Who are you? excerpt from The Blessed Life

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Excerpt from "The Blessed Life" pg 148-149:

 

Once Lord Rama asked Hanuman, "Who are you?"

 

Hanuman's reply beautifully illustrates the various perspectives

from which we can approach the Supreme: "Oh Lord, when I think that

I am this body, I am Your servant. When I think of myself as ajiva

(individual soul), I am part of You. When I think of myself as the

Atman, I am You. This is my conviction."

 

Hanuman knew that his relationship to the Lord depended on how broad

a perspective he was able to take.

 

Through reflection we come to understand that we are not the limited

body, mind and intellect, but the limitless Consciousness. When we

have become intellectually convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that

this is the Truth, we have to assimilate this teaching so deeply

that we transcend our mistaken identification with the body, mind

and intellect and become completely identified with Consciousness.

This process is called nidhidhyasanam or contemplation.

 

In contemplation, the disciple makes a habit of continuously

thinking, in and through each and every action, each and every

experience, "I am not the body or the mind-I am the pure

Consciousness without beginning or end." Our response to any given

situation, if one is called for, should be guided by that Truth.

Through continuously maintaining thoughts of the Master's teachings

and sincerely following the Master's instructions, the disciple

becomes pure enough to realize the Truth. The Realized Master is

like a matchbox, while the fully matured disciple is like a dry

matchstick-a slight friction with the matchbox and it catches fire.

However, only the grace and guidance of the Master can take the

disciple to this fully matured state.

 

page 146: The Guru rebuked the disciple, saying "Though I have told

you hundreds of times over the past so many years 'You are not the

body, the mind or the intellect, you are the Supreme Consciousness,'

you never believed me. When your brother called you a monkey just

once, you believed him."

~ end of excerpt ~

 

Amma has told us many times that we are not the body, mind,

intellect, thoughts, ego but the Supreme Self. See Awaken Children

Vol 7 Chapters 2-4

 

One example how this knowledge taken seriously to heart resulted in

Awakening:

Nisargadatta's Master told him "You are not what you take yourself

to be( i.e. not the body, not the mind ); your are the Supreme

Self." Nisargadatta believed his Master and contemplated on this

truth remembering his Master's Face with reverence and devotion.

And, in only three years Awakened to his true nature. (this is from

memory from book "I Am That")

 

Amma Bless,

amarnath