121.
There is but one method to authentic practice—unwavering, steadfast faith. What the guru offers is not some external mantra or ritual, but an opening of vision: "You are not the body; you are only that soundless 'I'—which is merely existence itself."
Those who have read countless texts, who have rushed from one guru to another, have always searched for some 'special initiation' or 'hidden technique.' They wait, expectant, for some secret mantra or miraculous method. But when they stand before a true guru, what they hear is this: "There is no method to practice, only one thing—firm conviction that you are not the body."
This understanding is extraordinarily simple, plain, fundamental, and profound. It contains no religious ritual, no caste, no sect, no doctrine. This self-recognition—"I am only that 'I exist,' not the body"—is the highest knowledge, and this alone is true initiation.
On the path of self-knowledge or liberation, no external act or observance is deemed necessary. Here the guru does not teach the disciple any 'method,' but merely establishes him in one fundamental understanding of selfhood. "I am not the body"—this idea becomes truly manifest only when it transforms from mere thought into deep knowing. When 'I' knowledge becomes wordless, thoughtless, pure sensation itself—then begins the true awakening of the self.
This path is bound by no religion or philosophy; it is universal and intimate. Thus the guru gives not 'knowledge' but simply opens that eye of knowledge through which the disciple recognizes his own true nature.
The guru actually teaches nothing; he only makes clear—"You are not the body." This knowledge alone suffices, if it becomes conviction within. Mantras, methods, rituals—none of these. Only silent self-awareness—this 'I'—is the sole truth. To awaken to it is true initiation, and therein lies the secret of liberation. Simple though this path is, it runs deep; easy though it is, it is complete. It depends on no religious framework—rather, it is the spontaneous expression of 'conscious existence' itself.
122.
The birth of the 'I' and the awakening of the 'unborn'—the birth of 'I am' and the establishment of consciousness in its unborn nature. When you learn to feel deeply that this very sense of 'I exist' has actually been born, then you yourself begin to establish yourself in that birthless form.
Within you there still lies, deeply rooted: "I was born, and one day I shall die." From this belief alone spring all fear, all anxiety, all yearning. But when you follow the guru's pointing, when you return again and again to this sole sense of 'I exist,' and remain there without judgment—then at last a singular experience occurs: you perceive that the very sense of 'I' has come, has been born, has emerged.
And with that recognition, you stand in a wholly different place—where you are only consciousness, only witness—which has no birth, no death, no cycle of coming and going.
Self-knowledge means recognizing your true nature. Ordinarily we take the body or the thought 'I' to be our identity. But in deep meditation, illumined by the guru's words, when we rest in the sense 'I exist,' then gradually it becomes clear: this very sense of 'I' is itself an occurrence, a temporary state. Only the knowledge 'I exist' has been born; not I myself.
This recognition places the soul in its true place—as unborn, formless, unshaken consciousness. This consciousness beholds the 'I,' and even beholds birth and death—yet is itself never touched by them. Only this recognition destroys fear, for fear is born solely from the delusion 'I am the body.'
What we have believed—that "I was born"—is not true at all. What has been born is only this sense 'I exist,' and even that is fleeting.
When this truth is realized, the seeker comes to know himself—not as a name, form, body, or mind—but as that unborn consciousness through which all experience of ‘I’ and the world is witnessed. This self-knowledge is liberation, freedom from fear, and the ultimate threshold of true understanding.
123.
How do the dissolution of ‘I’ and the silent unveiling of Brahman come to pass?
When even this sense of ‘I am’ dissolves—what remains is the true nature: solitary, unadorned, without judgment, formless, and without identity. This is called Brahman, the ultimate reality—that which simply is, and becomes nothing.
The disappearance of the sense of ‘I’ means the end of all concepts, all delusions. Then there is no limited ‘I’ anymore—only that primordial consciousness—which has neither name, nor form, nor quality, nor identity. Consider: how can that which is infinite, nameless, formless—how can it possess qualities?
Everything that has a name, a form, an identity—all of it merely appears upon this quality-less, formless nature. And at the root of this ‘appearance’ stands that original delusion—the first false notion: ‘I am.’ But since we have only language and words to express ourselves, we have named this eternal, indescribable nature—Brahman, or supreme existence.
‘I am’—this knowledge too is ultimately a temporary notion, a fundamental delusion—upon which the world, identity, feeling, and the idea of separate selfhood are constructed. But when this sense of ‘I’ itself dissolves—the being that remains is no longer a limited self. It is supreme consciousness—that which has never come and never goes, bound by no quality or attribute, and expresses itself in no name or form.
The sense of ‘I’ is essentially consciousness’s first notion, and upon it has been built an entire world—identity, relationship, feeling, birth and death. But when this ‘I’ dissolves—all illusion and concept vanish, leaving only ‘assured existence’—beyond explanation, beyond experience, beyond language itself. Brought within the limits of language, it is called Brahman.
As long as the sense of ‘I’ exists, the world exists—as long as you are a person, a named entity, trapped in delusion. But the dissolution of ‘I’ means the end of illusion, the consummation of all quality, identity, concept, and personality—not into nothingness, but into infinity. Then you are no longer a person; you are yourself that undifferentiated, quality-less, unborn—called Brahman. This state alone is ultimate liberation—beyond language, beyond thought, beyond all duality.
124.
In the absence of ‘I’—who remains? The experiencer and experience dissolve into one.
The absence of the sense ‘I am’ cannot be made felt by anyone; because there is no ‘anyone’ there. This absence must be realized in such a way that the experiencer and experience become one. Yet you are so woven into duality that you always think—surely someone must remain, someone who will experience this ’emptiness,’ this ‘formlessness,’ this absence of ‘I.’
This very sense of duality is the mind’s work—for the mind exists only in the division between subject and object, thought and thinker. So, to know this truth, you must first transcend the mind. If you remain long enough at the source where the mind originates—in the sense of ‘I am’—then one day this ‘I’ itself dissolves. Then there is neither separate experiencer, nor separate experience—both merge into one silent, non-dual being. This is your true nature—beyond language, beyond consciousness itself, merely infinite presence—to which no name can be given.
We have forever seen the world and ourselves through the division of experiencer and experience—this is the root of duality. Our very conception, even of ’emptiness’ or ‘quality-less existence,’ assumes someone will experience it. But where there is no ‘I,’ there is no ‘someone’; there alone is genuine experience—where not even the thought ‘I am seeing’ or ‘I am feeling’ remains.
To reach this non-dual understanding, the mind (which creates division in duality) must be stilled or transcended. And the sole path of this inner journey is dwelling in the sense ‘I am.’
When one settles into that state, there comes a moment—when the sense of ‘I’ itself dissolves, and the experiencer and experience merge together; what remains is neither a person nor a consciousness—but that fundamental, immutable, undisturbed, non-dual presence—which never changes.
The absence of the sense of ‘I’ cannot be experienced by ‘anyone’, because there is no one there—only a single presence remains. The mind can only function in duality, so that state lies beyond its reach. To arrive at this understanding, one must transcend the mind, and that becomes possible when you hold steadfast to the ‘I’. When you remain established in ‘I am’ for a sufficient span of time, eventually even that disappears—then the experiencer and experience become one, and you find yourself in your true, wordless, non-dual nature.
125.
‘I’—that dual-faced sentinel, both friend and deceiver of illusion.
The ‘I am’ awareness that revealed itself in childhood—that is the subtlest deceiver of your life, the one who made you believe illusion to be truth. This sense of ‘I’ is a strange entity—on one side it is your guiding companion, on the other a terrible agent of confusion.
As a friend, this ‘I’ can lead you to your true nature—if you become established in it and wish to transcend it. But as an enemy, this same ‘I’ has convinced you—that you are merely a body, a person, a being born into this world and waiting for death.
This two-faced masked entity—one face pointing toward truth, the other binding you in the web of falsehood. This duality—the two-facedness of the sense of ‘I’—you must understand. It is like a gatekeeper—with one hand holding the key to liberation, and with the other, the bonds of captivity.
In Advaita Vedanta, the sense of ‘I’ is itself called the fundamental delusion, yet this very delusion can also point toward liberation—if its nature is understood. When we first become aware in childhood—”I am”—from that moment the sense of ‘I’ binds itself to the identity of body-mind. As a result, we accept it as truth, and begin to believe—I was born, I will die, I have a name, I have an identity.
But this awareness is actually a shadow of truth—which can either lead toward the true nature or bind you in the cycle of illusion. It is like the Roman god Janus (from whose name the month of January derives)—a two-faced deity, one face turned toward the future, the other toward the past. Just so, the ‘I’ has one face as companion on the path to liberation, another face binding you in the web of delusion. Once you recognize this dual nature, you can transcend the ‘I’.
The sense of ‘I’ is the root delusion—because it gives birth to personal identity. Yet this same sense of ‘I’ is the only path through which you can know your true form. So it is at once friend and foe—the same entity shows you the path to liberation and yet binds you in illusion’s snare.
If you recognize it properly—then it can no longer deceive you. Then you will be able to transcend the limits of this deluding ‘I’, and stand established in that true nature—which has no name, no form, no birth, no death.