Self-realisation: Cessation of Thought Leads to True Self  

By Kanta Ramchandani  

Self-realisation: Cessation of Thought Leads to True Self  

The sense of "I" pertains to the person. When a man knows his true self for the first time, something else arises from the depths of his being and takes possession of him.

That something is beyond mind and body; it is infinite, divine, eternal. Some people call it the kingdom of heaven, others call it the soul and still others nirvana . Hindus call it moksha or liberation.

You may give it what name you like but when it happens, a man has truly found himself. The recognition of pure being - the absolute - is the supreme and ultimate truth; it is the realisation that a man is identical with the self which is pure being, pure consciousness, pure bliss, but the mind creates the illusion of a separate individuality.

Just as the spider draws out the thread of the cobweb from within itself and withdraws again into itself, the mind projects the world out of itself and absorbs it back into itself.

Thoughts are our main enemy. When we are free of thoughts we are naturally blissful. Get rid of thoughts, be empty of them, be in a state of perpetual thoughtlessness.

Then you are consciously self-existent. Thoughts, desires and other mental attributes are alien to our true nature. True greatness is to be free of thoughts.

Self-realisation is the cessation of thoughts and all mental activity, for thoughts are only like bubbles upon the surface of the sea of self.

The first and foremost of all the thoughts that arise in the mind is the primal "I" thought. It is only after the rise of the "I" thought that the innumerable other thoughts arise.

In other words, only after the first personal pronoun "I" has arisen, do the second and third person pronouns (you, he, etc) occur to the mind, and they cannot subsist without it. For all thoughts, the root-source is the "I" thought.

Since every other thought can occur only after the rise of the "I" thought and since the mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts, it is only through the enquiry "Who am I"? that the mind subsides.

By a steady and continuous investigation into the nature of the mind, the mind is transformed into that to which "I" refers and that is in fact the self. In other words, the mind will vanish leaving the self as the residue.

The enquiry "Who am I"? really means trying to find the source of the ego or of the "I" thought. You are not to occupy the mind with other thoughts such as "I am not the body".

Seeking the source of the ego or "I" serves as a means of getting rid of all the other thoughts. Attention should be fixed on finding the source of the "I" thought by asking, when any other thought arises, to whom it occurs, and if the answer is "to me", you then resume "who is this 'I' and what is its source"?

What the mind has to do is not to suggest a reply but to remain quiet so that the true reply can arise. Any answer that comes from the mind is no answer at all.

And, it is not right to make an incantation of "who am I"? Put the question only once and then concentrate on finding the source of the ego and preventing the occurrence of thoughts.

When thoughts arise during enquiry one is not to follow them up but to watch them and ask to whom is the thought occurring.

Don't expect to answer it, because there is no answer, because every possible answer which might come to our mind is wrong.

However, one day, provided our perseverance and patience keep us on the path, there will emerge the real "I" the identity of the great experience and together with it true happiness, which is Satchidananda, the bliss of conscious being.

To a question "How long one must meditate"? Sri Ramana Maharshi is reported to have said, "Meditate till you know that you are not meditating".

Ramana Maharshi also gives us a beautiful and positive description of the self. "The enduring background free from thoughts, the expanse devoid of thought, is the self. Mind in its purity is the self".

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More from same author see: Kanta Ramchandani  

See also: Self-realisation, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)