<p>‘Who am I?’ is a million-dollar question which is synonymous with the teachings of Bhagwan Ramana. It is the process of self-realisation where we become aware of our own true nature. It becomes clear that we are not this body and mind that we think we are, a process of tracing everything back to the source.</p>.<p>Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi’s quote is apt here – “The thought ‘Who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise self-realisation.”</p>.<p>Why is this question even worth a million dollars? It can be reasoned thus: we ‘attach’ importance to items in this world to tag a commercial value which then becomes an ‘attachment’. The assumed importance of I and mine is the summation; then it is worth more than a million. This attachment has strayed us from knowing our true nature.</p>.Self-worth in an age of vanity.<p>Bhagwan’s another quote may help understand this better: ‘After negating all of the abovementioned as “not this” and “not this”, awareness, which alone remains – that I am.” We need to inquire into these ‘attachments’ which have a fleeting existence. This process, termed neti-neti in Vedanta, suggests ‘not this’ and helps to compensate for the loss of a million dollars with an awareness of our true nature.</p>.<p>Back to the original quote, the stick in effect is the constant churning in our inward journey in our buddhi, or intellect, through the process of vichara, or inquiry. The mind’s final sublation in awareness is termed manonasha in Vedanta, one of the three ingredients for self-realisation, the other two being vaasanakshaya (decimation of past imprints) and tattvajnana (steady knowledge of That).</p>.<p>The light is at the end of an internal tunnel leading to self-realisation – You are That. By knowing this illumining light, everything else is known then – no need to stay attached or chase anything, inside or outside. A state of equanimity is attained since there is nothing to be chased. The knowledge that dawns is ‘That’ is our own true nature – also present in everything around us, and nothing out there is different from ‘That’, in essence.</p>.<p>Oh, what an insightful answer to a million-dollar question, which dissolves itself. A peace engulfing us as ‘That’ is everything and only bliss, in essence.</p><p><em>(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)</em></p>
<p>‘Who am I?’ is a million-dollar question which is synonymous with the teachings of Bhagwan Ramana. It is the process of self-realisation where we become aware of our own true nature. It becomes clear that we are not this body and mind that we think we are, a process of tracing everything back to the source.</p>.<p>Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi’s quote is apt here – “The thought ‘Who am I?’ will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise self-realisation.”</p>.<p>Why is this question even worth a million dollars? It can be reasoned thus: we ‘attach’ importance to items in this world to tag a commercial value which then becomes an ‘attachment’. The assumed importance of I and mine is the summation; then it is worth more than a million. This attachment has strayed us from knowing our true nature.</p>.Self-worth in an age of vanity.<p>Bhagwan’s another quote may help understand this better: ‘After negating all of the abovementioned as “not this” and “not this”, awareness, which alone remains – that I am.” We need to inquire into these ‘attachments’ which have a fleeting existence. This process, termed neti-neti in Vedanta, suggests ‘not this’ and helps to compensate for the loss of a million dollars with an awareness of our true nature.</p>.<p>Back to the original quote, the stick in effect is the constant churning in our inward journey in our buddhi, or intellect, through the process of vichara, or inquiry. The mind’s final sublation in awareness is termed manonasha in Vedanta, one of the three ingredients for self-realisation, the other two being vaasanakshaya (decimation of past imprints) and tattvajnana (steady knowledge of That).</p>.<p>The light is at the end of an internal tunnel leading to self-realisation – You are That. By knowing this illumining light, everything else is known then – no need to stay attached or chase anything, inside or outside. A state of equanimity is attained since there is nothing to be chased. The knowledge that dawns is ‘That’ is our own true nature – also present in everything around us, and nothing out there is different from ‘That’, in essence.</p>.<p>Oh, what an insightful answer to a million-dollar question, which dissolves itself. A peace engulfing us as ‘That’ is everything and only bliss, in essence.</p><p><em>(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.)</em></p>