The root cause of all the sufferings in life is only one. It may be any kind of suffering, it has only one root. Sorrows have many faces although the cause is always the one & the same.
The root cause is that we have been attached to a false self. We have recognized ourselves as something that we are not. We have identified ourselves as physical bodies & have no idea about our true self.
All the labels given to this physical body are merely limited to this physical body. Once this body dies then all the labels vanish in thin air.
Body will die yet there is a true self that will remain untouched like a sky beyond the clouds. This true self is our real identity & all else is only an illusion.
To discover your true self, we have provided 5 steps that can be followed as a ritual in daily routine.
Table of Contents
Step 1 – Increase Awareness
Description
Every moment we are thinking thoughts within our mind. These thoughts are creating an illusionary world within our heads.
This illusionary invisible world does not exist in reality, it is a false entity that creates a notion of being true but it is not.
This mind is the primary wall that hides the true self behind the wall & makes it unseen. This wall has to be broken by increasing awareness.
Increasing awareness means to come out of mind & focus our attention on the real things that are going on in this very present moment.
The focus has to be shifted from the inner thoughts to the outer reality.
This is very much simple to understand but it is highly difficult to retain the focus on the present moment. We have 24 hours in a day & we are completely habitual towards the mind every second.
Advantages
Increasing awareness by bringing complete focus on the present moment is the secret key to a life you haven’t imagined before. It is like a sharp sword that will cut the mind in pieces.
This simple act of being alert will take you away from the continuous chattering of mind. When the mind shifts away for a moment, there will be a new energy within your inner system.
The body is continuously affected & responding to the thoughts in the mind. It is in a stressful state & it tightens the body muscles creating a state of depression, draining the energy within the body in huge amounts.
When the focus will be taken away from the mind, it will create a state of no thoughts. This will relax the body completely as it has nothing to respond to & all the tightness within the muscles will fade away giving a feeling of bliss.
Action Steps
For increasing awareness, you can choose any of the below methods to sharpen your awareness to the present moment.
- Focus on breath – Take your whole attention to the breath moments. Focus on the ongoing breathing process that is happening every moment. Watch the incoming breath & the outgoing breath. Do this as much as you can. Your eyes can be closed or open, you can focus on breath at any moment.
- Focus on body movements – Body is a good device to be used for increasing awareness. We are moving our bodies frequently. Keep watch on your body & see the body movements. Remain alert with your body & observe every movement of it. Remember to be observant every moment towards the body.
Step 2 – Practice Thoughtless State of Mind
Description
Mind is a very magical device. It operates within our inner being though it is not visible. It can be a source of sorrows or it can be a source of bliss. It is the reason for happiness, it is the reason for suffering. Everything depends on the mind, it is the hidden root of the life that we are living.
Mind can be directed towards a state where there are no thoughts. Mind also has a thoughtless state dimension that usually remains unexplored. We only experience the thought state of mind, we are used to thinking thoughts in the mind. That’s all that we know about the mind.
Thoughts can even be counted. We can count the number of thoughts that we think within a minute.
To move towards the Thoughtless state of mind, we have to decrease the thoughts that we think.
After practicing the thoughtless state of mind, the thoughts can completely stop & the mind becomes an empty space.
Mind with full of thoughts is like a market place full of chaos. Mind with no thoughts is like a silent temple where god resides. Mind is a servant, we can take control of it rather that mind becoming the master & producing unnecessary chain of thoughts making the life as a punishment.
Advantages
Relaxed state of mind is the only solution for every named problem. In fact the problems arise because of the unrelaxed & unstable mind.
When there are no thoughts in the mind, there is no place for any depression. Depression only appears by thinking thoughts of the gone past or the not yet future.
Success is a byproduct of the thoughtless state of mind. Thoughtless state of mind is the permanent way to satisfaction & success.
Body will feel an unexplainable bliss in the state of no thoughts. Every muscle will be relaxed & it will feel divine peace within the body & mind.
As the clouds move away, the sun shines in its full glory. Similarly as the thoughts move away, the soul will shine & spread its light in every aspect of your life.
In the inner world, when one is thinking negative thoughts he is producing black energies within him unknowingly. When thoughts are erased then the negative energy has no way to enter within because it can only come by the way of thoughts.
With the thoughtless state of mind, there will be an alignment in life. Everything will fall in place in a magical way. There will be focus, discipline, peace & awakening insights.
Action Steps
Thoughtless state of mind can be practiced in many different ways. There are different kinds of meditations that are targeted to invoke the thoughtless state of mind. Here are some meditations that you can follow as per your preference.
- Meditate with No Thoughts – Take out a time of 30 minutes in a day. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed by anyone. Sit with closed eyes & practice with no thoughts in mind.
- Meditate with a Mantra – Our focus is to lessen the thoughts in mind so in this meditation the person has to repeat a Mantra in his mind. He has to bring his focus completely on chanting the Mantra. Focusing on a single sound will diminish the thoughts in the mind.
- Count the Thoughts – Keep some device with you for counting thoughts in a minute. Set the timer to a minute & notice the thoughts in the mind. When the thought comes, increase your counter starting from number 1. In this way, you will become more aware of your own thoughts. This practice can be done in small chunks multiple times in a day.
Step 3 – Act as a Witness
Description
We are multidimensional beings. We exist here whereas we exist somewhere else also. Some part of us is attached with the body & some part is beyond the body.
As the roots of the trees are underground & cannot be seen although they exist in a place that are not directly visible to the eye. One has to go deeper beneath the ground to find the roots.
Similarly, our roots are hidden within our inner world, they cannot be seen with the physical eyes. We can only see the physical body but not the roots.
In the roots, there is a witness within us which is called with various different names like soul, god, awakening, liberation, ecstasy, silence, heaven, etc.
When we begin acting like our true nature one day we become our true nature because that is what the reality is.
Acting like a witness is living like everything is happening to the body & we are witnessing it. By doing this, we separate ourselves from the body & work as if this body is not the me, I am a witness completely separate from the body.
Advantages
When we begin to see our body as a separate entity then there is a detachment towards the body. Everything related to the body is not yours. Every problem related to the body is not yours.
Acting like a witness will dissolve all the fears related to the body. Even the fear of death will sway away.
The response towards the angry situations will be different because it’s not happening to you. It is similar to something happening to your neighbour then you don’t get affected by it.
Mind will feel the freedom that is the ultimate relaxed state of mind. Mind rests in peace with no worries for anything.
As the mind is relaxed, so many things that were found impossible before will become possible. With a renewed state of mind, a different power will be generated from the mind that will make the results change in your life.
The outer world will still be the same but your inner state will change. And this inner relaxation will bring an unpredictable impact on the outer situations.
There will be satisfaction in everything that you do. Your inner being will rest in a divine peace of satisfaction & there will be no grievances.
Action Steps
- Watch the Thoughts – Sit with your eyes closed. Begin watching your thoughts running in your mind. Watch the thoughts like a television screen in front of you playing the movie. Let the movie of mind play any picture, you only watch it as a watcher & not as a performer. You remain away from the mind & do not interfere in its working, let the mind run the thoughts & you are not judging any thoughts but only watching them. Do this for 30 minutes a day.
- Meditate on Third Eye – Sit with your eyes closed. By closed eyes, begin watching the third eye that is in between the forehead. Keep watching the third eye for 10 minutes. This will activate your third eye which is a source of unlimited powers.
- Witness the Body – In your routine day, while walking, talking, cooking, running, working, reading or doing any other activity, witness your body as a separate entity. Let the body walk, let the body talk, you see your body & keep a watch on its body movements. When your hand moves, watch it, when your legs move watch it, when your stomach goes in or out watch it. Use the body as a mechanism to be aware & keep yourself aware of your body movements.
Step 4 – Who am I?
Description
Our mind is very much used to asking questions. Whenever a new thing comes up in from of us, the mind will create questions to grasp the topic.
Although we are completely focused on the outer world so we only question the outer things. When we direct our focus from outer to inner then the questions will be directed towards the inner things.
When one asks the question, he receives the answer some day or another. It’s just the matter of asking the question with the curiosity of receiving an answer.
When one really has the hunger for the answer there is nothing that can stop him from receiving the answer.
The real & the ultimate question to be asked is Who am I? The real identity of me is hidden within & is not yet revealed to me. I have assumed myself to be something else that I am not.
Asking this question “Who am I” with genuine thirst for revealing the truth will result in discovering the true self hidden within.
The answer to this question is not a theoretical answer. It is the answer that has to be experienced to really know the answer. It is not the answer that any other person can give to you. The answer for this question has to be re-discovered by your own investigation.
Advantages
- All the worries will vanish at an ease because once you get closer to who you are then you are no more worried about who you are not.
- Overall Perspective towards everything will change because we are completely shifting our root focus towards who we are.
- Mind will be more focused because once the mind is given any puzzle it becomes concentrated to solve it. Here we are giving our mind a life puzzle.
- The answer to this small question will result in Nirvana.
Action Steps
- Repeat this question “Who Am I” in mind & wait for the answers. Note down all the answers that Mind will provide you. Be assured that all the answers given by the mind will be untrue. Still keep looking for the real answer.
This question is not a mantra to repeat in mind but it is a self-investigation for our own true nature. Repeating this question like a mantra will take away the real purpose of this question.
Step 5 – Meditate
Description
Meditation is an act of non-doing. It is the state of mind where there is no chaos of the mind. It is like a silent lake that has no ripples.
Meditation is more related to the mind rather than anything else. The mind is the source of all the worries & simultaneously on the other hand mind is also the source of freedom.
Meditation directs the mind to the way of freedom & liberation. We have been direction 7 empowering our mind in the direction of the worries by allowing the mind to produce thoughts in mass quantities.
Meditation means to focus on the present moment discarding the mind indirectly by not giving it the food of attention. When the attention is directed towards the true nature then the illusions have no room to spread their wings.
Advantages
Doing meditation consistently will result in many advantages that are as follows.
Relax mind – The quiet mind is the most powerful mind. Relaxation in mind is something that everyone wants although everyone has their own ways of finding relaxation & almost everyone fails to achieve it because they attempt to find relaxation in wrong ways finally resulting in getting no satisfied results.
Meditation will relax the mind if it is done in the correct way. Meditation will swallow the thoughts & will have an automatic response of relaxation in mind & body.
Discover your true self – Meditation will help discover your true self. When the clouds go away the sun can be seen clearly. When the thoughts go away the true self can be seen clearly.
Positive energy – Meditation is the way of light. It will naturally erase the darkness of negative energy that is accumulated within our inner subtle bodies. Positive energy will begin flowing within the inner being & the result of this will impact the outer life spreading positiveness all around.
Action Steps
- Meditation – Practice Vipassana meditation for 30 minutes a day. Sit in a comfortable position with closed eyes & relax your body. Watch the incoming & outgoing breathing moments in the belly. When the mind wanders & it will then bring back the attention to the moving belly breath.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have provided 5 steps to discover your true self. Few points to consider about these steps are as follows.
- These steps have no order. They can be practiced as per your convenience in any order.
- There are many methods explained with practical steps. You can only choose a few of them based on your inner voice.
- When you choose a method, do the same for at-least 21 days rather than moving from one method to another.
- If you are feeling uncomfortable with any method then there are other methods available. You can skip the one that you are not comfortable with & choose the one that will best fit your inner chemistry.
- This is an experiment that we are doing on ourselves. Nothing can be more exciting & bigger than this. Have the patience to stick to this exploration till the very end.