What you truly are does nothing at all and never has. What you seem to be doing is really nature at work. It only seems like you are doing something because you are identified with nature. But you are not nature, you are you. Knowing this, and constantly reminding yourself of it, is the fast track to freedom.
BHAGAVAD GITA, CHAPTER 3, VERSE 27
27
All actions are performed by the gunas of nature. Deluded by the ego, one imagines oneself to be the doer of actions.
What you are is different from what you do. What you are is divine, perfect and Absolute. What you are being is human, imperfect and Relative. What you are does nothing. What you are being does. What you are being is in the Relative realm of nature. All action occurs in nature, instigated by shakti and performed by the interactions of the three fundamental modes of nature: stillness, ease, and intensity. Imagining yourself to be the doer of actions is the result of mistaken identity with these modes of nature. This mistaken identity is known as ‘ego’.
Ego: ahańkāra, ‘I do’. This is what the word ‘ego’ means in yogic teachings. Ego is the belief that you are the doer of actions. You seem to be doing things because you are identified with nature, i.e., your body.
Ego, and other such terms used in these writings are not to be confused with similar Freudian psychological terms.
Self-reference: When you become aware of doing something, you have become aware of ‘ego’—you have become aware that you are identifying with nature. Noticing this, you become deidentified with nature, and with actions as your own doing. This simple approach works because you can’t be the thing that you are perceiving.
Once having noticed this, ask yourself, Who’s looking?
Mind No Mind
It is said that the ego is the core of the mind, so what happens if you don’t have an ego? Do you become mindless?
Enlightenment is often thought of as the absence of ego, the absence of ‘me’. If there is no ‘me’ there cannot be identification with anything because there is no ‘me’ to become identified. But ahamkara (‘I do’) suggests that it is the sense of doership that is ego. The sense of self remains, but the difference is, once enlightened, you know what that is, and ‘me’ becomes moot.
By persisting with the practice of the teachings as prescribed by Lord Krishna, enlightenment begins as simple knowledge that you trust to be true, but do not entirely experience. Continuing with your practice, you come to experience and understand it. Over time it becomes so obvious that it seems ludicrous to have ever thought otherwise…and you catch yourself laughing at yourself in the midst of meditation!
When one finally reaches nirbija samadhi, then the sense of self does truly disappear (and you are certainly ‘mindless’), but returns upon vyutthana, an elevated state that follows. This blissful state persists for some while—hours, days, weeks, or…..
Anatomy of the Mind
(Graphic Illustration)
Coming this week: Fast Track to Freedom, Conclusion.
Namaste (I bow to the Divine One that You really are),
Durga Ma
durgama.com
Shaktipat Intensives
Shaktipat Kundalini Yoga – Surrender Meditation
Music for Relaxation, Meditation & Rejuvenation
Mystical Tidbits 