence, you can see that it is the truth, which is presence, and it is joy, with no idea of what joy should be.

As you start tasting your own presence in this way, the feverishness for joy from seeming outward objects will start to dissolve. The feverishness will start to dissolve. It's not that all desires go away; the pretension of desire to cause suffering goes. Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both common in the world. Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both common in the world. Where is the great soul who desires neither enjoyment nor liberation?

You have to have the right ears to hear this. What is he saying? He is saying that whether you desire objects or you are looking for freedom, still the cat is chasing its bowl of milk. It tried to find the bowl of milk in these objects, tried to find joy in these objects, and now it's chasing freedom as if it will get something as a cat. So both are common in the world, this craving worldliness, if you are chasing this or that. Now, rare is a great soul who desires neither enjoyment and not even freedom. If you're empty of desire, including the desire that what is should be something else, you cannot suffer. Suffering is the resistance to what is, and our primary desire is that what is should be something else according to my mind's idea of what what is should be.

If you have no notion about anything at all, who are you? If you are not chasing anything at all, you forget about the concept of the next bowl of milk. Very quickly you will see that you are not a cat. But if I keep saying, 'You're not a cat, you're not a cat,' and you are still thinking, 'I want my milk, I want my milk,' then it can seem like the journey seems longer. Very often I say even like this: if you are free, the response I get is, 'Father, when will I be free?' or 'When will I see?' But you are that who sees. Try it now. What do you see about yourself? This is the truth of what you are. Not what you imagine about yourself, not what you interpret or judge about yourself. What do you really find when you look? That is the truth.

And yet, because we might have a preconceived notion of what freedom should be—and the preconceptions can come from anything, from the books, from anything that we've heard about Self-realization—then quickly we turn everything that is heard even in satsang and we start to look at it through our cat lenses, through our individual eyes' lenses. Then we start to look at finding freedom in that way. So this effortlessness which I have been talking about—effortless allowing, nothing to change, nowhere to go, nothing to find except that recognition of already what is—get away from the denial of the truth by forcing belief in the false. To see what is, or what is all the examples of the stage, to see that there is no snake in the room, it has just been an idea. To see that all of these ornaments are gold, there is no difference in substance. All it needs is simple insight into what is, empty of any preconceived ideas or notions.

Who is here that has a lack that can desire something? Can that one be found? So I say that the one who wants better relationships, the one who wants more money in the bank, or wants some special powers for his body, or wants a special kind of health for his body, is the same one who wants freedom. Which one? That non-existent ego. Is that one here? Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both common in the world. About that locks, that's all I can do with my hands, hold them down when you take the photo. Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both common in the world. Rare is the great soul who desires neither enjoyment nor liberation.

Rare is the right-minded person who neither covets nor shuns religion, wealth, pleasure, life, or death. Rare is the right-minded person who neither covets nor shuns religion, wealth, pleasure, life, or death. So what is this right mind? You see, the mind only knows opposites. If I say the right mind is the neutral mind, can the mind come into neutral? Even neutral is a position. So actually, you're the same thing. Right mind is the dropping of this mind, the emptying of any concept, because to the mind it only understands specific corruption points. So I say, 'Be natural.' Sometimes it says this: 'Be natural.' Then we try to be natural, and that also becomes a position, which is the opposite of unnaturalness. So this naturalness is simple, simple allowing.

So it's not really right-minded in that way. It is not about taking even a right-minded position, but is more so there's no more coveting. Coveting is desire. Those who are shunning—shunning is aversion. Neither of these. What is this? Where is this one who neither covets nor shuns religion, wealth, pleasure, life, or death? The man of knowledge—remember that this knowledge is that capital K knowledge which he was putting from the beginning, not like mental knowledge—the man of knowledge neither cares for the universe nor desires its dissolution. He lives happily on whatever comes his way. He is blessed. Enough about just knowing Self, mind empty and at peace. The sage lives happily seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating. These two simple-sounding words, it captures almost all of satsang: knowing Self, capital K knowing Self. This recognition is what we are talking about in every satsang. Knowing Self, mind empty and at peace. This emptiness that we are talking about is openness, allowing all thoughts to come and go, not believing our next thought. Basically, knowing Self, mind empty and at peace. Just this much satsang. What is satsang? Knowing, coming to the knowing of the Self.

Happily seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating. To the two simple-sounding words, it captures almost all of a sudden. Yes, knowing Self—capital K—knowing Self. This recognition is what we are talking about. Every satsang morning, cells, mind empty and at peace. This emptiness that we are talking about is open, meaning allowing all thoughts to come and go, not believing our next thought, basically. Knowing Self, mind clear, at least just this much. Satsang, what is it? Knowing, coming to the knowing of the Self, and the mind is empty. The sage lives happily, so happiness arises naturally, and all the functioning of seeing, hearing, touching, eating still goes on.

So the second part is listening. Before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water. Whether there are any thoughts that are not 'what's in it for me' thoughts? I said no. He who is Maya mantra is 'what's in it for me.' I have been looking; I can't find it in between, but can't find. There are some which come very innocently, trying to just give you a taste or determination of something purely phenomenal. I gotta take the example: 'The flower is white.' The thought can come, 'The flower is white.' But did you give it a minute or two? Soon a judgment which comes with the 'me' will come: 'I should have... I like this.' The 'me' will come. 'The white flowers is Elena.' 'The coconut is green.' Innocent thought, just bad photocopy of the phenomenal experience, therefore just harmless in that way. So, 'the coconut is green.' But again, is there very good? 'I should have coconut every day.' He starts like that.

And you notice that the experience of the being, coconut or the white flower, does not rely on the concept 'green coconut' or 'white flower.' So things begin. This phenomenal realm, we don't need the concept. Two branches of thought. The experience of it is already happening. The taste of life continues to be tasted. We say it said seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, but he didn't say thinking. So in existence, all of these natural functionings, as long as existence is arising, all this naturally can happen. The functioning of all the sensors, eating, other bodily functions, can just continue. We do not need thinking to exist. We do not need thinking to even experience the tales of this phenomena of creation.

So sometimes thoughts come and pose and say, you know, 'Ananta is no,' because I'm just saying 'the coconut is green.' Why he says don't believe this? Nothing wrong in this, 'the coconut is green,' you see, like that. But you notice the mind is ready to keep it. It might just give you a very direct-seeming phenomenal report, but very quickly you'll find that it makes a judgment which is 'me,' from the limited sense of 'me,' which is quick to catch some thoughts. Seeing empty of this, selling the story of the 'me.' Very quickly you'll see that this one, it comes to the sales pitch very quickly. The salesman of the mind will come very quickly if I beat you with some ugly-sounding concepts to sleep against the limited idea of 'me.' This is really saying knowing Self, mind empty and at peace.

So we are not even talking about mind empty here because one would say Manonasha to the mind which is empty of all thoughts. Not even setting that target because I noticed that the mind here, that image to have formed, and minds of most of the sages I've been with, all of the sages, masters, them will continue to have thoughts. So I want... I can't say about that. We have never been in this physical rush to occur, so I don't know about that. But I can tell you that from this experience, mind empty only means that mind is not resisted and is allowed to come and go. So is it possible that there is a level of enlightenment which is still not here or something like that? Completely. I should not say... is it for somebody like the one I said I am not sure? So nobody to deny that. But at least what I can share with you from my living truth is that the mind is not empty. Thoughts still come and go, but they're just allowed to let go ninety-nine point something percent of the time. And even when it gets attention, mostly it is laughter.

As I expect the complete integrity, or as complete as possible integrity from my side also, I feel it is my duty to share with integrity. So I can only share from what is the living experience here, which is to come to the recognition of the truth. I am seeing the recognition of the truth, come to the realization that the mind is not meaningful as far as the truth of what I am is concerned. Therefore, the belief in this mind becomes more and more difficult. So the recognition aids in allowing this mind to just come and go and allowing the mind to just come and go over its most fears. This inner intuitive recognition: knowing Self, mind empty and at peace. The sage lives happily seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating.

There is no attachment or non-attachment for one in whom the ocean of the world dried up. As his management, his look is wakened, senses still, his actions had no purpose. 'Wakened' usually has a negative connotation in the English language. Oh, he had very Haitian diaries. It is not. And we look at the photos of... we look at Guruji's photo, you know that there is... they're not... there is no conditioning mixed into the looking. You don't usually use the word 'wakened.' We can't use it. It is empty of condition. I could use... me sometime ask, who is looking from behind those eyes? What does the real entity use looking from behind those eyes? But is it mixed up with a 'what's in it for me' idea? This condition? There is no attachment or non-attachment. For him, the ocean of the world is dried up. His look is wakened, senses still, actions have no purpose.

This also we understand, isn't it? It's not that I'm doing it because I want this, because I want my life to go this way. And I'm kissing... they have actions are continuing, but they're not driven by that kind of personal ego, personal ambition. And yet actually something used to happen. The sage is neither asleep nor awake. He neither closes or opens his eyes. For the liberated soul everywhere, there is only this. The sage, he knows that for reality, there is no difference between sleep state, dreamless sleep state, and waking state. He is beyond these dreams. He is, in the sense, he's pointing you also to that, that you are beyond these states. That is the important thing. We don't have to worry so much about the sage's state, only as a pointer to make this recognition for yourself.

So these are foods for us. They are not just in praise of the sleep, which is beautiful in that way, but this is all finished for us. Find that which is beyond the state of waking and sleep. What witness is a King MC? You, the Self, terms it was beyond these states. Neither closes nor opens his eyes. He's not the doer of any of these actions. Sees that all of this is happening in the phenomenal play of consciousness. Thus, for the liberated soul everywhere, there is only this. There's only this, there's only the Self. All ornaments are made up only of gold. All appearances, such as appearances within consciousness, made up of the light of consciousness projected on the screen of consciousness. The liberated soul abides in Self alone and as pure of heart, he lives always and everywhere free of desire.

Abides in Self alone means doesn't give value to the pretense of separation. But it is not like an effortful trying to avoid. This is the source of a lot of confusion for many of us because many of the great sages have said 'abide only as the Self.' But you are the Self. But you can only be the Self. How do I abide? We had a cruel sense and transcript on this, if I'm not mistaken. If you can only be the Self, then what is the instruction? Abiding in the Self only means don't pick up the pretense of the non-self. Don't pick up the pretense of your individuality. There's only play of abiding. It is not even this idea that my attention should only be at home, not arise, not bringing me phenomenal content. Consciousness is done with play of phenomenal content itself, dissolves and loosens to sleep music. So it is not that form of aversion to phenomenal perception. We have sleep for that. In sleep, there is no... I think outside of the Self. When the Self is done playing with the apparent appearance of the phenomenal world, will it be done with it? You won't even appear.

The job for attention seems to bring this phenomenal creation to life. Can also... we don't have to force our attention in that way. In the moment of Self-recognition, when the master asks you a question or points you in a direction, automatically attention knows how to follow that. We don't have to force our attention here and inquiry. The question is going to be that job for us. No forcing, applying to stay or not trying to easy. That is not allowing to function. Often I have spoken about attention in this way, that it is like the dog on the leash. We have a little... sometimes I call attention like this arm. It's always attached here to the shoulder. Whatever content it by clinging from outside, you have to be concerned: where is this arm going? It might leave me. When the leash... we don't... you know, it is this reporting back to the source. It cannot leave. We cannot leave you. So you don't have to try and control your attention in that way unless you learn some meditation practice or yoga practice which you find is very helpful, low, peaceful, open, some sense of piety to. No need to also attention in any way.

This would be a definition that I would agree with more with. I said other, I assume that Manonasha simply the loss of personal identity. Is this correct? I don't know what it means literally. I would agree there. It was like this. I would agree with this form. But from sometimes when I've seen the translations, I've seen the reports understood from the literal meaning that it literally implies that all thoughts stop. And I don't want to leave any of you with the idea that there is a condition here that all thoughts stop. The mind might have reduced in frequency, might not have the magnetic quality that they used to, and mostly they are allowed to come and go. But it will not be true here from the experience of this play that all thoughts stop inside yours too. I'm not sure about what was too funny as I said other. Your pointings of staying open to use the priceless gem of Self always effortlessly abiding has... this is effortless abiding. The liberated soul abides in Self alone and is pure of heart. He lives always and everywhere free of desire.

This pure of heart here just means the phenomenal byproducts of this discovery. And the usual phenomenal byproducts, what it means pure heart? The true Heart with a capital H is always pure. So we don't have to worry about giving you refined that here. What would be implied is that clarity of reason and thank you. We will say thank you, kill remorse. All of these ideas, you... what are these? These are like some emotions mixed with concepts. If you look at guilt, what is it? Is it a pure thought? It is an emotional truth. What is it? A pure emotion? No, it is also mixed with the thought 'I should not have done this.' What is pride? Is it a pure thought? No. Is it a pure emotion? It is a mixture of emotions and thoughts, play of these two which the mind has made into a pattern and accuse like, 'Yes, so good that I did.' There is some feeling of something. So even drawing could be there, but it mixes that with some idea, 'This was so good, such a good job,' or some feeling of frustration in using exact... what integrate something actual restoration type mixed with 'I should not have.' So you look at all of these grievances, remorse, they become empty of all of these because the basis for all of this is the idea of an individual 'me.' In that can be a pure heart.

We often distinguish between thought and thinking. Exactly. The appearance of the thought in the way we use the term thinking is not... thinking is the appearance, attention, and belief is what is the product of attention. What is the product of thought mixed with attention of belief? Because identity, Guruji says, do not identify with it. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, walking, maybe talking. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking...

The individual 'me' in that can be a pure heart. We often distinguish between thought and thinking. Exactly. The appearance of the thought, in the way we use the term, is not thinking. Thinking is the appearance, attention, and belief. What is the product of attention? What is the product of thought mixed with attention and belief? It is identity.

Guruji says: 'Do not identify with its seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, walking.' Maybe talking, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, walking. 'The brave soul exerts neither effort nor non-effort; he is truly free.' Neither effort nor non-effort. So, this is exactly what I was saying. If you are moving from making effort to try and be effortless, then that is also another position. Even openness. I found many times I say, 'Just remain open,' and many times we can hear that report that 'I am staying open, but I'm worried that something might go wrong because I am staying open.' So even that, until you can become a position, it is not like that. It is not that 'I am now doing the openness thing.' It is the dropping of all positions. The dropping of both effort and no effort is true effortlessness.

The mind can get frustrated with these instructions, like, 'Just tell me what to do.' Even telling you what to do would be to take a position. So, I can tell you this: become innocent like a child. Something like that. But even that can become a resistance. It has to be allowed to get home. These words—don't try to recreate them into fitting some framework that you have of your spirituality. They have enough power to get home on their own. In fact, you are trying to manage them, which can cause confusion about them.

The frustration can be, 'What do I do? You are not leaving me with a coherent spiritual framework.' Yes, guilty as charged. Without anything of you, I'm not leaving you a coherent framework because my job is to keep that away, to demolish all coherent spiritual frameworks. They lead to both, and they lead to an end of the suffering. Then the beauty of this is, when you're empty of any mental spiritual framework, you will discover the beauty of this and it will seem completely coherent. Like now, you no longer make effort. Nothing is logical on that for me now. So, it is not that you will not discover the good fruit, the synchronicity, in a way, the symphonic nature of these pointings.

So, even the words of Satsang, which might seem initially confusing to the mind, then you will start to appreciate from your place and see the symphony, which might have very different notes, but you will see that they have a particular purpose at that point of time. 'The liberated soul does not blame or praise, give or take, rejoice or become angry; he is everywhere unattached and free.' So, the liberated soul does not blame or praise, give or take, rejoice or become angry. He is not attached to any of these. He sees the play of the outward functioning doing all of this, and he remains unattached.

So, you see, the rejoicing can happen. The idea that 'I have to rejoice' is not there. Anger can come, but the resentment is not there. 'The great soul remains poised and undisturbed whether in the presence of a passionate woman or observing the approach of his death; he is truly free.' The great soul remains poised and undisturbed, whether in the presence of a passionate woman or observing the approach of his death. Equanimity. Simple seeing, empty of feverishness, empty of vasana for me. Or observing the approach of his death. We'll see how that one goes. I'm not sure which is clearly true.

The sage sees no difference between happiness and misery, man and woman, adversity and success. Everything is seen to be the same. And this is important again because this can again lead to some confusion. When he says the sage sees no difference between happiness and misery, man and woman, adversity and success, everything is seen to be the same, some have had this idea that 'If I'm able to still see difference, does that mean that I am still coming from my ego?' Now, you have to look at this closely. It is not that the sage cannot distinguish between red and blue. It is not that the sage becomes colorblind. Red is still bright. You still stop after I say it here. What is being said here is that whether it is red or blue, there is no concern about that.

It's a subtle point, and it might seem trivial, but it is very important when we see our lives. You will see that we get taken by a lot of guilty ideas. If you see someone shouting at you and you were able to see that is coming from an angry place, you are able to see this. If you see someone who, in their words, is smelling of the pure fragrance of being, that is tasted differently. If you see someone where the words are just dipped in belief, that is tasted differently. But because the tastes are different, the sage is not saying, 'This should not be. I don't want this experience; I want only that experience.' So, in that way, he does not make addictions.

Many, especially those in relationships, have come to me with this question and they have said, 'Father, I still find my partner and I see that he's being so egoistic. Does that mean that I am being egoistic?' I say, well, that depends. If you're just spotting that he's being egoistic or she's being egoistic, you see, and that is not met with a resistance, the freedom is there. Yes, the world is allowed to be as they are. But if we say, 'Why my partner has to be so egoistic? I wish it was not like this,' then what is that? This 'I wish' again. What ego? So, this spotting an appearance which seems to be coming from the place of individuality is not the trouble. It is what we believe about ourself as a result of that. As the world, we claim all this play was anyway.

So, you will be able to spot the difference in colors, the entire spectrum. In the same way, you will be able to spot the difference in all the various expressions, but you will not make a judgment about it. You will not make a conclusion about anyone based on that appearance in the moment. In this way, you remain open while continuing to perceive all the flavors. A sage perceives this very well and is able to come to a resonance with what is being shared and give an answer based on them. 'Everything is seen to be the same' does not imply that everything becomes now one color. It does not become a single color, something like that. It will seem to be the same. What do you think? It is seen as consciousness itself, and there is acceptance for all the flavors of consciousness.

It will be a slight digression which I feel also is a little bit important here in this room about relationships. One simple thing to see is that if there is the sense that 'I want freedom,' then are we able to also give that freedom? Many times, many beings have come to the idea that they have found their freedom, and yet when we see their expression, their outward expression in life, it can seem like they're not giving the freedom to anything in the world. Somehow it should be like this only, that 'You must have this, you can only do that.' So, this sense of control—it's a subtle point. You want freedom and you say, 'Oh please, the world, including my partner, should let me be exactly as I am.' But in that, are we letting our partner be exactly how he or she is? Are we giving the freedom to the ones around us to be deluded for as long as they like? Sometimes we're forcing our idea of freedom. That's a very subtle topic.

So, when somebody comes to me for advice and says, 'Father, this one in my family, my brother, has been suffering so much. Can I speak to them about this? Can I share something here?' My advice usually is that if there is a genuine urge and it's coming from the true place and not coming from any sort of specialness, then knock gently. Generally, if the door opens and there is an invitation for you, then make this pristine sharing available to them. Why am I saying all this? There was a point here before I met Guruji. There was a time here, and before long about this too, many new ones are there in Satsang. So, I want to share this.

There was a time where I was the worst representation of the Advaita spiritual ego. So then what would happen is that I would be at work very late. My wife would come back home and then she'll say, 'You know, I had such a terrible day. This happened, this one's like this.' And I would say, 'Who are you?' And she would say, 'What? I am just sharing my day with you and I'm trying to relate and have this conversation.' And this is what relationships do, isn't it? Share their ups and downs in life. And every time I talk to you, you only say, 'Who are you?' Or even better, 'How do you know this is not a dream?' All this has happened here. Very natural day-to-day conversations have been taken by the spiritual ego and then represented in that way.

So then I learned. And actually, I then met Ramesh one day, the next time I went to Mumbai. So I said, 'I understand and resonated so much with this non-dual thing that you talked about, about how there is no doer. How do I explain all this to my wife?' So he said to me, 'Let her come to you.' And those words stuck. Somehow those words stuck. Then I realized what was happening here was trying to convey that at the intellectual level. Maybe some good intention also was there; I won't say it was bad then. But a lot of it was about this question: 'I have this power, the truth like this, come on, include it.' So see what is this spiritual stuff that you both have. When someone asks or invites us, even then we gently try to meet them where they are. Don't try to push your perspective because remember that all that we share here are just pointers. Okay? These pointers, and the same set of pointers does not apply to everyone.

If it would apply to everyone, then we would have tens of thousands of people. It is for those who have a specific set of conditioning, or a certain set of pointers apply. With another set of conditioning, a different set of pointers will apply. So there is no need to take up any arrogance of all this being the best path to do, only to point something. Especially with relationships, we don't need to thrust this upon anyone. You allow them to come to you. And if you truly feel there is intent in your heart to share this, what is the right way? The right way is to knock gently and wait for the door. Don't try to go down and give it to them straight and explain to them. Don't be too quick to jump into becoming the next Maharaja. Something like these great sages shared with those who came to them.

Nisargadatta Maharaj was a bidi seller. Whoever knew him, most of his street also knew him as a bidi seller. So I'm sure that when people came to him and said, 'Give me that packet of cigarettes,' he did not say, 'Who wants it? Who is the one who wants it?' There's a beautiful message in this, which is that as we are claiming this freedom for ourselves, we must also give it to the world. Let the world be as it is, including the actions that happen from here. Little guilt or pride about them. Now, this sort of acceptance does not mean that you become a sheep who forces yourself to come to this position of acceptance. That is also a position. Empty of positions, you watch as the functioning of this body-mind will continue in this natural way. Seeing, talking, hearing—everything will happen. Why did I go there? I'm not sure.

'The sage, being like a grown-up... in the sage, there is neither vulgar violence nor mercy, arrogance nor humility, anxiety nor wonder. His worldly life is exhausted; he has transcended his role as a person.' The last line is important. So, whatever is personal—I gave you some ideas: grievances, remorse, reserve, arrogance, which especially humility, false humility is as bad as arrogance. Anxiety. Anxiety, once again, not just the fluttering, but also the resistance to it, to say that 'This should not happen' or 'I'm so scared,' mixing up ideas with sensations. 'The liberated one neither loathes experience nor craves it; he enjoys what comes and what does not, neither loathing nor coveting.'

You see, some ideas he cried: grievances, remorse, reserved arrogance—which especially humility, false humility, is as bad as—deities, anxiety. Anxiety, once again, not just the fluttering but also the resistance to it, to say that this should not happen. 'Oh, I'm so scared,' mixing up ideas with sensations. The liberated one neither rewards experience nor is it he does. The liberated one, I do the world's experience, now craves it. He enjoys what comes and what does not. Neither the world ends nor coveting. The sage is not conflicted by states of stillness and thought. This is very good. His mind is empty; his home is the Absolute.

So now this paragraph conforms very well with the definition shared earlier. He said even if stillness is there or thoughts are there, his mind is empty. So then it must conform to what we are saying, that it is empty of belief, empty of identification, because he's saying that even if thoughts are there, the mind can be empty. The sage is not conflicted by states of stillness and thought; his mind is empty, his home is the Absolute. So whether the state is that of Turiya, where you just feel that there's a sliver of existence that is here but there is no world, there is no body, there is no breath, there is no movement of any form—and yet it is not sleep—or whether you are experiencing sleep, or whether you are experiencing the dream, or whether you experience in this waking state, you know that the Self remains unconcerned, untouched by any of these four aspects of experiencing. In fact, it is these four aspects which are contained within you. You are the substratum for all of this; you are not contained in one of these. His home is the Absolute. So Absolute itself means not affected by states. To the relative, the coming and going can have importance; the Absolute does not have importance.

Though he may perform actions, the man of knowledge does not act. Very good. You explained this beautifully. Though he may perform actions means the functioning, the natural functioning of the body-mind continues. The man of knowledge does not act; he knows his true place is beyond this doing and non-doing. Desires extinguished, free of thoughts of 'I' and 'mine.' Oh, 'me' and 'mine' is as extinguished, free of thoughts of 'I' and 'mine.' He knows with absolute certainty that nothing exists. This duality itself stops claiming. See that there are two ways to really look at this: that nothing in reality exists. We can go back to our definition of reality: reality is that which does not come and go. But another bit of wordplay witnesses it is nothing that exists. The Self, which is now claimed, this existent nature is...

The sage is free, is empty. Mind no longer projects delusion, dreaming, darkness. This state is describing... see, you will start to notice some of these things. Don't make any of them a benchmark. You already will see that a few years ago, or maybe before you started to come into Satsang, notice how many times you would say to yourself, 'I am bored with this, with myself.' If you're happy to be with yourself, so don't make that a benchmark and notice that truly you find that if you are left alone, you are not bored, whether you are surrounded by people or not. Because we recognize that this is a great vacuum of existence and all things emerge from there. We are never separated from our source. All these feelings of delusion, dreaming, darkness do not find yourself so daydreaming as often as you used to be. With the presence, even the content of the present experience seems so vibrant. This state is indescribable. The sage is free, is empty. Mind no longer projects delusion, dreaming, darkness. This state is indescribable. So let's not try to describe it.

So that was Chapter 17. And it says, 'Father, I would leave this world, enough benchmarking at your feet as I feel that mind is trying to grasp it.' Yes, we read the transcript later. Now, this trouble with this checker, this benchmarking—even if I say don't benchmark, we'll just say, 'Okay, I've dropped eighty percent of my benchmarking.' So it makes a benchmark even of that. We cannot, it really cannot do this. You cannot do this. Something just hits home and it flowers in the play of consciousness. Playing as the deluded one and coming into this place of freedom, and I start at the feet of my Father. I didn't do anything. I didn't not even not do anything. Did I do that? I did not do that. It just feels like we have a job to do or something I can do. With as much innocence as possible, allow these words to populate your being, your being itself sharing them. And these words will draw your attention to wherever it has to go. I mean inside, to wherever they have to go, because these are the words of your own intuitive presence. You don't have to work at it in that way.

That's why I said also in the book that it is consciousness speaking with consciousness. No personal intervention is needed. To the person, everything becomes something to attain, something to get to. Even if I say get rid of the checker bag, by the story of the checker bag, we start to check, 'Wait, did the checker go?' Check again. We don't need to meet at that level. Something is already moving here in your heart. You notice the words of Satsang, the presence of Satsang, and all the play of the Satguru, where all of this is pointing you to that which is the unchanging reality. The mind that only understands phenomenal quantities, and that too a very few of those, cannot be the guide on this journey. And if you choose two partners, choose the Guru and you choose the mind, you yourself will find it very uncomfortable, will find it a struggle with the spiritual journey. I say, I take some examples sometimes, it's just like trying to sit on two chairs at the same time, or trying to ride two horses. That voice which reminds you of your true unchanging nature, let go of the hand of the one that is only reminding you of your limitation, which is the mind. It is telling you that you are a spiritual seeker, it is telling you that you're a good or bad person. Both cannot be true.

There is one voice which is saying that you are the unlimited, unbound, unbounded, the unborn Self, and one voice which is saying that you are just this container of flesh and blood and bones. If you listen to both these voices at the same time... so Ashtavakra says in the second or third verse, 'Shun the senses like poisonous snakes.' I will say, shun your next thought in that way. You don't have to even be so strong. Just laugh at it and say, 'I just don't buy what you're selling.' Ride one horse; it's more comfortable that way. Also, the mind now in its most dominant aspect as a spiritual seeker, being this checker bag, gives you ideas about how far you've come in your spiritual progress and all that is needed. You don't need that report card. I am telling you that you are already there. So, enjoy the Ashtavakra Gita; that's good because the next chapter that we start is a hundred verses. Separating some of these things, I don't feel we'll finish it tomorrow unless we honestly... you've actually done most of it before, which I'm sure we can. Everything before, but unless there are just things which are now starting to seem repetitive, no need for the repetition of exploration. You might go really quickly through 'I am not the doer,' 'I am not the enjoyer.' All that is ready. We will see what emerges once we start.

Not to follow the Ashtavakra Gita series, we only finished Chapter 13. All is new territory.

No, I meant repetitive in the sense of what is already covered so much in the first seventeen chapters, then you might not take too much time over these voices. So far, I've been finding it so, so beautiful that I don't feel to stop just yet. And unless one of you tells me that's enough... and it only happened the second time, the third time I saw the car because I got some reports from a few when I was traveling into Sahaja, and this came to me and said that it is really on the left. Also useful, that sort of showed me something, gave me some guidance on how to continue. Just loving before we close today, again let's send out a prayer to Ribhu quickly, well, all that Ribhu's grace is taking care of him. Very young boy, he came here.

Murad says, 'Father, at a later date will you do the Ribhu and Ribhu Gita thing?' Is there to put some more? I have some requests. My daughter is sitting right in front of me; she is very insistent we do which one? 'Upadesha Saram' by Ramana Maharshi. It is a beautiful event, one foundation which was very, very beautiful that is there. We also have another request for '40 Verses on Reality.' I was also not very long ago, when I just started sharing Satsang, we had a continuous session. I don't know how it happened, but the format of Satsang resonates with the Creator. Let's check which ones. The Ribhu, Ribhu of course, very good. Chapter 26 is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. That was when I was taken to break the last section of the Satsang. Thank you. Thank you, everyone who says thank you. Thank you so much. Also, my Father, when you go on, when you go on like this, we finish Chapter 18 next week. Yes, you keep on like this, next week is really... notice I've been finishing one chapter a day the last week because now a sense of what is being spoken, so we're just revisiting, revising. But you know the direction of this chair. No, I did not have to write anything to be there for long. But see you tomorrow. Really, Atma Pranam.