KNOW THYSELF

Know ‘thyself - Know that ‘you’ current self, are the doorway to your Infinite Self!
Know ‘Thyself” – Knowing The Infinite Self that you are, enables you to better understand and live as current self!

Know Thyself: The God self/Consciousness that you are… and the limited self that you are not!

Know Thyself: And how do we do this? The answer is in blending what may appear opposite approaches, but truly one complements the other. One path emphasizes becoming aware of the Infinite Self that we intrinsically are- and even as we do this, become aware of, and increasingly focus on this ‘Self’ …we increasingly become one with authentic Self and Its states of being- Love, joyfulness, peace, freedom, stillness, surrender and empowerment . And with time, whatever is not in sync with this ‘new’ Self…automatically starts to subside…. where there is light…darkness cannot be.
The second approach accentuates a different kind of awareness…and calls our attention to becoming cognizant of self… our subconscious conditioning, the goblins of fear and redundant pathways contained within our mind… all that we are not….! And like cobwebs disintegrate when shown the light…this awareness cuts through them laser like …and self starts to dissolve …

Different people and at different stages … are enabled by different combinations of self and/or Self enquiry! But yes some degree of ‘self’ enquiry enables the Self enquiry phase! Yet if it is accompanied by some degree of Self enquiry...this enables the self enquiry! Otherwise one can get stuck in the self enquiry stage...therapy…focus on what’s not fine...focus on the past ...on what you are not! But there are no cut off points...both in tandem work best according to me... and at some point as Self enquiry develops...the self is automatically getting healed and thus is self enquiry not required so much ...! But however much we may progress in Self enquiry...the basics of self enquiry remain the firm grounding and stuff to keep coming back to...

Thus the journey is self to Self inquiry! Initially self enquiry is needed...then we come to the gnosis all is as it should be … we know everything is our own soul plan...we know its for our higher better good... we know its all a play of consciousness...we understand there is no personal doer... etc and in that we automatically rest...there is a deep acceptance even if we cant know why...and thus surrender happens...and that phase of self inquiry which got us here isn't required anymore!

The self enquiry then changes from self (current ego self) enquiry.... to Self (Infinite Authentic Self) enquiry... focus on Self... unceasing awareness of Self....Be the effect...and the causes will follow! So when we become aware of and focus on Authentic Self... we ...with time...automatically move from self to Self. “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the sea.”-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

There are various ways to incorporate the two approaches:. So i mention but a few with no strict delineations :

The first approach- awareness and focus on SELF- comprises of : out spiritual journeys, the eastern approach, tantra (path of positivity), surrender to divine will, focus on  the Now, meditation, chanting, Self enquiry, gyan, bhakti , kriya (the Vedas and Upanishads enable this)

The other path- awareness and focus on all that makes up self – comprises of : awareness of/delving into ones subconscious and conditioning, self analyses;  the psychological approach; the western approach; looking into the past to understand and release it, working on self ( the many self help techniques and books cover this aspect)

Often one starts with the latter...but we must not get stuck there... and must incorporate the former at some point for true spiritual growth ! And yet the risk of using only the former is that sometimes it remains abstract ...out there gyan... and one doesn't really work on or change self!

KNOW THYSELF -2

The move from ‘know thyself’ (who am i) - to ‘Knowing Thyself’ (I Am God/Consciousness) - to ‘That’ which knows … (A series of inner shifts: (often overlapping, zig zagging backwards/forwards and straddling different stages)

-The shift from the chaos of ignorance, to the passionate effort of seeking, to the lightness of effortlessness …

-The shift from confusion, to correct choice, to choicelessness …

-The shift from powerlessness & helplessness, to empowered creator & manifestation, to surrender of the perfection of everything as it is…

-The shift from blame & guilt, to complete self responsibility, to the freedom of non doership …

-The shift from destiny, to free will, to (The One) Divine Will…

-The shift from feeling lost, to the chuckle of finding Self (in the vital role of the cosmic play), to awakening from it…

-The shift from ‘my karma’, to impersonal ‘cause and effect’, to dissolution of identity and thus liberation from a track of cause and effect /wheel of samsara

-The shift from self, to Self, to Non self…

-The shift from manas (thinking- individuated mind), to Buddhi (Higher Universal Mind), to Mindlessness …

-The shift from limited personal identity (ego notion), to expanded personal consciousness (I Am Creator- All That Is), to Universal Impersonal Consciousness (Pure Awareness –No thingness)

-The move from I am no one, to I Am God ….to That… I Am…

These are all points along the one continuum … and each truth becomes our experiential rather than academic truth … does it automatically lead to the next! Thus the first phase brings us in touch with our divinity and expanding into All That Is… and the second phase is Its spontaneous dissolution into nothingness! Paradoxically the more firmly you can establish as Self (the first phase) the more automatically and deeper does the second phase ‘just happen’.

We can also say: The first stage leads to crucification of the self/ego notion... and the second to the resurrection of Self...That I Am...

Of course in the deepest sense there is no arriving ...there is no journey.... there is no where to go or reach... these are all words to describe the in-describable... and when we get in touch with that ... we go beyond the words like we get off any bridge….we understand the terms for what they are and get stuck not in them…