If You Put It All Aside, Are You Still Here? - 18 April 2016
Saar (Essence)
Ananta uses the metaphor of an 'e-commerce cart' to systematically discard all phenomenal appearances, revealing that which remains is the undying, boundary-less awareness that witnesses even the sense of existence.
Whatever you can locate, put it in the cart; what is left is what you truly are.
Can you ever truly become an appearance? You are the unchanging witness of the entire phenomenal play.
This awareness is unborn and undying, remaining even if the entire universe is dissolved.
contemplative
Transcript
This transcript is auto-generated and may contain errors.
So, if satsang was an e-commerce website, if satsang was e-commerce, I say: put the outside appearances into the cart. Put the body into the cart. Put the thoughts, emotions into the cart. Put even the sense that 'I exist, I am' into the cart. Now, what is left? Everything is gone into the cart. What is left? Is that which is left... can we find that one to put it into the cart? Something is coming in this absence of... try scanning. That choice also into the cart. Because whatever we can find can go into the cart. Whatever has been located, into the cart. Can we locate ourselves? All feeling, sensation, all these appearances, sublime experiences, everything that is located, put it into the cart. Have you gone in, or you're still here?
Yes, but once you disappear, that means you are no longer an appearance. Are you still here or no? Without boundaries, yes. It's how I will end. It makes me feel afraid of those boundaries, also without any attributes, qualities, anything. No color, no shape, no form. Not within time, not within this space. I think once this dissolution... the fear...
Put that also in the cart. Whatever you find, you put it in the cart. Because that which is claiming to want to find it is actually trying to distract you from it. Yes, smart. Whatever you can find, put it in the cart. Put in the basket. What is left? Have you also gone in the basket? It's a very simplistic example which is very powerful. Thank you. Because you can take every phenomenal appearance and keep it aside, keep it aside, keep it aside. What is left? You are still here. As what?
Who thinks this is some lala land type example? It's not really helping? You can say, you can be honest and we can look together. Okay, at what stage do you leave? Let me move this thing a little because I want to speak to everyone about this. At what stage do you leave? Have you left when the outer appearances would stop? You say put it in basket, put it in cart, or you say they stop. Have you left because outer appearances just stopped? Are you still here or no? Still here. Now you start experiencing the sensations from your own body. You cannot sense that your own body is here, you cannot see it, and now no sensations are also coming from your body. So your body seems to have gone. Are you still here or no?
Still here.
Read more (3 more paragraphs) ↓Show less ↑
Now all emotions, feelings, sensations also, you are not feeling anything of these. They are also gone. You are still here or no? No thoughts arising also. All thoughts are kept aside, not appearing. Thoughts also gone. You are still here or no? In this place, no love, peace, joy, all are gone, but you are still here. Now even this sense that 'I am', 'I exist', if it is gone, will that which witnesses even this, will it remain or no? Now is this one not what you already are? Have you... do you have to become this one? Is it effortless to remain as this awareness? Have you ever been anything but this, actually? Can you ever become now any of this appearance? Try to become something which is just appearing and show me if you succeeded.
And all things are gone, is the awareness of them also gone? Can there be anything without the awareness of it? Can we truly report on the existence of that which we are not aware of? There must at least be an imagined idea of it to be able to say that it exists. There must be at least a mental concept of it to say that it exists without me being aware of it. This knowingness, this awareness, the seeingness is unchanging, unborn, undying, in front of which, made up of which, this entire phenomenal play happens: the birth of the universe and the dissolution. So if this entire universe was to be put in the basket or to be burned, this awareness would remain as the undying witness here.
You're getting used to being boundary-less now. It could be... everything is going to the recognition of that from which it arises. Because the Absolute is unchanging, does not have states, does not have delusion or recognition. It's... the dynamic aspect called consciousness just playing like this. Playing as if it is forgetting what it is and playing as if it is remembering or recognizing what it is. Play of constants, God's presence, absence, even ultimately awareness, unawareness, knowing, not knowing—none of these ultimately are the truest definition of the Absolute. Not even the Absolute or not Absolute. Yet when we have to use terms in this plane, therefore terms like awareness or knowingness or the pure witnessing are beautiful pointers to that which you are.
The Thread Continues
These satsangs touch the same silence.
On a similar theme
But... God is Here. - 9th March 2026
9 March 2026
Ananta teaches that God dwells within the heart, hidden only by the 'blanket of me.' He guides seekers to rest in the...
On a similar theme
The Gateway to the Heart Temple - 2nd March 2026
2 March 2026
Ananta teaches that while God cannot be found in worldly objects, the soul is designed to reveal the Divine through the...
The following day
Satsang is the Mirror of Your Non phenomenal Reality - 19th April 2016
19 April 2016
Ananta guides seekers to recognize that the self is already present and requires no journey to find. He uses...