Vipassana Meditation

Vipassana Meditation

The Art of Living - by S. N. Goenka

Everyone seeks peace and harmony, because these are what we lack in our lives. From time to time we all experience agitation, irritation, disharmony, suffering; and when we suffer from agitation, we do not keep this misery limited to ourselves. We keep distributing it to others as well. The agitation permeates the atmosphere around the miserable person. Everyone else who comes into contact with him becomes irritated, agitated. Certainly this is not the proper way to live.

One ought to live at peace within oneself, and at peace with others. After all, a human being is a social being. One has to live in society to live and deal with others. How to live peacefully? How to remain harmonious within ourselves, and to maintain peace and harmony around us, so that others also can live peacefully and harmoniously?

When one is agitated, then, to come out of it, one has to know the basic reason for the agitation, the cause of the suffering. If one investigates the problem, it soon becomes clear that whenever one starts generating any negativity or defilement in the mind, one is bound to become agitated. A negativity in the mind a mental defilement or impurity cannot coexist with peace and harmony.

How does one start generating negativity? Again investigating, it becomes clear. I become very unhappy when I find someone behaving in a way which I don’t like, when I find something happening which I don’t like. Unwanted things happen, and I create tension within myself. Wanted things do not happen, some obstacles come in the way, and again I create tension within myself; I start tying knots within myself. Throughout one’s life, unwanted things keep happening, wanted things may or may not happen, and this process of reaction, of tying knots Gordian knots makes the entire mental and physical structure so tense, so full of negativity. Life becomes miserable.

Now one way to solve the problem is to arrange things such that nothing unwanted happens in my life, and that everything keeps on happening exactly as I desire. I must develop such a power or somebody else must have the power and must come to my aid whenever I request it that everything I want keeps happening. But this is not possible.

There is no one in the world whose desires are always fulfilled, in whose life everything happens according to his wishes, without anything unwished-for happening. Things keep occurring that are contrary to our desires and wishes. So, in spite of these things which I don’t like, how not to react blindly? How not to create tension? How to remain peaceful and harmonious?

In India as well as in other countries, wise saintly persons of the past studied this problem the problem of human suffering and they found a solution. If something unwanted happens and one starts to react by generating anger, fear, or any negativity, then as soon as possible one should divert one’s attention to something else. For example, get up, take a glass of water, start drinking your anger will not multiply; you’ll be coming out of your anger. Or start counting: one, two, three, four. Or start repeating a word, a phrase, or perhaps some mantra. It becomes easy if you use the name of a deity or a saintly person in whom you have devotion. The mind is diverted, and to some extent

you’ll be out of the negativity, out of anger.

This solution was helpful; it worked. It still works. Practising this, the mind feels free from agitation. In actuality, however, this solution works only at the conscious level. By diverting one’s attention one in fact pushes the negativity deep into the unconscious, and at this level one continues to generate and multiply the same defilement. At the surface level there is a layer of peace and harmony, but in the depths of the mind is a sleeping volcano of suppressed negativity, which keeps erupting in violent explosions from time to time.

Other explorers of inner truth went still further in their search. By experiencing the reality of mind and matter within themselves, they recognised that diverting the attention is only running away from the problem. Escape is no solution; one must face the problem.

Whenever a negativity arises in the mind, just observe it, face it. As soon as one starts observing any mental defilement, then it begins to lose all its strength. Slowly it withers away and is uprooted.

A good solution, avoiding both extremes of suppression and of free license. Keeping the negativity in the unconscious will not eradicate it, and allowing it to manifest in physical or vocal action will only create more problems. If one just observes, then the defilement passes away: one has eradicated that negativity, is free from that defilement.

This sounds wonderful, but is it really practical? When anger arises, it overpowers us so quickly that we don’t even notice. Then, overpowered by anger, we commit certain actions which are harmful to us and to others. Later, when the anger has passed, we start crying and repenting, begging pardon from this or that person or god: "Oh, I made a mistake. Please excuse me!" Again the next time, in a similar situation, we react in the same way. All this repenting does not help at all.

The difficulty is that I am not aware when a defilement starts. It begins deep at the unconscious level of the mind, and by the time it reaches the conscious level, it has gained so much strength that it overwhelms me. I cannot observe it.

Then I must keep a private secretary with me, so that whenever anger starts, he says, "Look master! Anger is starting!" Since I don’t know when this anger will start, I must have three private secretaries for three shifts, around the clock; or rather, four of them to give staggering holidays!

Suppose I can afford that, and the anger starts to arise. At once my secretary tells me, "Oh, master, look! Anger has started." Then the first thing I do is slap and abuse him: "You fool! Do you think you are paid to teach me?" I am so overpowered by anger that no good advice will help.

Suppose that wisdom prevails and I do not slap him. Instead I say, "Thank you very much. Now I must sit down and observe the anger." Is it possible? As soon as I close my eyes and try to observe the anger, immediately the object of anger comes into my mind, the person or incident because of which I became angry. Then I am not observing the anger. Rather, I am observing the external stimulus of the emotion. This will only multiply the anger. This is no solution. It is very difficult to observe any abstract negativity, abstract emotion, divorced from the external object which aroused it.

However, one who reached the ultimate truth in full enlightenment found a real solution. He discovered that whenever any defilement arises in the mind, simultaneously, two things start happening at the physical level. One is that the breath loses its normal rhythm. I start breathing hard whenever a negativity comes into the mind. This is one reality which everyone can experience, though it be very gross and apparent. At the same time, at a subtler level, some kind of biochemical reaction starts within the body some sensation. Every defilement will generate one sensation or the other inside, in one or another part of the body.

This is a practical solution. An ordinary person cannot observe abstract defilements of the mind abstract fear, anger or passion. But with proper training and practice, it is very easy to observe the respiration and the sensations, both of which are directly related to the mental defilements.

The respiration and the sensations will help me in two ways. First, they will be my private secretaries. As soon as a defilement starts in the mind, my breath will lose its normality. It will start shouting: "Look, something has gone wrong!" I cannot slap the breath; I have to accept the warning. Similarly, the sensations tell me: "Something has gone wrong." I must accept this. Then, having been warned, I start observing the respiration, the sensations, and I find very quickly that the defilement passes away.

This mental-physical phenomenon is like a coin with two sides. On the one side is whatever thoughts or emotions arise in the mind. On the other side are the respiration and sensation in the body. Any thought or emotion (whether conscious or unconscious), any mental defilement manifests in the breath and sensation of that moment. Thus by observing the respiration or sensation, I am indirectly observing the mental defilement. Instead of running away from the problem, I am facing the reality as it is. Then I will find that the defilement loses its strength; it can no longer overpower me as it did in the past. If I persist, the defilement eventually disappears altogether and I remain peaceful and happy.

In this way, the technique of self-observation shows us reality in its two aspects, outside and inside. Previously, one always looked with open eyes, missing the inner truth. I always looked outside for the cause of my unhappiness. I always blamed and tried to change the reality outside. Being ignorant of the inner reality, I never understood that the cause of suffering lies within, in my own blind reactions.

It is difficult to observe an abstract negativity when it arises. But now, by training, I can see the other side of the coin: I can be aware of the breathing and also of what is happening inside me. Whatever it is, the breath or any sensation, I learn to just observe it, without losing the balance of the mind. I stop multiplying my miseries. Instead, I allow the defilement to manifest and pass away.

The more one practises this technique, the more one will find how quickly he or she can come out of the negativity. Gradually the mind becomes freed of defilements; it becomes pure. A pure mind is always full of love, detached love for all others; full of compassion for the failings and sufferings of others; full of joy at their success and happiness; full of equanimity in the face of any situation.

When one reaches this stage, then the entire pattern of one’s life starts changing. It is no longer possible for one to do anything vocally or physically which will disturb the peace and happiness of others. Instead, the balanced mind not only becomes peaceful in itself, it helps others to become peaceful also. The atmosphere surrounding such a person will become permeated with peace and harmony, and this will start affecting others too.

This is what the Buddha taught, an art of living. He never established or taught any religion, any "ism." He never instructed followers to practise any rites or rituals, any blind or empty formalities. Instead, he taught to just observe nature as it is, by observing the reality inside. Out of ignorance, one keeps reacting in a way which is harmful to oneself and to others. Then when wisdom arises the wisdom of observing the reality as it is one comes out of this blind reaction. When one ceases to react blindly, then one is capable of real action, action proceeding from a balanced, equanimous mind, a mind which sees and understands the truth. Such action can only be positive, creative, helpful to oneself and to others.

What is necessary, then, is to "know thyself" advice which every wise person has given. One must know oneself not just at the intellectual level, at the level of ideas and theories. Nor does this mean to know oneself at the devotional or emotional level, simply accepting blindly what one has heard or read. Such knowledge is not enough.

Rather, one must know reality at the actual level. One must experience directly the reality of this mental-physical phenomenon. This alone is what will help us to come out of defilements, out of sufferings.

This direct experience of reality within one’s own self, this technique of self-observation, is what is called Vipassana meditation. In the language of India in the time of the Buddha, passanā meant to look, to see with open eyes, in the ordinary way. But Vipassana is to observe things as they really are, not just as they seem to be. Apparent truth has to be penetrated, until one reaches the ultimate truth of the entire mental and physical structure. When one experiences this truth, then one learns to stop reacting blindly, to stop creating defilements. Naturally the old defilements are gradually eradicated. One comes out of all miseries, and experiences happiness.

There are three steps to the training which is given in a Vipassana course. First, one must abstain from any action, physical or vocal, which disturbs the peace and harmony of others. One cannot work to liberate oneself from defilements in the mind while at the same time continuing to perform deeds of body and speech which only multiply those defilements. Therefore a code of morality is the essential first step of the practice. One undertakes not to kill, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct, not to speak lies, and not to use intoxicants. By abstaining from such actions, one allows the mind to quiet down.

The next step is to develop some mastery over this wild mind, by training it to remain fixed on a single object, the breath. One tries to keep one’s attention on the respiration for as long as possible. This is not a breathing exercise; one does not regulate the breath. Instead one observes the natural respiration as it is, as it comes in, as it goes out. In this way one further calms the mind, so that it is no longer overpowered by violent negativities. At the same time, one is concentrating the mind, making it sharp and penetrating, capable of the work of insight.

These first two steps of living a moral life and controlling the mind are very necessary and beneficial in themselves. But they will lead to self-repression unless one takes the third step: purifying the mind of defilements, by developing insight into one’s own nature. This, really, is Vipassana: experiencing one’s own reality, through the systematic and dispassionate observation of the ever-changing mind-matter phenomenon manifesting itself as sensations within oneself. This is the culmination of the teaching of the Buddha: self-purification through self-observation.

This can be practised by one and all. The disease is not sectarian, therefore the remedy cannot be sectarian: it must be universal. Everyone faces the problem of suffering. When one suffers from anger, it is not Buddhist anger, Hindu anger, Christian anger. Anger is anger. Due to anger, when one becomes agitated, it is not a Christian agitation, or Hindu, or Buddhist agitation. The malady is universal. The remedy must also be universal.

Vipassana is such a remedy. No one will object to a code of living which respects the peace and harmony of others. No one will object to developing control of the mind. Noone will object to developing insight into one’s own reality, by which it is possible to free the mind of negativities. It is a universal path. It is not a cult. It is not a dogma. It is not blind faith.

Observing the reality as it is, by observing truth inside this is knowing oneself at the actual, experiential level. And as one practises, one starts coming out of the misery of defilements. From the gross, external apparent truth, one penetrates to the ultimate truth of mind and matter. Then one transcends that and experiences a truth which is beyond mind and matter, beyond time and space, beyond the conditioned field of relativity: the truth of total liberation from all defilements, all impurities, all suffering. Whatever name one gives this ultimate truth is irrelevant. It is the final goal of everyone.

May all of you experience this ultimate truth. May all people everywhere come out of their defilements, their misery. May they enjoy real happiness, real peace, real harmony.

http://www.dhamma.org/

~ Buddha Story : Peace Of Mind ~

Once Buddha was travelling with a few of his followers. While they were passing a lake, Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Do get me some water from the lake."

The disciple walked up to the lake. At that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy and turbid. The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink?"

So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink."

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake.

The disciple went back, and found that the water was still muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same.

After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back.

This time, the disciple found the mud had settled down, and the water was clean and clear. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said," See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own -- and you have clear water.

Your mind is like that too ! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless."

Having 'Peace of Mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process!

Ashtavakra Gita

Translated by

Bart Marshall

1: Instruction on Self-Realization

Janaka said:

1.1

Master,

how is Knowledge to be achieved,

detachment acquired,

liberation attained?

Ashtavakra said:

1.2

To be free,

shun the experiences of the senses

like poison.

Turn your attention to

forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, simplicity, truth.

1.3

You are not earth, water, fire or air.

Nor are you empty space.

Liberation is to know yourself

as Awareness alone—

the Witness of these.

1.4

Abide in Awareness

with no illusion of person.

You will be instantly free and at peace.

1.5

You have no caste or duties.

You are invisible, unattached, formless.

You are the Witness of all things.

Be happy.

1.6

Right and wrong, pleasure and pain,

exist in mind only.

They are not your concern.

You neither do nor enjoy.

You are free.

1.7

You are the Solitary Witness

of All That Is,

forever free.

Your only bondage is not seeing This.

1.8

The thought: “I am the doer”

is the bite of a poisonous snake.

To know: “I do nothing”

is the wisdom of faith.

Be happy.

1.9

A single understanding:

“I am the One Awareness,”

consumes all suffering

in the fire of an instant.

Be happy.

1.10

You are unbounded Awareness—

Bliss, Supreme Bliss--

in which the universe appears

like the mirage of a snake in a rope.

Be happy.

1.11

It is true what they say:

“You are what you think.”

If you think you are bound you are bound.

If you think you are free you are free.

1.12

You are Self—the Solitary Witness.

You are perfect, all-pervading, One.

You are free, desireless, forever still.

The universe is but a seeming in You.

1.13

Meditate on this: “I am Awareness alone--Unity itself.”

Give up the idea that you are separate, a person,

that there is within and without.

1.14

You have long been bound thinking:

“I am a person.”

Let the knowledge: “I am Awareness alone”

be the sword that frees you.

1.15

You are now and forever

free, luminous, transparent, still.

The practice of meditation

keeps one in bondage.

1.16

You are pure Consciousness—

the substance of the universe.

The universe exists within you.

Don’t be small-minded.

1.17

You are unconditioned, changeless, formless.

You are solid, unfathomable, cool.

Desire nothing.

You are Consciousness.

1.18

That which has form is not real.

Only the formless is permanent.

Once this is known,

you will not return to illusion.

1.19

Just as a mirror exists

both within and without

the image reflected,

the Supreme Self exists

both within and without the body.

1.20

Just as the same space exists

both within and without a jar,

the timeless, all-pervasive One

exists as Totality.

2: Joy of Self-Realization

Janaka said:

2.1

I am now spotless and at peace--

Awareness beyond Consciousness.

All this time

I have been duped by illusion.

2.2

By this light alone

the body and the universe appear.

I am Everything

or Nothing.

2.3

Seeing there is no

universe or body,

by grace the Self is revealed.

2.4

As waves, foam and bubbles

are not different from water,

so the universe emanating from Self

is not different from Self.

2.5

Look closely at cloth,

you see only threads.

Look closely at creation,

you see only Self.

2.6

As sweetness

pervades sugarcane juice,

I am the essence of creation.

2.7

Not seeing Self, the world is materialized.

Seeing Self, the world is vanished.

A rope is not a snake,

but can appear to be.

2.8

I am not other than Light.

The universe manifests

at my glance.

2.9

The mirage of universe appears in me

as silver appears in mother-of-pearl,

as a snake appears in a rope,

as water appears on a desert horizon.

2.10

As a pot returns to clay,

a wave to water,

a bracelet to gold,

so will the universe return to Me.

2.11

I am wonderful indeed--

beyond adoration.

I cannot decay nor ever die,

though God and all the universe

should perish to the last blade of grass.

2.12

I am wonderful indeed--

beyond adoration.

Even with a body I am One.

I neither come nor go.

I am everywhere at once.

2.13

I am wonderful indeed--

beyond adoration.

I am astounded at my powers.

The universe appears within me

but I do not touch it.

2.14

I am wonderful indeed--

beyond adoration.

I am everything thought or spoken,

and have nothing.

2.15

In Reality,

knowledge, the knower, and the knowable

do not exist.

I am the transparent Self

in which through ignorance

they appear.

2.16

Looking at One and seeing many

is the cause of all misery.

The only cure is to realize

what is seen is not there.

I am One—aware, blissful, immaculate.

2.17

I am unbounded Awareness.

Only in imagination do I have limits.

Reflecting on this,

I abide in the Absolute.

2.18

I am neither free nor bound.

The illusion of such things

has fallen into disbelief.

Though I contain creation,

it has no substance.

2.19

Having seen for certain

that this universe and body

is without form or substance,

I am revealed as Awareness alone.

Imagination has no place here.

2.20

The body exists only in imagination,

as do heaven and hell,

bondage, freedom, fear.

Are these my concern?

I, who am pure Awareness?

2.21

I see no differences or separation.

Even the multitudes appear

as a single formless desert.

To what should I cling?

2.22

I am not the body.

I do not have a body.

I am Awareness, not a person.

My thirst for life bound me

to a seeming of life.

2.23

In the limitless ocean of Myself

the winds of the mind

roil the myriad waves of the world.

2.24

But when the wind subsides

in the limitless ocean

the ark of personhood is swallowed up,

along with the universe it carries.

2.25

And how wonderful it is!

In the limitless ocean of Myself,

waves of beings

arise, collide, play for a time,

then disappear--as is their nature.

3: Test of Self-Realization

Ashtavakra said:

3.1

Having realized yourself as One,

being serene and indestructible,

why do you desire wealth?

3.2

Just as imagining silver in mother-of-pearl,

causes greed to arise,

so does ignorance of Self

cause desire for illusion.

3.3

Having realized yourself as That

in which the waves of the world rise and fall,

why do you run around in turmoil?

3.4

Having realized yourself as pure Awareness,

as beautiful beyond description,

how can you remain a slave to lust?

3.5

It is strange

that in a sage who has realized

Self in All and All in Self

this sense of ownership should continue.

3.6

Strange that one abiding in the Absolute,

intent on freedom,

should be vulnerable to lust

and weakened by amorous pastimes.

3.7

Strange that knowing lust

as an enemy of knowledge,

one so weak and nearing death

should still crave sensual pleasure.

3.8

Strange that one who is unattached

to the things of this world and the next,

who can discriminate between the transient and the timeless,

who yearns for freedom,

should yet fear the dissolution of the body.

3.9

Whether acclaimed or tormented

the serene sage abides in the Self.

He is neither gratified nor angered.

3.10

A great soul

witnesses his body’s actions

as if they were another’s.

How can praise or blame disturb him?

3.11

Realizing the universe is illusion,

having lost all curiosity,

how can one of steady mind fear death?

3.12

With whom can we compare

the great soul

who, content knowing Self,

remains desireless in disappointment?

3.13

Why should a person of steady mind,

who sees the nothingness of objects,

prefer one thing to another?

3.14

He who is unattached,

untouched by opposites,

free of desire,

experiences neither pleasure nor pain

as events pass through.

4: Glorification of Self-Realization

Janaka said:

4.1

Surely one who knows Self,

though he plays the game of life,

differs greatly from the world’s

bewildered burdened beasts.

4.2

Truly the yogi feels no elation,

though he abides in the exalted state

yearned for by Indra and all the

discontented gods.

4.3

Surely one who knows That

is not touched by virtue or vice,

just as space is not touched by smoke,

though it seems to be.

4.4

Who can prevent the great soul,

who knows the universe as Self,

from living life as it comes?

4.5

Of the four kinds of beings,

from Brahma to a blade of grass,

only the sage can renounce

aversion and desire.

4.6

Rare is he who knows himself

as One with no other—

the Lord of the Universe.

He acts as he knows

and is never afraid.

5: Four Ways to Dissolution

Ashtavakra said:

5.1

You are immaculate,

touched by nothing.

What is there to renounce?

The mind is complex—let it go.

Know the peace of dissolution.

5.2

The universe arises from you

like foam from the sea.

Know yourself as One.

Enter the peace of dissolution.

5.3

Like an imagined snake in a rope

the universe appears to exist

in the immaculate Self

but does not.

Seeing this you know: “There is nothing to dissolve.”

5.4

You are perfect, changeless,

through misery and happiness,

hope and despair,

life and death.

This is the state of dissolution.

6: The Higher Knowledge

Janaka said:

6.1

I am infinite space;

the universe is a jar.

This I know.

No need to renounce, accept or destroy.

6.2

I am a shoreless ocean;

the universe makes waves.

This I know.

No need to renounce, accept or destroy.

6.3

I am mother-of–pearl;

the universe is the illusion of silver.

This I know.

No need to renounce, accept or destroy.

6.4

I am in all beings;

all beings are in me.

This I know.

No need to renounce, accept or destroy.

7: Nature of Self-Realization

Janaka said:

7.1

In me, the shoreless ocean,

the ark of universe

drifts here and there

on the winds of its nature.

I am not impatient.

7.2

In me, the shoreless ocean,

let the waves of the universe

rise and fall as they will.

I am neither enhanced nor diminished.

7.3

In me, the shoreless ocean,

the universe is imagined.

I am still and formless.

In this alone I abide.

7.4

The Self is not in objects,

nor are objects in the pure and infinite Self.

The Self is tranquil,

free of attachment and desire.

In this alone I abide.

7.5

I am Awareness alone.

The world is passing show.

How can thoughts arise

of acceptance or rejection?

And where?

8: Bondage and Liberation

Ashtavakra said:

8.1

When the mind desires or grieves things,

accepts or rejects things,

is pleased or displeased by things--

this is bondage.

8.2

When the mind does not

desire or grieve,

accept or reject,

become pleased or displeased,

liberation is at hand.

8.3

If the mind is attached to any experience,

this is bondage.

When the mind is detached from all experience,

this is liberation.

8.4

When there is no “I”

there is only liberation.

When “I” appears

bondage appears with it.

Knowing this,

it is effortless to refrain

from accepting and rejecting.

9: Detachment

Ashtavakra said:

9.1

Opposing forces,

duties done and left undone—

when does it end

and for whom?

Considering this, be ever desireless,

let go of all things,

and to the world turn an indifferent eye.

9.2

Rare and blessed is one

whose desire to live,

to enjoy and to know,

has been extinguished by observing

the ways of men.

9.3

Seeing all things as threefold suffering,

the sage becomes still.

Insubstantial, transient, contemptible--

the world is fit only for rejection.

9.4

Was there an age or time

men existed without opposites?

Leave the opposites behind.

Be content with what comes.

Perfection.

9.5

The greatest seers, saints and yogis

agree on very little.

Seeing this,

who could not be indifferent to knowledge

and become still?

9.6

One who

through worldly indifference,

through serenity and reason,

sees his true nature and escapes illusion—

is he not a true teacher?

9.7

In the myriad forms of the universe

see the primal element alone.

You will be instantly free,

and abide in Self.

9.8

Desire creates the world--renounce it.

Renounce desires

and you renounce the world.

Now you may live as you are.

10: Quietude

Ashtavakra said:

10.1

Give up desire,

which is the enemy.

Give up prosperity,

which is born of mischief and good works.

Be indifferent.

10.2

Look upon

friends, lands, wealth, houses, wives, gifts--

and all apparent good fortune--

as a passing show,

as a dream lasting three to five days.

10.3

Where there is desire, there is the world.

Be firm in non-attachment.

Be free of desire.

Be happy.

10.4

Bondage and desire are the same.

Destroy desire and be free.

Only by detaching from the world

does one joyfully realize Self.

10.5

You are One—

Awareness itself.

The universe is neither aware

nor does it exist.

Even ignorance is unreal.

What is left to know?

10.6

Attached as you have been to

kingdoms, sons, wives, bodies, pleasures—

life after life—

still they are now lost forever.

10.7

Prosperity, pleasure, pious deeds…

Enough!

In the dreary forest of the world

the mind finds no rest.

10.8

For how many lifetimes

have you done hard and painful labor

with body, mind and speech?

It is time to stop.

11: Wisdom

Ashtavakra said:

11.1

Existence, non-existence, change--

this is the nature of things.

Realizing this,

stillness, serenity and bliss

naturally follow.

11.2

One who knows for certain that

“Self creates All and is alone”

becomes still, desireless, unattached.

11.3

One who knows for certain

that adversity and success

come and go in obedience to destiny

becomes content.

He neither desires nor grieves.

11.4

One who knows for certain

that birth and death, happiness and misery,

come and go in obedience to destiny

sees nothing to accomplish.

He engages in non-action,

and in action remains unattached.

11.5

One who has realized

that only by caring

is misery caused in the world

becomes free, happy, serene, desireless.

11.6

“I am not the body, nor is the body my possession—

I am Awareness itself.”

One who realizes this for certain

has no memory of things done or left undone.

There is only the Absolute.

11.7

“From Brahma to the last blade of grass--

I alone exist.”

One who knows this for certain

becomes immaculate, serene, unconflicted.

Attainment has no meaning.

11.8

One who knows for certain

that this manifold and wonderful universe

is nothing

becomes desireless Awareness

and abides in the stillness of No-thing.

12: Abiding in the Self

Janaka said:

12.1

Becoming first intolerant of action,

then of excessive speech,

then of thought itself,

I come to be here.

12.2

Neither sounds nor other sense perceptions

attract my attention.

Even the Self is unperceived.

The mind is free, undistracted, one-pointed.

And here I am.

12.3

Effort is required

to concentrate a distracted mind

superimposed with illusion.

Knowing this, I remain here.

12.4

Nothing to reject,

nothing to accept.

No joy, no sorrow.

Lord God I am here.

12.5

The four stages of life,

life without stages,

meditation, renunciation, objects of mind—

nothing but distractions.

I am forever here.

12.6

Doing and not-doing

both arise from ignorance.

I know this.

And I am here.

12.7

Thinking of the unthinkable One

unavoidably conjures thought.

I choose no-thought

and remain here.

12.8

Blessed is he

who attains this by effort.

Blessed is he

who is such by nature.

13: Happiness

Janaka said:

13.1

The tranquil state

of knowing Self alone is rare—

even among those who own but a loincloth.

I therefore neither renounce nor accept

and am happy.

13.2

The body is strained by practices.

The tongue tires of scripture.

The mind numbs with meditation.

Detached from all this,

I live as I am.

13.3

Realizing that nothing is done,

I do what comes

and am happy.

13.4

Yogis who preach

either effort or non-effort

are still attached to the body.

I neither dissociate nor associate

with any of that

and am happy.

13.5

I have nothing to gain or lose

by standing, walking or sitting down.

So whether I stand, walk or sit

I am happy.

13.6

I do not lose by sleeping

nor attain by effort.

Not thinking in terms of loss or gain

I am happy.

13.7

Pleasure and pain fluctuate

and are inconsistent.

Without good or bad

I live happily.

14: Tranquility

Janaka said:

14.1

Though appearing asleep like other men,

one whose interest in the world is exhausted,

whose mind has been emptied,

who thinks only by inadvertence,

is in Reality awake.

14.2

When desire has melted,

how can there be wealth,

or friends, or the seduction of senses?

What use is scripture and knowledge?

14.3

I have realized the Supreme Self,

the Witness, the One.

I am indifferent

to bondage and freedom.

I have no need for liberation.

14.4

The inner condition

of one who is devoid of doubt

yet moves among creatures of illusion

can only be known by those like him.

15: Knowledge of the Self

Ashtavakra said:

15.1

A man of open intuition

may realize the Self upon

hearing a casual instruction,

while a man of cluttered intellect

inquires bewildered for a lifetime.

15.2

Aversion to the world’s offerings is liberation.

Attraction to the world’s offerings

is the suffering of bondage.

This is the truth.

Now do as you please.

15.3

This knowledge of Truth

turns an eloquent, wise and active man

mute, empty and inert.

Lovers of the world therefore shun it.

15.4

You are not the body.

You do not have a body.

You neither do nor enjoy.

You are Awareness only--the timeless Witness.

You are free.

Go in happiness.

15.5

Attachment and aversion

are attributes of the mind.

You are not the mind.

You are Consciousness itself--

changeless, undivided, free.

Go in happiness.

15.6

Realize Self in All and All in Self.

Be free of personal identity

and the sense of “mine.”

Be happy.

15.7

You are That in which the universe appears

like waves appearing in the ocean.

You are Consciousness itself.

No need to worry.

15.8

Have faith, my son, have faith.

You are Awareness alone,

the Self, the One.

You are the Lord of Nature.

15.9

The body is made of worldly stuff.

It comes, it lingers, it goes.

The Self neither comes nor goes,

yet remains.

Why mourn the body?

15.10

If the body lasts until the end of time

or perishes today—

is there gain or loss for you?

You who are Awareness?

15.11

Let the waves of the universe

rise and fall as they will.

You have nothing to gain or lose.

You are the ocean.

15.12

You are the substance of Consciousness.

The world is You.

Who is it that thinks

he can accept or reject it?

And where does he stand?

15.13

In you who are One—

immaculate, still Awareness—

from where can birth, action

or a separate person arise?

15.14

Whatever you perceive

is You and You alone.

How can bracelets, armlets and anklets

be other than the gold they are made of?

15.15

Leave behind such distinctions

as “I am He, the Self,”

and “I am not this.”

Consider everything Self.

Be desireless.

Be happy.

15.16

Your ignorance alone

creates the universe.

In reality One alone exists.

There is no person or god

other than You.

15.17

One who knows for certain

that the universe is illusion,

a no-thing,

becomes desireless,

pure Awareness,

and finds peace in the existence of nothing.

15.18

In the ocean of existence

only One is, was, and ever will be.

You are neither bound nor free.

Live content and be happy.

15.19

Do not stir the mind

with “yes” or “no.”

You are pure Consciousness.

Be still,

and abide in the bliss of Self.

15.20

Give up completely

all contemplation.

Hold nothing in the mind or heart.

You are the Self, forever free.

Of what use is thinking to you?

16: Special Instruction

Ashtavakra said:

16.1

You can recite and discuss scripture

all you want,

but until you drop everything

you will never know Truth.

16.2

You can enjoy and work and meditate,

but you will still yearn for That

which is beyond all experience,

and in which all desires are extinguished.

16.3

Everyone is miserable

because they exert constant effort.

But no one understands this.

A ripe mind can become unshackled

upon hearing this one instruction.

16.4

The master idler,

to whom even blinking is a bother,

is happy.

But he is the only one.

16.5

When the mind is free of opposites

like “This is done,” and “This is yet undone,”

one becomes indifferent to

merit, wealth, pleasure and liberation.

16.6

One who abhors sense objects avoids them.

One who desires them becomes ensnared.

One who neither abhors nor desires

is neither detached nor attached.

16.7

As long as there is desire--

which is the absence of discrimination--

there will be attachment and non-attachment.

This is the cause of the world.

16.8

Indulgence creates attachment.

Aversion creates abstinence.

Like a child, the sage is free of both

and thus lives on as a child.

16.9

One who is attached to the world

thinks renouncing it will relieve his misery.

One who is attached to nothing is free

and does not feel miserable

even in the world.

16.10

He who claims liberation as his own,

as an attainment of a person,

is neither enlightened nor a seeker.

He suffers his own misery.

16.11

Though Hara, Hari

or the lotus-born Brahma himself

instruct you,

until you know nothing

you will never know Self.

17: The True Knower

Ashtavakra said:

17.1

One has attained Knowledge

and reaped the fruits of yoga

who is content,

purified of attachments

and at home in solitude.

17.2

The knower of Truth

is never miserable in the world,

for the whole universe

is filled with Himself alone.

17.3

As the foliage of the neem tree

does not please an elephant

who delights in sallaki leaves,

so do sense objects not please

he who delights in Self.

17.4

Rare in the world

is one who does not

relish past enjoyments,

nor yearn for enjoyments to come.

17.5

Those who desire pleasure

and those who desire liberation

are both common in the world.

Rare is the great soul who

desires neither enjoyment

nor liberation.

17.6

Rare is the right-minded person

who neither covets nor shuns

religion, wealth, pleasure,

life or death.

17.7

The man of Knowledge

neither cares for the universe

nor desires its dissolution.

He lives happily

on whatever comes his way.

He is blessed.

17.8

Knowing Self,

mind empty and at peace,

the sage lives happily,

seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating.

17.9

There is no attachment or non-attachment

for one in whom

the ocean of the world has dried up.

His look is vacant,

senses still.

His actions have no purpose.

17.10

The sage is neither asleep nor awake.

He neither closes nor opens his eyes.

Thus, for the liberated soul,

everywhere there is only This.

17.11

The liberated soul

abides in Self alone

and is pure of heart.

He lives always and everywhere,

free of desire.

17.12

Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling,

eating, taking, speaking, walking,

the great soul

exerts neither effort nor non-effort.

He is truly free.

17.13

The liberated soul

does not blame or praise,

give or take,

rejoice or become angry.

He is everywhere unattached

and free.

17.14

The great soul

remains poised and undisturbed,

whether in the presence

of a passionate woman

or observing the approach of his death.

He is truly free.

17.15

The sage sees no difference

between happiness and misery,

man and woman,

adversity and success.

Everything is seen to be the same.

17.16

In the sage there is neither

violence nor mercy,

arrogance nor humility,

anxiety nor wonder.

His worldly life is exhausted.

He has transcended his role as a person.

17.17

The liberated one

neither avoids experience

nor craves it.

He enjoys what comes

and what does not.

17.18

The sage is not conflicted

by states of stillness and thought.

His mind is empty.

His home is the Absolute.

17.19

Though he may perform actions,

the man of Knowledge

does not act.

Desires extinguished,

free of thoughts of “I” and “mine,”

he knows with absolute certainty

that nothing exists.

17.20

The sage is free.

His empty mind no longer projects

delusion, dreaming, dullness.

This state is indescribable.

18: Peace

Ashtavakra said:

18.1

Praise That,

which is Bliss itself,

which is by nature stillness and light,

and which by Its knowing

reveals the world as a dream.

18.2

One may enjoy the abundant pleasures of the world,

but will never be happy

until giving them up.

18.3

How can one whose innermost heart

has been scorched by the sun of sorrow

that comes from duty

be happy until the sweet rain

of torrential stillness?

18.4

The universe is but a thought

in Consciousness.

In Reality it is nothing.

One who sees the true nature

of existence and non-existence

never ceases to exist.

18.5

The Self--which is

absolute, effortless, timeless, immaculate--

is without limits

and at no distance from you.

You are forever It.

18.6

For those whose vision becomes unclouded,

illusion evaporates

and the Self becomes known.

All sorrow is instantly dispelled.

18.7

Seeing everything is imagination,

knowing the Self as timelessly free,

the sage lives as a child.

18.8

Knowing himself as Absolute,

knowing existence and non-existence

to be imagination only,

what is there for the desireless one

to learn, say or do?

18.9

Knowing for certain that all is Self,

the sage has no trace of thoughts

such as “I am this” or “I am not that.”

18.10

The yogi who finds stillness

is neither distracted nor focused.

He knows neither pleasure nor pain.

Ignorance dispelled,

he is free of knowing.

18.11

Heaven or poverty,

gain or loss,

society or solitude,

to the yogi free of conditioning

there is no difference.

18.12

Religious merit,

sensory pleasure,

worldly prosperity,

discrimination between this and that—

these have no significance

to the yogi free of opposites

such as “I do this”

and “this I do not.”

18.13

The yogi who is liberated while living

has no duties in this world,

no attachments in his heart.

His life proceeds without him.

18.14

For the great soul

who abides beyond desire,

where is illusion?

Where is the universe?

Where is meditation on That?

Where even is liberation from them?

18.15

He who sees the world

may try to renounce it.

But what can the desireless one do?

He sees there is nothing to see.

18.16

He who has seen the Supreme Brahma

thinks, “I am Brahma.”

But he who has transcended all thought,

what can he think?

He knows no other than Self.

18.17

He achieves self-control

who sees his own distraction.

But the great soul is not distracted.

He has nothing to achieve.

He has nothing to do.

18.18

The man of Knowledge

may live as an ordinary man,

but he is not.

He sees he is neither

focused nor distracted,

and finds no fault with himself.

18.19

He who is beyond existence and non-existence--

who is wise, satisfied, free of desire--

does nothing,

though the world may see him in motion.

18.20

The wise one

is not troubled by action or inactivity.

He lives happily,

doing whatever gets done.

18.21

Like a leaf in the wind

the liberated one

is untethered from life--

desireless, independent, free.

18.22

For one who has transcended the world

there is no joy or sorrow.

With a stilled mind,

he lives on with no body.

18.23

One who knows Self,

whose mind is serene and spotless,

does not desire to give up anything,

nor does he miss what is not there.

18.24

His mind being in a natural state

of emptiness,

the wise one knows nothing

of honor and dishonor.

He does what comes to be done.

18.25

One who acts knowing

“This is done by the body, not by I, pure Self,”

indeed does nothing--

no matter how much acting takes place.

18.26

The liberated one

acts without claiming to be acting,

but he is no fool.

He is blessed and happy

even though in the world.

18.27

Having had enough

of the endless workings of the mind,

the wise one comes to rest.

He neither thinks, nor knows,

nor hears, nor sees.

18.28

Beyond stillness,

beyond distraction,

the great soul thinks nothing

of liberation or bondage.

Having seen the universe is void--

even though it seems to exist--

he is God.

18.29

He who believes he is a person

is constantly acting,

even when the body is at rest.

The sage knows he is not a person,

and therefore does nothing,

even when the body is in motion.

18.30

The mind of the liberated one

is neither troubled nor pleased.

It is actionless, motionless, desireless

and free of doubt.

18.31

The liberated one

does not exert effort

to meditate or act.

Action and meditation just happen.

18.32

Hearing ultimate Truth,

the dull-witted man is bewildered.

The wise man hearing Truth

retreats within and appears

dull-witted.

18.33

The ignorant practice

meditation and no-thought.

The wise,

like men in deep sleep,

do nothing.

18.34

The ignorant man finds no peace

either by effort or non-effort.

The wise man

by Truth alone is stilled.

18.35

Though they are by nature Self alone,

pure intelligence, love and perfection;

though they transcend the universe

and are clearness itself,

men of the world will not see this

through meditation and practices.

18.36

The ignorant man

will never be liberated

by his repetitious practices.

Blessed is he who

by simple understanding

enters timeless freedom.

18.37

Because he desires to know God,

the ignorant man can never become That.

The wise man is God

because he is free of desire

and knows nothing.

18.38

Unable to stand steady

and eager for salvation,

the ignorant perpetuate

the illusion of world.

Seeing the world

as the source of all misery,

the wise cut it off at the root.

18.39

The fool thinks peace comes

by controlling the mind.

He will never attain it.

The wise one knows Truth,

and is stillness itself.

18.40

For he who thinks knowledge

is things and ideas

how can there be Self-knowledge?

The wise do not see separate things--

only the timeless Self.

18.41

The fool tries to control the mind

with the mind—what folly!

The wise one delights in Self alone.

There is no mind to master.

18.42

Some believe in existence;

others believe nothing exists.

Rare is the one who believes nothing

and is never confused.

18.43

Weak intellectuals may believe

the Self is One without other.

But being mired in illusion

they do not actually know Self,

so live out their lives in misery.

18.44

The mind of one seeking liberation

depends on things for perception.

The mind of the liberated one

perceives no-thing

and is free of desire.

18.45

Timid men fear sensory experience

much as they do tigers.

They seek refuge in caves

and try to un-think the world.

18.46

Sensory experiences are like elephants who,

upon encountering a desireless man,

see him as a lion.

They immediately turn on their heels,

or if unable to escape,

stay on to flatter and serve him.

18.47

A man with no doubts,

who knows only Self,

has no need of practice

or liberation.

Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating—

he lives as he is, happily.

18.48

One whose mind is emptied and unconflicted

by the mere hearing of Truth

sees nothing to do,

nothing to avoid,

nothing to warrant his indifference.

18.49

The sage does whatever

appears to be done

without thinking of good or bad.

His actions are those of a child.

18.50

Depending on nothing,

one finds happiness.

Depending on nothing,

one attains the Supreme.

Depending on nothing,

one passes through tranquility

to One Self.

18.51

When one realizes

he is neither the actor

nor the one who watches,

the mind-storm is stilled.

18.52

The actions of the sage,

free of pretence and motive,

shine like clear light.

Not so those of the deluded seeker

who affects a peaceful demeanor

while remaining firmly attached.

18.53

Unbounded, unfettered,

untethered from the projections of mind,

the wise are free to play and enjoy,

or retire to mountain caves.

18.54

Whether honoring a spiritual scholar,

a god, or holy shrine;

whether seeing a desirable woman,

a king, or beloved friend--

the heart of the sage

is unmoved.

18.55

Though his servants, sons,

wives, daughters, grandchildren

and all his relatives

ridicule and despise him,

the yogi is undismayed.

18.56

Though pleased he is not pleasured;

though pained he does not suffer.

This wonderful state is understood

only by those like him.

18.57

The belief in duty

creates a relative world

for its performance.

The wise one knows Himself

to be formless, timeless,

all-pervasive, immaculate,

and thus transcends duty and world.

18.58

Even doing nothing

the dull one is anxious and distracted.

Even amidst great action

the wise one remains still.

18.59

Even in practical life

the wise one remains happy.

Happy to sit,

happy to sleep,

happy to move about,

happy to speak,

happy to eat…

18.60

Because he knows Self

the wise one is not disrupted by practical life.

He is deep and still, like a vast lake.

He is not like ordinary people.

His sorrows have vanished.

18.61

For the deluded one,

even rest is an activity.

For the wise,

even action bears the fruit of stillness.

18.62

The deluded one is often adverse

to the things of his life.

To one with no thought for body,

attachment and aversion have no meaning.

18.63

The deluded mind is caught up

in thinking and not thinking.

Though the mind of the wise one

may think what thoughts come,

he is not aware of it.

18.64

The sage sees nothing being done

even when performed by his hands.

Like a child he is pure

and acts without reason.

18.65

Blessed indeed is he who knows Self.

Though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating,

he never desires nor changes.

18.66

For one who is void and changeless,

where is the world and its imaginings?

Where is the end?

Where is the possibility of it?

18.67

Glorious indeed is he who,

free of desire,

embodies Bliss itself.

He has become absorbed in Self.

18.68

In short, the great soul

who has realized Truth

is free of desire, enjoyment and liberation.

In all of space and time

he is attached to nothing.

18.69

What remains for One

who is Consciousness itself,

who sees the non-existence

of a phenomenal world created

by the mere thought of a name?

18.70

Peace is natural for one

who knows for certain nothing exists,

who sees appearances are illusion,

to whom the inexpressible is apparent.

18.71

Rules of conduct, detachment,

renunciation, asceticism—

what are these to one

who sees the unreality of things,

who is the Light of Awareness?

18.72

How can there be joy or sorrow,

bondage or liberation,

for one who perceives non-existence

and lights the infinite?

18.73

Until Self-realization,

illusion prevails.

The sage lives without

thoughts of “I” or “mine.”

His connection to illusion is severed.

18.74

What is knowledge?

What is the universe?

What are thoughts like

“I am the body,” or “the body is mine”?

The sage is imperishable and sorrowless.

He is Self alone.

18.75

When a weak man gives up meditation

he falls prey to whims and desires.

18.76

Even hearing Truth,

the man of dull intellect

holds on to illusion.

Through effort and suppression

he may appear outwardly composed,

but inside he craves the world.

18.77

Though others may see him working,

the sage does nothing.

Knowledge has banished effort.

He finds no reason to do or say.

18.78

The sage is fearless, unassailable.

No darkness, no light, nothing to lose.

Nothing.

18.79

Patience, discrimination,

even fearlessness—

What use are these to the yogi?

His nature cannot be described.

He is not a person.

18.80

No heaven, no hell,

no liberation for the living.

In short, Consciousness is Void.

What more can be said?

18.81

The sage neither yearns for fulfillment

nor frets over non-attainment.

His mind is cool

and brimming with sweetness.

18.82

Detached from desire,

the sage neither praises peace

nor blames the wicked.

Equally content

in happiness and misery,

he would not change a thing.

18.83

The sage neither rejects the world

nor desires Self.

He is free of joy and sorrow.

He does not live

and cannot die.

18.84

The wise one lives without hope.

He has no attachment to his children, wife or anyone.

Pleasure means nothing to him.

His life is glorious.

18.85

The sage wanders about as he pleases

and lives on whatever may come.

Contentment ever dwells in his heart.

And when the sun sets,

he rests where he is.

18.86

Rooted in Being,

no thought of being born or reborn,

the great soul is indifferent

to the death or birth of his body.

18.87

The wise one stands alone,

caring for nothing,

bereft of possessions.

He goes where he will,

unhindered by opposites,

his doubts rent asunder.

He is truly blessed.

18.88

The wise one has no sense of “mine.”

To him earth, stone and gold are the same.

The knots of his heart have unraveled.

He knows neither ignorance nor sorrow.

He is excellent in every way.

18.89

The liberated soul

has no desire in his heart.

He is content and indifferent.

He has no equal.

18.90

Only one free of desire

knows nothing of knowing,

says nothing needs saying,

sees nothing to see.

18.91

He who is without desire excels,

be he beggar or king.

He no longer sees good or bad.

18.92

What is lust or restraint,

or the desire for Truth

to the yogi who has reached life’s goal,

and who embodies virtue and sincerity?

18.93

The inner experience of one

who is free of desire and suffering,

who is content and reposes in Self--

how can it be described,

and of whom?

18.94

The wise one’s state never varies.

Sleeping soundly, he is not asleep.

Lying in reverie, he is not dreaming.

Eyes open, he is not wakeful.

18.95

The man of Knowledge seems to think,

but has no thoughts.

He seems to have sense perceptions,

but does not experience.

He seems to have intelligence,

but is empty-minded.

He appears to be a person,

but is not.

18.96

The man of Knowledge

is neither happy nor miserable,

neither detached nor attached,

neither liberated nor seeking liberation.

He is neither this nor that.

18.97

Even while distracted the blessed one is still.

In meditation, he does not meditate.

In ignorance, he remains clear.

Though learned, he knows nothing.

18.98

The liberated one,

who abides unconditionally in Self,

who is free of the concept of action and duty,

who is always and everywhere the same,

is desireless.

He does not worry

about what he did or did not do.

18.99

The wise one is neither pleased by praise,

nor annoyed by blame.

He neither rejoices in life

nor fears death.

18.100

One of tranquil mind

seeks neither crowds nor wilderness.

He is the same wherever he goes.

19: Repose in the Self

Janaka said:

19.1

With the tongs of Truth

I have plucked the thorn of thinking

from the innermost cave

of my heart.

19.2

Where is meditation, pleasure,

prosperity or discrimination?

Where is duality?

Where even is Unity?

I abide in the glory of Self.

19.3

Where is past and future,

or even present?

Where is space, or even eternity?

I abide in the glory of Self.

19.4

Where is Self?

Where is not-Self?

Where is good and evil, confusion and clarity?

I abide in the glory of Self.

19.5

Where is sleeping, dreaming, waking,

or even the fourth state?

Where is fear?

I abide in the glory of Self.

19.6

Where is close or far,

in or out,

gross or subtle?

I abide in the glory of Self.

19.7

Where is life and death?

Where is the world and worldly relations?

Where is distraction and stillness?

I abide in the glory of Self.

19.8

There is no need to talk about

the three ends of life.

To talk of yoga is purposeless.

Even talking about Truth is irrelevant.

I rest in Self alone.

20: Liberation-in-Life

Janaka said:

20.1

Where are the elements, the body,

the organs, the mind?

Where is the void?

Where is despair?

My nature is transparent clearness.

20.2

Where is scripture?

Where is Self-knowledge?

Where is no-mind?

Where is contentment and freedom from desire?

I am empty of two-ness.

20.3

Where is Knowledge and ignorance?

Where is “I”?

Where is “this”?

Where is “mine”?

Where is bondage and liberation?

Self has no attributes.

20.4

Where is the unfolding of karma?

Where is liberation-in-life,

or even liberation at death?

There is only One.

20.5

Where is the doer or enjoyer?

Where is the origin or end of thought?

Where is direct or reflected knowledge?

There is no person here.

20.6

Where is the world?

Where is the seeker of liberation”

Where is the contemplative?

Where is the man of Knowledge?

Where is the soul in bondage?

Where is the liberated soul?

My nature is Unity.

20.7

Where are creation and destruction?

Where is the end and the means?

Where is the seeker?

Where is attainment?

I am One.

20.8

Where is the knower?

Where is knowing?

Where is the known, or knowledge itself?

Where is anything?

Where is nothing?

I am pure Awareness.

20.9

Where is distraction, concentration,

knowledge or delusion?

Where is joy or sorrow?

I am Stillness.

20.10

Where is the relative?

Where the transcendent?

Where is happiness or misery?

I am empty of thought.

20.11

Where is illusion?

Where is existence?

Where is attachment or non-attachment?

Where is person?

Where is God?

I am Awareness.

20.12

Where is activity or inactivity?

Where is liberation or bondage?

I am timeless, indivisible.

I am Self alone.

20.13

Where are principles and scriptures?

Where is the disciple or teacher?

Where is the reason for life?

I am boundless, Absolute.

20.14

Where is existence or non-existence?

Where is Unity or duality?

Nothing emanates from me.

No more can be said.