There is nothing to be understood!

Beneath the surface of this world, in my gut, lurks an uneasy feeling that I'm not truly at home. The emptiness of my existence reveals itself again and again.

There is a certain urgency to make the best of my days before my time runs out.

Who am I? What is the world? How I came to be? There are no answers, except those I'm ready to give myself. I cannot solve this ultimate mystery of existence so tonight I re-read Ramana Maharshi and his teaching.

He said, there is no need for answers, there are no answers. I have to Be as I am, without thoughts. That is all that is required for self-realization.

Q: When a man realizes the Self, what will he see?

A: There is no seeing. Seeing is only being. The state of Self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being that which you always are and which you always have been.

All that is needed is that you give up your realization of the not-true as true. All of us are regarding as real that which is not real. We have only to give up this practice on our part. Then we shall realize the Self as the Self; in other words, Be the Self.

At one stage you will laugh at yourself for trying to discover the Self which is so self-evident.

So, what can we say to this question? That stage transcends the seer and the seen. There is no seer there to see anything. The seer who is seeing all this now ceases to exist and the Self alone remains.

~ Ramana Maharshi

There is nothing to be understood!

In the world I have to see the false as false and that is the whole understanding of truth.

My life, all of it, is my path to awakening. The mystery of existence is easy: There is no "me". "Me" is just a thread of memory that gives me a sense of identity.

A constant flow of thoughts and the identification with that flow is the imagined identity. This "me" is a dreamed-up character with a mistaken identity based on "I AM" sense.

Not understanding our own mind is a grievous fault. Because we persist in accepting and enduring attachments and aversions we continue to wonder in ignorance.

The ultimate practice

This practice is simple, its goal is to enter our "I AM" awareness. The practice should be done at every moment of our waking state. It has three considerations about our thoughts:

1. Thoughts about the past, of something that happened, are clear and empty, without any trace to be dwell on.

2. Thoughts about future, plans, expectations are fresh, considered at a time of "considering the future", in the moment of seeing things as they are; and after it, no further consideration is needed.

3. In the present moment, here and now, keep the mind in its own condition without constructing anything, no thoughts at all, just awareness of the moment which you will find is quite ordinary.

Following these 3 simple considerations, which is actually only one practice leads you to be and remain as awareness, as yourself, a lucid clarity without anyone being there who is observer - only "I AM" sense - the awareness of the present.

Thoughts are outside world

To remain in the calm state is to merely allow thoughts to settle into their own condition without trying to grasp them or to modify them in any way. Allow thoughts to be just as they are, without trying to do anything about them.

Look and observe your surroundings, it is your own mind. Notice diversity of people and their actions arising in the mind but understand that they are appearances, all of it, self manifested without any substance behind it - just like an image in the mirror.

Train yourself to look the world around you without thoughts and see just things as they are.

When you look your mind, do not consider that as something that projects thoughts, feel "I AM". See your own mind to be for what it is... your outside world.

Nothing to think about

Cut off all plans and expectations with respect to the future. In the present do not grasp or entertain thoughts that arise but allow the mind to remain in a state like the sky - empty, clear and aware.

There is nothing to be grasped or understood by doing this practice. Start being what you already are - clear and empty. The observer and observed are not two different things.

Pay attention without falling under spell of of hopes and fears, your "I AM" sense should be kept free from everything. Know that sorrow and happiness are different only due to your attention.

The mind is free by being and remaining in its own original natural condition. Really, there is nothing to think about.