Mind & Happiness 147

In Nāṉ Yār? "Who am I ?", the qualification of the word "Knowledge" by the addition of the defining clause "that stands detached [separated or alone] having done nēti [by thinking] that all the above things are not 'I' " is potentially misleading, because it could create the impression that simply by thinking nēti nēti, "not thus, not thus" or "this is not I, this is not I", we can detach our

Essential Consciousness or Knowledge "I exist" from everything with which we now confuse it.

In fact, many "scholars" who attempt to explain the ancient texts of vēdānta, which often describe this process of nēti nēti or negation of all that is not our Real Self, interpret it to be the actual means by which we can attain Self-Knowledge.  However, the Sages who first taught the rational

process of Self-Analysis called nēti nēti did not intend it to be understood as the actual technique of practical or empirical research, but only as the "theoretical" basis upon which the empirical technique of ātma-vicāra or Self-Investigation should be based.

The rational & analytical process which is described in the ancient texts of vēdānta as nēti nēti or "not thus, not thus" is essentially a "logical" analysis of our experience of our Self.  If we do not 1^st critically analyze our experience of our Self in this manner, we would not be able to understand either the reason why we should seek true self-knowledge, or what exactly we should scrutinize in order to know our Real Self.

So long as we imagine that we are really our physical Body, our thinking Mind or any other object, we will imagine that we can know our self by attending to such things, & hence we will not be able to understand what is really meant by the terms ātma-vicāra, Self-Investigation, Self-Examination, Self-Scrutiny, Self-Inquiry, Self-Attention, Self-Attentiveness, or Self-Remembrance.

Only when we understand the essential theory that we are nothing other than our Fundamental Non-Dual Self-Consciousness – our adjunct-free Consciousness of our own mere Existence, which we experience just as "I exist" & not as "I am this" – will we be able to understand what actually is the "Self" or "I" that we should scrutinize or attend to.

Once we have understood that we are truly not our physical Body, not our thinking Mind, nor any other object known by us, we should not continue thinking, "this Body is not I", "this Mind is not I", & so on, but should withdraw our attention from all such things, & focus it wholly & exclusively upon our real & Essential Existence.

We cannot know our Real Self by thinking [even in negating] of anything that is not "I", but only by investigating, scrutinizing, or attending keenly to that which is really "I" – to that which we really are, to our Essential Existence.  Unless we withdraw our attention entirely from all other things, we will not be able to focus it wholly & exclusively upon our Essential Existence, which we always experience as "I exist".  Unless we focus it thus upon our Essential Existence, we will not be able to attain the Non-Dual experience of true Self-Knowledge.

The above themes & 2500 pages more are freely available as perused or downloaded PDF’s, the sole occupants of a Public Microsoft Skydrive “Public Folder” accessible through  www.jpstiga.com 

short-cut: http://sdrv.ms/YPOgkX or http://tinyurl.com/nnyyr58  link directly to free E-book PDF files

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Different blogs available on:

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"There is no Creation, no Destruction, no Bondage, no longing to be freed from Bondage, no striving for Liberation, nor anyone who has attained Liberation. Know that this to be Ultimate Truth."

–  the "no creation" school of Gaudapada, Shankara, Ramana, Nome – Ajata Vada

 for very succinct summary of the teaching & practice, see:  www.ajatavada.com/

[A brief note of explanation – the other Blog noted below is entitled "Non-Duality & Science", & so the more Science oriented pages (from what I like to think of as a "comic book") have been posted there, while other chapters have been posted here. Science is a mental discipline that attracts some worthy admirers & participators.  Some of these, too few, are good prospects for the ancient teaching introduced here in many ways.  Otherwise certain Science topics like the Anthropic Principle, reinforce the general Theism which is a good idea in this materialistic age. A few other topics in Science, such as the Copenhagen II – Max Born – Von Neumann – Wigner model of Quantum Mechanics, are worthy entries to the extent that they introduce Consciousness into the physical Sciences. All that aside, the real topic here is the pinnacle as Advaita Vedanta, Non-Duality – that pinnacle being Ajata Vada, No–Creation. The great Teachers of the same include Sri Shankara & Sri Ramana Maharshi.  Both would support Theism in general & adaptations of Vedanta, such as Vishishtadvaita Vedanta – Qualified Non-Duality, for those not making headway in Ajata Vada, their present course of growth might be better served with a temporary involvement in Qualified Non-Duality. The scientist who perhaps best expresses the influence of Qualified Non-Duality in Science, for instance, would be the quintessential "New–Age" Quantum Physicist, Amit Goswami. And so to that source, & the Quantum Activism he currently advocates [with a 1–course  degree program], along with more than a half-dozen good books & former participation in the controversial What the Bleep movie, to him I extend enthusiastic endorsement, for that Qualified Non-Duality described in the context of Science.  I do not stand so much "with him", as much as nearby saluting his good work. Again, as here, the goal is inserting Consciousness into Science & "saving the World."]

also:  Most of this material will be long searchable via "John Stiga" etc, on the "Wayback Machine" Internet Archive.

Also related to these topics, there are now 8 Kindle books on "Amazon.com", reference-able by the author "John Stiga", each indicated as non–copyrighted, public–domain, & priced at the minimum $0.99 each.