The world appears as thought-waves in the ocean of the mind. But the mind appears as a wave in me, the limitless ocean of consciousness. The mind comes, goes and changes but I, consciousness, remain unchanged. Therefore I am unaffected by the world.
First I thought, “I need knowledge of the self.” Now I know, “I am the self.” Realizing that I am the one true reality, where is knowledge, the knower and what is known? I have always been the non-dual self, untainted by the appearance of duality and unaffected by self-ignorance.
As the Kena Upanishad says, “I am the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, the eye of the eye.” For how can there be hearing, thinking, speech, breath or sight without me, pure consciousness? As consciousness, I am not an object of the senses because the senses are objects known to me. And as the ultimate reality, pure existence, the senses depend on me and not the other way around (for how can the senses exist without me, existence itself?). Therefore, I am not afflicted by the suffering caused by the senses and I do not need the senses to be the limitless self I already am. There is no reason to grieve.
It is undeniable that the body and mind change from year to year, day to day and moment to moment. But how do I know this? Because I am the consciousness that illuminates the body and mind. Just as the sun is unchanged by the things it illuminates, I am unchanged by the body and mind.
There is no illusion for me; despite the appearance of the body and mind I know I am pure being, reality itself. Just because I have no body does not mean I am bodiless. Just because objects cannot attach themselves to me (affect me) does not mean I am unattached. Embodied and bodiless, attached and unattached are dualistic opposites. I am non-dual so I transcend them all. I am ever-free.
End Of Knowledge 