Tag: nididhyasana

I Am Not This

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I am both the existent and the non-existent;
And yet I am neither. 

I am the ineffable Vishnu
Best described as, “Not this, not this1.” 

I am both the conscious and the non-conscious;
And yet I am neither.

I am the ineffable Vishnu
Best described as, “Not this, not this.”

I am both the limitless and the limited;
And yet I am neither. 

I am the ineffable Vishnu
Best described as, “Not this, not this.”

I am not this

Not this

  1. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.6. – “Now therefore the description (of brahman, one’s true nature): ‘Not this, not this.’ Because there is no other more appropriate description than, ‘Not this, not this.’

Steady Wisdom: Day 108

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Steady Wisdom: 108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

DAY 108

There is no need to meditate or hold any thought in my mind.  I am the ever-free self.  How could meditation change that? 
-Ashtavakra Samhita 15:20
Meditation

The act of meditation cannot merge me with the self or transform me into the self because I already am the self.  Concentration of the mind (or lack thereof) can never change that. 

Doing nididhyasana, therefore, can only concentrate the mind on the truth of who I already am.  If this mental process succeeds, I am the ever-free self.  If this mental process fails, I am the ever-free self.  This is the true nididhyasana.  OM. 

But…

O great one, spend your time seeing yourself in all situations everywhere, recognizing yourself as the non-dual self and enjoying the ananada that is your very nature. 
-Vivekachudamani

All things considered equal, as long as the body is alive, the mind will dwell on one thing or another.  Why not let it dwell on its true nature as the self, which is ever-present and full, rather than the illusory objects of the world, which are transient and empty of inherent value?

Steady Wisdom: Day 99

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Steady Wisdom: 108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

DAY 99

I myself am that which is ever-calm, immutable, undivided, of the essence of limitless consciousness.  That alone is my true nature.
-Paramahamsa Upanishad V.2
Meditation

I am limitless consciousness.  Therefore, I am calm when the mind is not; I am unchanging when the body-mind changes; I am undivided even when experience appears to be divided into subject and object.  This alone is my true nature. OM.  

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Steady Wisdom: Day 90

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Steady Wisdom: 108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

DAY 90

I cannot be purified by the practice of yoga.  I cannot be purified by destroying the mind.  I cannot be purified by a teacher’s instructions.  I am reality itself and purity is my nature. 
-Avaduta Gita 1:48
Meditation

I can only purify myself if I am contaminated.  I can only be contaminated if something other than myself exists to contaminate me.  But I alone exist. 

The body and mind can be purified through yoga.  The mind can be purified (destroyed) through meditation.  Ignorance can be purified by the teacher’s instructions.  But once the ignorance of my true nature is gone, I see that I have always been pure and nothing can change that.  OM.  

Read Series Introduction

Steady Wisdom: 7 Week Progress Check

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Steady Wisdom:  108 Verses On Changing My Thinking

DAY 49

One who has the firm conviction, “this is done by the body and not by me, the pure self” does not act, even while acting.
-Ashtavakra Samhita 18:25
Meditation

I, the pure self, do not act, even when the body acts.  I, the pure self, do not think, even when the mind thinks.  Therefore, I, the pure self, do not do nididhyasana, even when the body-mind does nididhyasana.  This is my firm conviction. 

After 7 weeks of nididhyasana, I remind myself that the primary goal of Vedanta is to help me see that I am the pure self, not the body, the mind or any combination of the two.  When I directly realize this for myself, I can patiently and objectively correct the behavior of my body-mind, all the while understanding that I am never defined or affected by the state or activity of the body-mind.  OM. 

Read Series Introduction