Posts in Category: OneCircle Talks
Easy to Discuss
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Maharaj: So for two days we’ve discussed some things about spirituality, and you’ve got the basic knowledge. I don’t want to repeat the same thing again and again. Just, you have to absorb the knowledge, try to know Reality. You know better what to do and what not to do. Just to identify oneself. It is easy to discuss about Spirituality. It’s a little bit difficult, but not impossible (to absorb the knowledge).
See, this human body (inaudible). We’re having so many concepts, illusory concepts. And since childhood till today we’ve embraced all the concepts and are living within the circle of the concepts. You are to cross the circle of all the concepts. The mind is there, the ego is there, the intellect is also there, they are the functioning parts, they’re not bad. But we are giving so much importance to the mind, ego, intellect. So, not to become a victim of the flow of thoughts. Thoughts are flowing, it’s they’re nature. And therefore, just to identify yourself. It’s open fact that you’re not the body at all, the body is not your identity at all. Though we are knowing all these things, again and again we are repeating the same thing: we’re trying to extract happiness from this body-knowledge, and unless body-knowledge dissolves you’re not able to identify yourself in a real sense, it’s a fact.
You are not required to go anywhere, don’t expect anybody’s blessings. You are Ultimate Truth, you are Final Truth, except your Self, nothing is there. Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master is the name given to the Ultimate Truth which is already within you. The Invisible Listener within you is Master, Ultimate Truth. And just to identify yourself in a real sense, you are to undergo the discipline of meditation, in the beginning only. It’s the only source. You go anywhere in the world, if you approach so many Masters, if you read so many books, nothing. It will give temporary relief, pain-killers, temporary intoxication.
So what do we want exactly? If we’re not knowing what we want, we’re roaming here and there. We’re giving trouble to the body, torture to the body. And therefore, today’s concluding lecture is that: try to identify the Invisible Listener within you which is Ultimate Truth. The master-key is meditation. As I’ve told you, it is the anti-virus software. All illusory concepts are supposed to be dissolved totally. Until you’ve got the Conviction that ‘I am not the body, I was not the body, I’m not going to remain the body’, that Reality will not be clear.
Try to Absorb the Reality
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You’re self-sufficient. But we are always underestimating ourself, thinking something is there, some supernatural power is there regulating all this world. As I said, do not underestimate yourself. Your Selfless Self is very strong. There’s no birth, no death, these are concepts. Nobody knows ‘I am born’, nobody knows ‘I am dying’. Death and birth are connected with the body-knowledge only. You’re never the body, you’re not the body at all, it’s a fact. You’re unborn. The sky is having birth and death? The sky knows hell or heaven? Good deed, bad deed, bad energy, good energy, what is... We’ve made a circle and within that circle we are trying to live. Break the circle. For which again I am repeating: meditation is the base at the beginning stage. Only discussion, dry discussion on spirituality, playing with the various spiritual words is meaningless. You can do it! You’ve got tremendous power! You’re not separate from God, Brahman, Atman, Paramatman. The Invisible Listener is having tremendous power, it is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman. Be with you all the time. You do your job, you do your duties, not to neglect your health also, not to neglect your family life. Be practical. But at the same time try to identify yourself in a real sense.
Yes? Anybody having any question? Be free, don’t worry about it! Okay.
Q: Maharaj?
Maharaj: Yes?
Q: How do you practice self-enquiry? How is the process?
Maharaj: Self-enquiry just means we are unaware of our identity. “Who am I?” Self-enquiry starts because “Who am I”? Though it is called ‘Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God’, we are not knowing what is Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. Because so many concepts are engraved upon us from childhood till today we have accepted and are acting within that circle of concepts. The questioner itself is Ultimate Truth, you just forgot your identity.
You can do it! It’s not impossible, not difficult, you just have you to devote some time. It is free of charge, no charge is there. It’s your knowledge, the Listener’s knowledge, not the knowledge of Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. The Listener, Invisible Listener is not knowing ‘I am somebody else’, ‘Brahman’, ‘Atman’. Through meditation you hammering all the time ‘I am Brahman’, ‘Soham’, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ these are the words. Considering the sensitivity of the Spirit, words are given. Spirit is very sensitive. If anyone says “You are donkey”, you are slapping him, insulting him. If anyone says “You are Brahman”— “Oh, how can I be Brahman?” For which you are not required to…You just have to involve yourself, try to absorb the Reality.
Golden Opportunity
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Q: What type of meditation is (inaudible), whether ask the self ‘Who am I?’ or meditate on the ‘Brahman’ (mantra)?
Maharaj: You are to recite some mantra, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘I am Brahman, I am Brahman’, like that, or ‘Soham’, there are so many. Every lineage is having some different words. The principle behind it is that through those words you are identifying yourself. ‘I am Brahman’, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘Soham’, ‘Sivoham’, these are the words. They are key-words, through which you are hammering your Selfless Self. All the time I am living as a man or woman, limitations, body limitations are there. Your Presence is beyond that, beyond sky. The entire world is projected out of your Presence. If there is no Presence who will talk about the world, who will talk about the God? To say ‘God’, your Presence is required. To identify God your Presence is required. When did you come across with the God? Be free (to reply). If there is no Presence in the body can I identify ‘Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, Master’? Any relations are there?
Nothing is impossible.
Yes?
Q: So why is the realization of Ultimate Truth so scarce and rare…
Maharaj: See, ‘Realization’ means Conviction. Realization means Spontaneous Conviction. At present we are saying “I am somebody else”, “I am man or woman”, that is illusion. So I’m talking about that Realization, Spontaneous Conviction: ‘I am Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master, I am nothing to do with the world’.
This is an illusory world. The moment Presence clicked with the body you see the world. Where is the world prior to beingness? That means the entire world is projected out of your Presence. Therefore I define it as ‘Unidentified’ Identity, ‘Invisible’ Identity, ‘Anonymous’ Identity which cannot be defined, cannot be guessed, cannot be imagined. This Reality is supposed to be absorbed totally. Only dry discussion on spirituality will not help you. And the human body is a golden opportunity to identify yourself.
Q: Is there any specific way to do meditation and bhajans?
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Q: Is there any specific way to do meditation?
Maharaj: Meditation just means concentration and involvement. Not sitting like this: ‘Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram…’, not like this. Try to identify who is acting within this body. Just sit, calm and quiet, to see what’s happening. Who is witnessing the thoughts? Who is watching the dream? Who is that? It’s not the body at all. It’s called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, the name given to the Supernatural Power.
Q: So, meditating…
Maharaj: Meditation means just to identify yourself. Invite the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Brahman! Except your Self, nothing is there.
Whatever knowledge we’re having is body-based knowledge. This is a food-body, it’s not going to remain constant. There are stages: you’re a child, then grown up as young man, then you become an old man, and some or other day, willingly or unwillingly you have to leave the body! What remains? After leaving the body, what remains? Nothing. So everything came out of nothing and dissolves back into nothing. What remains? How were you prior to beingness? “I don’t know”. After leaving the body? “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means that in a negative thought, a positive concept, a positive Reality is there. “I’m not in any form, I’m formless, I’m shapeless. My Presence is there, just like sky or space: everywhere”.
Q: And the same question about the bhajans…
Maharaj: Yes, yes, prayers, bhajans, which are required, because this is the weak point (sensitive point) of the Spirit, of spirituality. It creates an atmosphere. We’re playing with the various instruments, it’s creating an atmosphere. It’s ‘sattva guna’, three gunas are there: ‘sattva guna’, ‘raja guna’, ‘tamo guna’, you know? Spiritual science says this.
Q: Is it a specific kind of bhajan, or any general bhajan?
Maharaj: Any bhajan through which you are getting happiness, peacefulness, not a specific bhajan.. In our lineage we have bhajans. The purpose behind that: you should be one with your Selfless Self. There will be spontaneous peacefulness, not artificial peacefulness, not a material cause of peacefulness. Peacefulness is there, happiness is there, a tension-free life is there. And therefore I am insisting not to measure yourself in body-form, not to underestimate your Selfless Self. That grand secret is within you. We’re ignoring ourself. We’ve got so many expectations, so many concepts. We like to live within the circle of concepts – you have to break the circle.
And this courage you’ll get out of meditation only. And I’ve repeatedly told you, meditation is not only sitting like this (Maharaj pretends to meditate), it is involvement. This body is called ‘man’, this body is called ‘woman’, and we accepted it, we’re acting as a woman or a man. You’re watching the dream as a woman or man, we’re totally absorbed. Your parents told you this body is called ‘man’ or ‘woman’ and we totally accepted it. Master says you are not woman, you are not man, you are Brahman! But we don’t accept it. You are the Supernatural Power. You’ve got tremendous power, hidden power, which you’re ignoring all the way. Then you will be fearless, no tension will be there.
What is the purpose behind spirituality? To live a tension-free life, peaceful life, happy life, fearless life. Everybody is having fear of the death: “What will happen?”. After knowing the Reality:“I’m not going to die, there’s no birth and death to me. It’s connected to the body only, and I’m not the body at all and I’m not going to remain the body at all!”, it’s fact.
Q: Why is one Brahma willing to harm another Brahma if we are one and the same?
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Q: If all of us are Brahmans, the Brahma itself, is that correct? That’s the premise? Is that we are all…
Maharaj: It’s a fact! You’re measuring yourself in body-form! Bodies are different, bodies are different…
Q: No problem, so that’s the premise. So the question that is begged is: why is one Brahma willing to harm another Brahma if we are one and the same?
Maharaj: Because it is body-based knowledge. Brahma is not harming anything. Is the sky harming any sky? American sky is harming some Indian sky? Sky doesn’t know ‘I am sky’, Presence doesn’t know ‘I am Presence,’ Brahman does not know ‘I am Brahman’. Brahman is a word given to that Ultimate Truth that you are. The Invisible Listener within you is Ultimate Truth, it is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. It is not an individual, there’s no duality at all.
Q: So then can one say that it’s okay for this Brahman to harm this Brahman?
Maharaj: No, no, no “Okay I am Brahman I will harm another Brahman”, there’s no two different Brahman.
Q: Okay, so it’s one Brahman, right, but bodies, there are two separate bodies. If I harm this body in some way do I just turn around and say it’s okay because we’re all one and the same?
Maharaj: Egoistic concepts are there, ‘I am somebody else’. That ‘somebody’ is supposed to be dissolved. Brahman is not harming anybody else.
Q: But if harm should happen, which you, I think, said earlier, was that nothing is really being done, no deeds are being done, ultimately.
Maharaj: There’s no doer there’s no deed. So far we’re measuring ourselves in body-form, all these concepts appear. I’m talking about that invisible Presence within you, where nothing is there, no thoughts are there, no concepts are there. The concept ‘Brahman’ is also not there. And as I told, the name ‘Brahman’ is given to that Ultimate Truth. Except your Selfless Self there is no Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master. So Brahman is not harming some other, “this Brahman is different, this Brahman is different”.
Q: Okay, so in other words, what you do to others you’re doing to yourself, right?
Maharaj: So far you’re considering yourself in body-form these concepts appear. No other is there. Because we are measuring in body-form, therefore ‘he’ is there, ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’ is there, and all concepts appear. Prior to beingness any of these things are there? Prior beingness or after leaving the body, are you finding any different things?
Q: So, somebody who does do harm to another…
Maharaj: When did you come across with somebody? Prior to beingness who ‘somebody’ was there?
After leaving body any ‘somebody’ is there?
Q: …body, body, if this body harms…
Maharaj: (Smiling) I’m shouting…I’m shouting at you…because you’re measuring yourself in body-form therefore you say different bodies are there. Different houses are there, sky is one. This is called a bungalow, this is a cottage, something, something, names are given. If all the houses collapse what happens to the sky? Is it going to hell or heaven? And therefore I’m telling you not to measure yourself in body-form, it’s the basic thing. Since we are measuring ourselves in body-form, so many concepts appear. Bodies are different. After one hundred years what will happen to all these bodies? Even if you think intellectually – how were you prior to one hundred years, you say “I don’t know”, your answer will be: “I don’t know”. How are you after one hundred years – “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means “I’m not in any form, not in any shape”. As I told some of you: You’re alone in the house, and somebody knocks on the door “Anybody there?”, you say “Nobody’s there”. Correct? You want to say “I am here, except myself nobody’s there”, that’s the only thing. Except your Selfless Self, nothing is there.
And therefore I am insisting on meditation. Meditation means concentration, full involvement. For which there are no restrictions, no bondage is there. This is the base, foundation. Because only listening is meaningless, it is a temporary relief, painkillers. Temporary intoxication.
The human body is an opportunity for you to identify yourself. Every moment is very important, it’s valuable. Complete concentration, complete involvement is most important. We’re not accepting it. Everybody knows ‘I am not body at all’, everybody knows. Some or other day, willingly or unwillingly we are to leave this body, what remains?
Q: Maharaj, why are we so scared to find this Ultimate Truth?
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Because you’re Master of mind! So far mind was dictating us “do this thing, do that thing”, now we are dictating to the mind. It can happen. Mind, ego, intellect, these are only functioning organs. And after having Conviction you will be thoughtless, no thoughts will be there. And therefore for which, again I am repeating, meditation is the base, the foundation, which you are neglecting, you are not knowing.
Yes?
Q: Maharaj, why are we so scared to find this Ultimate Truth?
Maharaj: Not like that. Because we are having so many concepts engraved upon us we are having some strong concepts: ‘I am somebody else’, ‘man’ or ‘woman’. And to dissolve all these concepts, again, you have to undergo the meditation. After having the Conviction that ‘I am not the body at all, I was not the body at all, I’m not going to remain the body at all, I am unborn, death and birth are connected with the body only, all desires are connected with the body only”. You are beyond that. So there won’t be any depression, there won’t be any negative thoughts. It is not your fault. Because since childhood till today we’ve had a long association with the body, thousands of concepts have been engraved upon us. And we are trying to live within the circle of those concepts, we are having some limitation. Our thinking process is also within the circle of limitation, ‘I am somebody else’, ‘I am a man or woman, somebody else’.
Egoistic Meditation
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Q: Could you please say something about any practice that is silent, without words, that supports the aware Presence in recognizing itself?
Maharaj: After having Conviction, silence will be there, spontaneous silence is there. Therefore I am insisting on meditation. Because, there is no silence because we are having so many concepts, body-based concepts. Directly or indirectly we’ve become a victim of our mind, ego, intellect. For which you have to identify yourself in a real sense. It’s fact, forget about spirituality. You were not the body at all, you’re not the body, you’re not going to remain the body, the body is not your identity at all. Even if you think intellectually, it’s open fact. What is the value of this body? If there is no Presence for a moment, what is the value of this body? Nothing. And therefore I am insisting on meditation all the time, involvement. Considering the sensitivity of the Spirit or Presence, the words are given ‘Soham’ or some ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘Sivoham, these are the words. Key-words, you see, key-words.
Q: Maharaj?
Maharaj: Yes?
Q: Naam (inaudible) should be recited continuously at all times once one has received initiation?
Maharaj: You have to recite the Naam Mantra all the time continuously, at any moment. You need not sit all the time here like this (Maharaj pretends to meditate). You do your job, do your duties, no restrictions, no bondage is there. What you are doing, whatever you are doing, you recite the Mantra, the Naam Mantra, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘Brahman I am, Brahman’, like that.
Q: And it will still the mind so that the mind is not all over the place all the time.
Maharaj: Mind is always pricking from the backside. When you’re concentrating on the Mantra, concentrating on ‘Brahman’, it’s a kind of cleaning process. Mind will not allow you to concentrate on yourself. Mind is nothing but the flow of thoughts. We are giving importance to the mind – there’s no mind at all, no mind, ego, intellect. They came along with the body only, they appeared upon your Presence. If your Presence is not there, where is the mind, ego, intellect? But directly or indirectly we are becoming victims of the mind, ego, intellect. We are giving so much importance to mind, ego, intellects: “Not to go against my mind”.
Q: Maharaj?
Maharaj: Yes?
Q: May I ask another question?
Maharaj: Yes, yes, ask a question.
Q: I (inaudible) with Vipassana meditation, which does not involve mantras, it is basically observing your breath, observing your body sensations. What are your thoughts on that?
Maharaj: This is a temporary relief. ‘Vipassana’, so many concepts are there. Temporary relief. So far you are doing Vipassana for a time, one week, two week, one month, after leaving the Vipassana again you come to the same place.
Q: But what if you practice Vipassana everyday? I mean, what are your thoughts on Vipassana versus…
Maharaj: The Principle behind Vipassana or any practice is just do identify yourself in a real sense. Whatever practice you are doing, is just for the principle that you identify yourself in a real sense. This is only a process: Vipassana is a process, meditation is also a process. But meditation is a strong process through which you can identify yourself as early as possible.
Q: But in Vipassana meditation there is no mantra…
Maharaj: You (go ahead and) do Vipassana meditation, but you are posing yourself in body-form and then doing some Vipassana meditation, so it is meaningless. “I am somebody else, I’m doing Vipassana meditation”, it is egoistic meditation. You are to forget your body-identity. “I am doing some sadhana, I am doing some meditation” – that ‘I’ is supposed to be dissolved, for which meditation is there. Through meditation you are inviting the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Ultimate Truth, you are Final Truth. Non-stop hammering yourself. At the advanced stage, meditation is no longer required. After having Conviction, no meditation is required. Meditation is only a process for the time being., till you’ve got Conviction, Spontaneous Conviction.
Who Am I?
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Q: The ‘I am’ wants, Keith wants peacefulness…
Maharaj: That ‘I am’ concept appeared upon your Presence. If your Presence is not there who will have anything to say about ‘I am’. To say ‘I am’ that Invisible Presence, Power, Energy, is required. If there’s no Presence inside, a dead body can’t say ‘I am’.
Q: Correct, yeah.
Maharaj: Correct. To see this world, if the seer is not there, what is the use of the seen? The entire seen is reflected out of your Presence. The entire seen is reflected out of your Presence, Spontaneous Presence. To say something your Presence is required. I’ve given the name ‘Presence’. To identify something you have to give some name – ‘Brahman’, ‘Atman’, Paramatman’, ‘God’, ‘Master’ – these are the names given to the Supernatural Power within you. I’m inviting the attention of the Invisible Listener within you that is called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, Master, that it is not separate from you. No to underestimate you. You have great power, you’ve got tremendous power. But all the time we are measuring ourself in body-form and that is illusion. It’s not your fault. Because of long association with the body we’ve got so much attraction, we’ve become one with the body. Whatever happens we accept it: “I’m somebody else”.
You are Ultimate Truth, it’s fact. You are unborn. Birth and death are connected with the body-knowledge only, not to you. But we’re not accepting the facts. And therefore some involvement is required. Not to torture your body. Why torture the body for knowing your Self? The thing which is already within you, why to torture it? Give some time, some involvement is required: “Yes, I want to know myself! Who am I?”, you’ll get courage. “If I am not the body, who am I?”, ask the question. That question is supposed to be solved within you only.
Feel the Pain and the Fear about the World?
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Q: If one is no longer identified with the body, and knows what they are, will they no longer feel the pain and the fear about the world?
Maharaj: Therefore you are to undergo the meditation. Fear because we are developing body-concepts. What is the fear?
Q: I mean, responsibility for acting in the world…
Maharaj: Okay. Yes, yes, of course. You’ll get courage out of spirituality. After having Identification, you’ll get the courage how to live your family life, your routine life. For which spirituality is there. Because directly or indirectly, our mind is pricking from the backside. The mind, ego, intellect is pricking from the backside. When you’re getting very close, closer and closer to the Selfless Self, the mind and ego are pricking from the backside, trying to distract you from the Reality. You have to be alert. Particularly in meditation, some negative concepts are appearing, some negative atmosphere appears. Be firm with you, you know the Reality. It’s the nature of the mind. Mind, ego, intellect appeared upon your Presence. Your Spontaneous Invisible Presence is supplying power to the mind, ego, intellect. Not to become a victim of the mind, ego, intellect, you can use them. You’re no longer a slave of the mind, ego, intellect, you’re Master of the mind, ego, intellect, you can control it. You know good thoughts and bad thoughts are appearing, it’s their nature. Thoughts which are to be accepted, thoughts which are not to be accepted is up to you, you’re Master of thoughts. Not to give cognisance to any egoistic thoughts or illusory thoughts. Thoughts are appearing, it’s their nature. Good thoughts appearing, bad thoughts appearing. They are clouds, coming and going. You are there and there only.
Have the Conviction that the body is not your identity at all. Where were the depressions prior to beingness? After leaving the body, any depression is there? It’s a fact, some day or other, willingly or unwillingly, we have to leave this body. It’s a dead body. What is the value of this body? Because of your Spontaneous Presence you say ‘I’. To say ‘I’ your Presence is required. Without Presence, what is the value of the body? – “take it away, take it away”. To see this world the seer is required.
So, you are the central point. You are the source of all this world. To say ‘this world’, to say ‘God’, the identification given by the Presence is required. If there’s no Presence who will talk about the world, who will talk about all relations?
Is this a sequence that happens over time, or can it happen all at once?
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So today, if you want to ask any questions, you can ask questions, not to hesitate. Okay, does anybody have any questions?
Yes, yes.
Q: I’ve been taught that the Vedic understanding of the evolution of consciousness…first we have to understand who we are, the unbounded Awareness, and then the perception over time refines to perceive finer and finer levels of creation until one perceives the Infinite. In all of creation (inaudible) sees that, is no different than that which I am. Is this a sequence that happens over time, or can it happen all at once?
Maharaj: Nothing is happening. This is the Spontaneous Projection of your Ultimate Truth. Nothing has happened, and nothing’s going to happen. You are not the doer, there’s no deed at all. So, not to measure yourself in body-form. So far we are measuring ourselves in body-form, and that is illusion. So many questions are raised, appear upon your Presence. Try to identify that Invisible Presence within you. You are not the body, there’s no shape, there’s no nothing…You’re formless, you’re unborn! How were you prior to beingness? After leaving the body, any question remains? No. What is the value of this knowledge? Knowledge means just to identify oneself in a real sense. We’re identifying ourself in body-form and that is illusion, it’s a simple thing.
There are so many books on spirituality, and so many Masters also. We’re not here to analyze the words of the Masters, the spiritual words. What was the message they gave, that is most important, the conclusion of all spiritual knowledge. This one sentence: except your Selfless Self there is no God, no Brahman, no Atman, no Paramatman, no Master. This is the one message given in all spirituality.
To have Conviction, to absorb this knowledge, you have to undergo the basics of meditation. There isn’t any other source. Question, counter-question, analyzation, it’s okay.
Yes?
Q2: Is there any specific way to do meditation?
Maharaj: Meditation just means concentration and involvement. Not sitting like this: ‘Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram…’, not like this. Try to identify who is acting within this body. Just sit, calm and quiet, to see what’s happening. Who is witnessing the thoughts? Who is watching the dream? Who is that? It’s not the body at all. It’s called Brahman, Atman, Paramatman, God, the name given to the Supernatural Power.
Q2: So, meditating…
Maharaj: Meditation means just to identify yourself. Invite the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Brahman! Except your Self, nothing is there.
Whatever knowledge we’re having is body-based knowledge. This is a food-body, it’s not going to remain constant. There are stages: you’re a child, then grown up as young man, then you become an old man, and some or other day, willingly or unwillingly you have to leave the body! What remains? After leaving the body, what remains? Nothing. So everything came out of nothing and dissolves back into nothing. What remains? How were you prior to beingness? “I don’t know”. After leaving the body? “I don’t know”. ‘I don’t know’ means that in a negative thought, a positive concept, a positive Reality is there. “I’m not in any form, I’m formless, I’m shapeless. My Presence is there, just like sky or space: everywhere”.