The Self Is Everything

त्वया व्याप्तमिदं विश्वं त्वयि प्रोतं यथार्थतः। 

शुद्धबुद्धस्वरुपस्त्वं मा गमः क्षुद्रचित्तताम्॥१-१६॥ 

tvaya vyaptam idam vishvam tvayi protam yatharthah | 

shuddha buddha svarupastvam ma gamah kshudrachit tatam ||1-16|| 

The entire universe is pervaded by you – indeed, it is all strung on you. You are a phenomenon of pure consciousness, do not be small-minded. ||Ashtavakra Gita 1-16||

There is nothing outside the Self . But we don't know what the Self is.  The Self can only be recognized by being that Self, by letting go of what is not the Self.  How's that for a paradox?  

In the beginning, the dichotomy of Self/Not Self is essential and natural, unless you happen to already be enlightened.  Along with that dichotomy comes the dualities of outside and inside, and Me/Not Me.  If I ask you who you are, or what you are, you will probably tell me your name, your gender, and all the various beliefs you have of what you THINK you are.  But thoughts are not reality, in the sense that just because you believe something doesn't make it true.  That's even more obvious now with all the ridiculous things people "identify" as.  That's right!  Just because you identify as a pony, doesn't MAKE you a pony!  In fact, just because you identify as a man, or woman, or as a human being, doesn't mean you are any of those things.  

What YOU are is AWARENESS!  Everything else...EVERYTHING arises in that Awareness that you are. Remember the Ashtavakra verse from a previous - If you separate yourself from the body, and simply 'Rest in the shelter of Awareness', even NOW, you are happy, peaceful and free from bondage!  

There's that duality again. Separate from the body.  There's YOU and there's your body.  Most people are totally identified as their body. You are NOT your body!!!!  You are aware of the body.  That's the beginning stage.  Because actually you are the body, but you're also everything else as well.  But trying to recognize that you're everything is not particularly easy in the beginning. So you start with the duality of ME and not me.  Me is the Awareness. Everything else is the object OF you as awareness.  Start by Being Awareness.  

How do you do that?  Some can actually recognize it instantly, or fairly quickly. But the process of Atma-Vichara or Self Inquiry is the process by which you can actually recognize yourself as Awareness.  You simply inquire, "Who am I?"  Ultimately, the answer is just "Me".  But to get to that realization, you'll probably have to briefly look at all the things that are not 'Me'. 

When you inquire into who you are, a multitude of things will come up. In each case, you can ask yourself, "Am I ****, or am I AWARE OF ****?"   For instance, 'I am my body', and you ask, 'Am I this body, or am I aware OF the body?'   

I am my mind.  Contemplate that for a moment, and ask, "Am I my mind/thoughts, or am I aware OF my mind/thoughts? 

Each time you'll recognize that you are aware OF those things, not the things themselves.  

I am empty space. Am I empty space, or am I aware OF empty space.  

And so on and so on.

Gradually you will empty of things that you think you are and probably be left sitting rather blankly. But as you continue to ask what/who am I, you'll be left with something like 'I'm Me'.  And what IS this Me?  It is that which is Aware. You ARE Awareness. Then you might ask, 'Where am I...This Awareness?'   Is there a place where this Awareness is not?  Everything that you are aware OF, is in fact also awareness.  That is the nature of the Self - Awareness, and you've never not been that Awareness, and everything you thought you were aware of. There are no boundaries of awareness and not awareness.  It's a singularity. Awareness is stuff arising as awareness in awareness.  

Then you will find that:

"The entire universe is pervaded by you – indeed, it is all strung on you. You are a phenomenon of pure consciousness!" And you'll no longer be 'small-minded'; you'll be Infinitely Minded!  

______________________

Linktr.ee/ajathomas

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे 

हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे