After the previous day's discourse with the Guru, Siddhartha woke up early in the morning & as is necessary in the Gurukula system, he completes all his morning ablutions & offers his prayers to Mother Gaayathri. Thereupon, he sets out to meet his Guru who was sitting in deep meditation under the banyan tree in the Aashrama. Siddhartha deeply observed his Guru & noticed that there was not an iota of any sign of discomfort, unhappiness, frustration, or anger on his face. He also observed that the Guru was totally at peace; and, peace radiated from his face like early morning sunrays falling on fresh dew drops on blades of grass in the garden. He also noticed that the Guru appeared to be one with meditation without any signs of duality. After some time, the Guru opened his eyes & found Siddhartha sitting in front of him observing him deeply. The Guru smiled silently & signaled Siddhartha to come & sit near him.
Guru: Siddhartha, my child, come and sit near me. Did you have a good sleep at night? For, you seem disturbed. What happened, my child?
Guru: Siddhartha, my child, come and sit near me. Did you have a good sleep at night? For, you seem disturbed. What happened, my child?
Siddhartha: Sir, after yesterday's discourse, I was deeply inquiring upon the question "WHO AM I". But, I couldn't arrive at any definitive answer. The whole night I lay awake sitting on the banks of Ganga pondering over the question, but to no avail. Sir, please guide me to find answer to the question & to find peace.
Guru: I see that you are indeed disturbed. However, there is no need to be disturbed. For, irrespective of my guidance, you shall "discover your Self" only when the time is ripe. It is like a seed taking its own time to become a sapling, then a tree, & finally start bearing fruits. So, learn to be patient & at the same time, endeavor to seek WHAT YOU ARE. You shall definitely find your Self, for That is what you are. The Self cannot escape you, for, It is everywhere, in everything, & everything is in the Self. YOU ARE THE SELF Siddhartha; know this Truth & be free of all the other delusions clouding your mind. Knowing this Supreme Truth you shall know everything that is to be known. This Supreme Truth is what is sought by everyone, albeit they may not be "aware" of what it is that they are seeking. Knowing that you are The Self, you shall radiate peace, happiness, contentment, fulfillment, & completeness. It is like a man on the verge of death, wandering in a desert seeking water, finding it finally. Upon quenching the killing thirst, the fulfillment & happiness that he radiates is indescribable. The thirst for "Self knowledge" should be as strong as the thirst for water that the man wandering in the desert experiences. Quench your thirst with the sacred water of "Self knowledge" & attain to peace and happiness, my dear Siddhartha.
Siddhartha: Sir, although I see the power of conviction in your words, I still feel hollow. I am not fulfilled either intellectually or by experience of what you are saying. For instance, you say,"The Self cannot escape you, for, It is everywhere, in everything, & everything is in the Self"; and yet, I cannot see It, I cannot perceive It thru' my senses, or I cannot experience It. How then can I understand & know The Self, and be established in It as one with It? I pray to you sir, through your teachings, through the power of your grace and blessings, may all the ignorance clouding my mind be washed away just as Mother Ganga washes away all the sins through the holy dip. Bless me sir. You are everything to me. In your lotus feet I have taken refuge. Please clear my mind of all the duality; of all the disturbances; and may I be blessed with a clear & stable mind reflecting The Self in all Its splendor.
Guru (out of total compassion): My dearest Siddhartha, you are a very great soul. Only a highly evolved Being can ask & speak such powerful and mature words as you have spoken. You shall attain to peace, let there not be any doubt in your mind about that. Now, to answer your question on why you are not able to perceive or experience The Self although It exists in everything & is everywhere, let me try to answer that question thru' an anology. Suppose I tell you that the mighty Himaalayaas are fully covered in snow during winter, would you believe me?
Siddhartha: I think, I would believe you sir.
Guru: Why would you believe my words?
Siddhartha: Sir, I would believe your words because I have heard others who have visited the Himaalayaas during winter, say the same; that the mighty Himaalayaas are fully covered in snow during winter. So, if there are so many people who have experienced the same thing by going to the Himaalayaas during winter, then there must be some truth in it.
Guru: You are absolutely correct in your reasoning. Now let me tell you, there are many great Sages who have experienced The Self & have experienced for themselves that they are indeed The Self; that they have never been separate from The Self; the very idea of being separate from The Self is ignorance. Now, would you believe me?
Siddhartha: Sir, with due respects to your words, I speak the truth that I would not be satisfied with mere words.
Guru: Why would you not be satisfied with my words about The Self; whereas you believed that Himaalayaas are covered with snow during winter, although you have never seen it or experienced for yourself?
Siddhartha: I would probably believe the latter because it can be verified by seeing for oneself whether or not the Himaalayaas are indeed covered in snow during winter. All it needs is that I go to the Himaalayaas during winter & see with my own eyes.
Guru (smiling): You are perfectly right. Just as you can validate the truth about Himaalayaas during winter thru' your own experience, knowledge of The Self also can and must be validated with one's own experience. In fact, the truth about everything being nothing but The Self can only be established by one's own experience. There is no other way. The only limitation is, people who have experienced The Self can only do as much as show the path & direction to attain to The Self. It is like a person who has experienced the Himaalayaas giving directions to a person who has not seen the Himaalayaas on how to reach there, what are the potential dangers & pitfalls, how to avoid them, & so on.
Siddhartha (wondering): Sir, but, the person who has experienced the Himaalayaas can always come down & take the person seeking the Himaalayaas with him.
Guru: That's a very apt statement. Understand this my dear child, a person who knows The Self is established in The Self & is one with It. For such a realized person, there is no duality of coming down & taking you up to Himaalayaas; for the realized Sage, there exists only The Self, nothing else. Because there exists nothing but The Self, there does not arise a situation of the Sage walking the path with the seeker; in fact, in the eyes of the Sage, there does not exist the seeker himself. This is something like a person who has experienced the Himaalayaas & is established there; if you ask such a person about the Himaalayaas, all he can do is to give directions & leave it to you to follow the directions & experience for yourself. It is entirely your discretion to seek & experience The Self for yourself.
Siddhartha: But sir, I can still experience the Himaalayaas thru' my senses; what about the experience of The Self?
Guru: Suppose I tell you to see the Himaalayaas with your ears & tell me whether it is covered with snow, what would you do?
Siddhartha: Sir, how can I see with my ears? The ears are meant to hear. I can only see thru' my eyes.
Guru: Correct. That means, each faculty of the human body has its own intended purposes & hence limitations too. The mind, on its part, perceives the information in an integrated manner, based on the information it receives independently from each of the sense organs; the mind makes its deductions or conclusions by integrating all the information it receives from the senses. Therefore, when you go to Himaalayaas, your mind perceives the integrated information - that the Himaalayaas are indeed covered with snow during winter, that the snow is whitish, that it is very cold during winter, & should you taste the snow, you'll realize it has its own unique taste. You could validate all these facts only by your own experience & be established in the truth about Himaalayaas during winter although you had belief in the words of others.
Siddhartha: But sir, I can still experience the Himaalayaas thru' my senses; what about the experience of The Self?
Guru: Suppose I tell you to see the Himaalayaas with your ears & tell me whether it is covered with snow, what would you do?
Siddhartha: Sir, how can I see with my ears? The ears are meant to hear. I can only see thru' my eyes.
Guru: Correct. That means, each faculty of the human body has its own intended purposes & hence limitations too. The mind, on its part, perceives the information in an integrated manner, based on the information it receives independently from each of the sense organs; the mind makes its deductions or conclusions by integrating all the information it receives from the senses. Therefore, when you go to Himaalayaas, your mind perceives the integrated information - that the Himaalayaas are indeed covered with snow during winter, that the snow is whitish, that it is very cold during winter, & should you taste the snow, you'll realize it has its own unique taste. You could validate all these facts only by your own experience & be established in the truth about Himaalayaas during winter although you had belief in the words of others.
Siddhartha: Yes sir, that is correct. All these facts can indeed be validated by my own experience.
Guru: You also made a very profound statement when you said - "I SEE THRU' MY EYES". Can you explain what you meant by that statement?
Siddhartha: Sir, the eyes, or for that matter any other sense organ is like an instrument used to perceive external objects. My understanding is that, by themselves, the sense organs have no purpose on their own. Just like any other tool or instrument have no independent purpose of their own unless they are gainfully employed by a master (the person who owns the tool or instrument), so also it is with our sense organs.
Guru: That is a very profound deduction you have made, Siddhartha. Now, as you rightly said, the sense organs are indeed the instruments used to perceive external objects. That brings us to the fundamental question - WHO EMPLOYS OR USES THE SENSE ORGANS TO PERCEIVE EXTERNAL OBJECTS? That is - WHO ARE YOU, THAT SEES THRU' YOUR EYES, HEARS THRU' THE EARS, TASTES THRU' THE TONGUE, FEELS, & SO ON? WHO IS THIS WHO IS USING THIS BODY TO EXPERIENCE ALL THE OBJECTS? If the external entities are the objects of interest, then, one who objectifies them is THE SUBJECT. Therefore, THE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF IS NOTHING BUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT. Mind you, do not confuse knowledge of the Self to be subjective; KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF IS KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT & IS NOT SUBJECTIVE. Having said that, KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF CAN ONLY BE GAINED SUBJECTIVELY & NOT OBJECTIVELY BECAUSE THE SELF IS NOT AN OBJECT, BUT THE SUBJECT ITSELF. Because it is the subject for every individual Being, KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF CAN BE GAINED SUBJECTIVELY ONLY. Are you able to appreciate the logic so far, my dear child?
Siddhartha: Yes sir, I am.
Guru: Therefore, we can conclude that - THE SUBJECT IS USING THE SENSES, MIND, & THE INTELLECT AS A MEANS TO PERCEIVE, PROCESS, & REASON THE OBJECT. Can we make this conclusion?
Siddhartha: Yes sir. That seems to be a fair conclusion to make.
Guru: Now, if I ask you, who is seeking knowledge of The Self, what would your answer be?
Siddhartha: Sir, I am the subject who is seeking this knowledge.
Guru: What is it that you the subject are seeking?
Siddhartha: I am seeking my own Self, sir.
Guru: Who is this Self that is being sought?
Siddhartha (suddenly realising): Sir, IT IS THE SUBJECT ITSELF THAT I HAVE BEEN SEEKING. I mean, IF I AM THE SELF, THEN, THE SELF AS THE SUBJECT, IS SEEKING ITSELF.
Guru (with a very deep smile): You are absolutely right. Understand that there is nothing else to be sought in life except The Self. Real peace, contentment, happiness, & bliss comes from this Self knowledge. And, this Self is the dearest of the dear for all Beings. Desire for everything else arises because of the lack of awareness of one's own Self. That's enough for the day, my child. We will continue further tomorrow. Now you rest.
Guru: You also made a very profound statement when you said - "I SEE THRU' MY EYES". Can you explain what you meant by that statement?
Siddhartha: Sir, the eyes, or for that matter any other sense organ is like an instrument used to perceive external objects. My understanding is that, by themselves, the sense organs have no purpose on their own. Just like any other tool or instrument have no independent purpose of their own unless they are gainfully employed by a master (the person who owns the tool or instrument), so also it is with our sense organs.
Guru: That is a very profound deduction you have made, Siddhartha. Now, as you rightly said, the sense organs are indeed the instruments used to perceive external objects. That brings us to the fundamental question - WHO EMPLOYS OR USES THE SENSE ORGANS TO PERCEIVE EXTERNAL OBJECTS? That is - WHO ARE YOU, THAT SEES THRU' YOUR EYES, HEARS THRU' THE EARS, TASTES THRU' THE TONGUE, FEELS, & SO ON? WHO IS THIS WHO IS USING THIS BODY TO EXPERIENCE ALL THE OBJECTS? If the external entities are the objects of interest, then, one who objectifies them is THE SUBJECT. Therefore, THE KNOWLEDGE OF SELF IS NOTHING BUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT. Mind you, do not confuse knowledge of the Self to be subjective; KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF IS KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT & IS NOT SUBJECTIVE. Having said that, KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF CAN ONLY BE GAINED SUBJECTIVELY & NOT OBJECTIVELY BECAUSE THE SELF IS NOT AN OBJECT, BUT THE SUBJECT ITSELF. Because it is the subject for every individual Being, KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF CAN BE GAINED SUBJECTIVELY ONLY. Are you able to appreciate the logic so far, my dear child?
Siddhartha: Yes sir, I am.
Guru: Therefore, we can conclude that - THE SUBJECT IS USING THE SENSES, MIND, & THE INTELLECT AS A MEANS TO PERCEIVE, PROCESS, & REASON THE OBJECT. Can we make this conclusion?
Siddhartha: Yes sir. That seems to be a fair conclusion to make.
Guru: Now, if I ask you, who is seeking knowledge of The Self, what would your answer be?
Siddhartha: Sir, I am the subject who is seeking this knowledge.
Guru: What is it that you the subject are seeking?
Siddhartha: I am seeking my own Self, sir.
Guru: Who is this Self that is being sought?
Siddhartha (suddenly realising): Sir, IT IS THE SUBJECT ITSELF THAT I HAVE BEEN SEEKING. I mean, IF I AM THE SELF, THEN, THE SELF AS THE SUBJECT, IS SEEKING ITSELF.
Guru (with a very deep smile): You are absolutely right. Understand that there is nothing else to be sought in life except The Self. Real peace, contentment, happiness, & bliss comes from this Self knowledge. And, this Self is the dearest of the dear for all Beings. Desire for everything else arises because of the lack of awareness of one's own Self. That's enough for the day, my child. We will continue further tomorrow. Now you rest.
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