What is Satsang? - 5th January 2018

So what is Satsang? It is just a reminder of this truth that you are, and then just some concepts about how to deal with the doubt, the notion of 'something-ness'. So the concept could be surrender or letting go. So the notion comes from the notion machine, which is the mind. It could come and it can go; this is surrender. Whether we say really surrender to the Satguru, or the machine to surrender to Father, or it is surrender to God, that is actually immaterial as long as it allows us to let go. It is letting the 'something' notion go. We don't even have to work with our attention in any way; just leave attention also completely free. Allow all things to come and go, including all notions, all thoughts, all ideas. I am remains. I am the truth that is not put on the basis of the person, and the mask is not real. It is just a pretense, but it can feel real.

So surrender is this simple letting go that is upon us, you see? And if you could end here, it would be very simple. But I know that for many, even this can seem like it is difficult, impossible. I've heard these terms over the years. So if surrender seems difficult or impossible for now, then the sages have suggested sadhna. And what is the most authentic sadhna that has been suggested? It's self-inquiry or Atma Vichara. So surrender was just a simple letting go of belief, and all sadhna actually is about trying to gain some mastery over our attention, because all of you know that the thought cannot be picked up unless it is a coordination of both attention and belief.

You see, surrender means we neither give our assent to the notion nor we give our dissent to the notion; we just let it come and go. Sadhna means that we try to focus our attention away from the notion into the reality of who we are. So what happens in self-inquiry is that it is registered that when the mind comes and it says, 'You were not behaving very well today' or 'You have not yet found your freedom,' then one asks yourself: 'Who is the witness of these thoughts?' The inquiry itself leads our attention into that which is the witnessing, the awareness. And ultimately you see that this awareness is aware of its very existence, and it becomes next to impossible to attach something to yourselves—any idea about yourselves—as you keep asking, 'But who is it that is bound? Who is it that wants freedom?'

This way, you come to the same recognition of yourself which is completely already apparent in the motionless existence. So also drop the notion that something special has to be discovered; it is completely apparent to you right now. So these are the main things that we speak about, and you will find that in your own investigation, when you look at all the other types of sadhna—be it chanting, be it devotional singing, any other mindfulness like yoga—all of these are meant to work in some or the other way so that our attention is not so much on this seller of notions called the mind.