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'Turiya'—the witnessing consciousness, 'Turiyatita'—the supreme reality. 'Turiya' or the sense of 'I am' is always described as that silent being—the witness—which beholds everything through three states: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Behind all that you feel, see, and know in these three states, there stands one conscious presence eternally awake—this is 'turiya'—the silent witness-being.
The guru says that to abide in this 'turiya' state requires deep, heartfelt meditation—as the guru himself teaches. When through this meditation you learn to rest in turiya, then the possibility opens: to transcend even this 'I'. Then you can enter the 'turiyatita'—where there is no state, no 'I', no 'witness'—only the supreme being beyond name, form, and quality.
In Advaita Vedanta, consciousness has three ordinary levels—waking, dream, and deep sleep—these three states are fleeting, momentary. But the awareness that moves through these three states and witnesses all things, that stands as witness within itself—that being is turiya.
Turiya itself performs no action, yet it is the silent background of all experience—the undisturbed mirror of consciousness. To abide in this turiya state, one must meditate—and meditation becomes genuine only when it rests in the pure sense of 'I am'. In this meditation is born the pristine perception of the witnessing consciousness. But for the Advaita guru, even this is not sufficient—for turiya itself is a state, though subtle and silent. Only by transcending it does one reach turiyatita—which is stateless, experienceless, and utterly beyond all manifestation.
'Turiya' is that witnessing consciousness which beholds the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleep, yet remains unmoved itself. To abide in this turiya-consciousness requires deep meditation, as the guru instructs. Turiya-abidance gives birth to self-remembrance—and when this self-remembrance deepens, even the 'I' dissolves. Then becomes possible the entry into turiyatita—where there is no position, no experience, no 'I'—only supreme existence—imperishable, non-dual, and infinite.
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In the absence of the 'I', silent existence is the threshold between self-knowledge and forgetting. This fundamental notion—'I am'—if it is not present, there is no thought, no consciousness, no sense of one's own existence. The importance of this 'I' is understood when you meditate upon it constantly, ponder it deeply. The more you become absorbed in this 'I', the more, in a single moment, it becomes luminously clear—"Yes, this is the root, this is the center."
Everything stands upon this 'I'—all your thoughts, all your deeds, even whatever you know of your own existence—all depends upon it. When this 'I' is lost—then all of this is lost, as happens in deep sleep or in that state when the sense of 'I' has not yet awakened—in that pre-natal infinite silence.
According to Advaita Vedanta, the sense 'I am' is the very origin-point of all conscious experience. Without this sense there is no thought, no feeling, no conscious awareness of existence itself. This sense is knowledge; upon it is built the world of name, form, action, and identity. But if this very sense is observed with steady attention, one understands—it is itself a fundamental notion, which is not actually the supreme truth—rather, within it dwells an unobstructed silent existence that precedes even the sense of 'I'.
In a state like deep sleep, or in that eternal moment when the sense of 'I' has not yet awakened—in that very state does existence persist unexpressed, silent—without experience, yet not absent.
The sense of 'I' is the center of all experience, all thought, and all self-awareness. Without this 'I'—you know nothing of your own existence, think nothing, feel nothing. To understand the significance of this fundamental notion, one must meditate upon it again and again.
# On the Depths of Meditation
In the depths of meditation, one comes to understand—this very consciousness is the foundation of all experience, yet it too is mutable, for in deep sleep or the pre-natal state it remains absent.
Within that absent ‘I’—there lies concealed the supreme consciousness, which transcends all experience, and whose realization is self-knowledge.
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**How did the ‘I’ come?—The primordial question of existence.**
With the body and the consciousness within it—’I am’—all things enter the sphere of experience. Yet what was there before this ‘I’? This very sense of ‘I am’ lies at the root of everything—without it, nothing can be known. The body alone is not enough—until this consciousness awakens, the sense of existence does not stir, the world does not manifest, neither relations nor thought nor experience come into being. Therefore, when you truly grasp the significance of this ‘I’, your entire practice, your search, your meditation, your understanding—all should converge upon this single point.
And the first question of that inquiry should be: whence came this ‘I’? How did this consciousness arise? And within this very question lies self-knowledge embedded—for if you can reach the answer to this question, you will come to know—what existed before this ‘I’, that alone is the eternal truth.
Non-dual Vedanta teaches—this sense of ‘I am’ is the starting point of all experience. Yet how did this very sense arise? What is its source? Who is its witness? To ask this question—this itself is true inquiry—for this sense itself is an occurrence, it arrives after birth, and one day vanishes again (as in sleep, unconsciousness, death). Yet before this ‘I’, something was—within which this ‘I’ was born.
That prior state—where there was no sense, no identity—and yet there was that existence—within which is born the ‘I’, the world, experience. To trace back behind this consciousness—to search for the answer to this question—whence came this ‘I’?—this is the true path of self-questioning.
Only after the sense of ‘I’ arises does experience begin, the world manifest, and the feeling of one’s own existence dawn. But what was there before this ‘I’ came?—this question is where practice commences. If, in seeking the answer to this question, you can reach the true source of this ‘I’, then that is self-knowledge, that is supreme truth. For what existed before the ‘I’—that is never born, never dies, never is lost—that eternal, formless consciousness. Therefore let true inquiry begin with this question—”How did this ‘I’ come?”
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**The ‘I’ alone is your only capital—the simple secret of practice.**
This sense of ‘I am’—this alone is your only capital. Hold to it, take it as your refuge. Meditate upon it, and let this sense of ‘I’ unfold itself in its own way. You have wandered far, traversed many paths—yet now, for the first time perhaps, you hear something so utterly simple, so utterly fundamental.
The guru has tried again and again—to make you understand the significance of this ‘I’ within you, in every way imaginable, through every means possible. He says—this very sense of ‘I’ is your sole treasure; apart from this, nothing truly belongs to you. And what he says is not mere belief—he speaks from his own lived experience. He says—do not hesitate any longer; meditate upon this ‘I am’ itself. This knowledge will unfold before you all that needs to be known, all that you seek to understand or must understand.
In non-dual Vedanta, this sense of ‘I am’ is called—the primary self-awareness rooted at the heart of all consciousness. Without this self-awareness, no thought, experience, knowledge, or endeavor is possible. The guru calls it ‘capital’—for this is the one thing that truly belongs to you; everything else is transient, acquired, or conceptual. After much practice, much austerity, much outward striving, what remains is this sense of ‘I’.
When you meditate upon this sense—you are not seeking knowledge from outside, rather you are turning back toward the very source of your own existence.
Meditation bears fruit only when it turns inward—when it rests upon this silent self-awareness. Then this ‘I’ itself unveils whatever there was to know—not something new, but what was inherent, yet unconscious.
‘I am’—this knowledge alone is your only true wealth. Hold it, understand it, meditate upon it. The Guru has tried again and again to convey this simple truth—that within this ‘I’ lies everything, and this very knowledge will unfold all before you. After much wandering and austerity, if anything remains—it is this silent sense of ‘I’. To sustain this awareness is true spiritual practice—and abiding in this meditation, self-knowledge will illuminate itself spontaneously.
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Abiding in the pure ‘I’ is a transcendence free of identity. Your only true identity is this indwelling knowledge of ‘I am’. Unite yourself with this alone—this is all that is necessary. Whatever has attached itself to this sense of ‘I’ afterwards—name, identity, memory, bodily sense, thought—all of it must be severed with the flawless precision of a surgeon’s blade. Once this separation is achieved, dwell only within this pure, unqualified ‘I’.
This knowledge of ‘I am’ is your only inheritance—what first revealed itself after birth, and upon which all experience stands. To understand it, to hold it—this alone is the complete direction of your practice. If you can abide thus with utmost sincerity, there will come a moment when, transcending even the boundaries of this ‘I’, you will arrive at your true, natural, eternal station—beyond the ‘I’ itself, in absolute existence.
In Advaita Vedanta, the sense of ‘I’ is itself a fundamental notion—yet onto it are layered ‘limitations’: “I am so-and-so,” “I am this body,” “I am this life.” These layers of limitation veil the purity of the ‘I’—so that true self-knowledge becomes obscured.
The Guru directs you to sever these external attachments with ruthless precision—as a surgeon removes what is unnecessary with the blade. When these attachments are erased, what remains is a silent, identity-free sense of ‘I am’. To abide in this pure existence—this is practice, and this abiding will gradually carry you beyond all consciousness and identity toward that stateless, formless absolute being.
All identities, all additions—whatever has been laid upon the ‘I’—must be cut away. Then dwell only in this silent, indwelling ‘I am’. This is the only inheritance, the only true foundation. Rest in this sense of ‘I’—and maintain this abiding with sincerity. Then one day this ‘I’ too will dissolve—and you will abide in that supreme, immovable, silent, identity-free consciousness—which is no name, no form—but the eternal nature of your own being.