Self-hood

 Only terrestial human beings think of self-hood as being a personal possession. 

The Buddha, Diamond Sutra 25 

Hmmm!  I finally finished reading and taking notes on Maharshi's teachings found in the  book below. It was kind of heavy reading at times...requiring a lot of rereading but it opened up some doors to my understanding.

I like this quote from the Buddha  that was also included in the book. It is only earth bound/ form focused /semi-conscious and unconscious humans ( figure of speech admittedly used by the Buddha) that think of this idea of self as something we each possess individually. So many of us are identified only with the superficial reality of what we 'think' we are and cling to it, protect it, do whatever we can to keep it alive. We fear that if we give up ownership rights to this idea of "I"...of "me"... we, as a self,  will perish and die. 

The Paradox

And the reality is... there is no "self"...there is only the One Self and once we realize that we will see there is no Self to realize. If Self is all there is, how can there be a thing to observe It?   

Balanced and Free

I was listening to the video below today and the question was raised...can we live in a state of balance as yet to be truly evolved human beings between "little self" and the Absolute Reality of "Greater Self? Most of us are still unconscious(completely lost in the world of thought form and 'little me-ness'), a few of us are semi-conscious ( waking up to the reality that there is Self beyond the body and mind, but still going back and forth between self-identity and Self-identity), and there is a handful that are fully conscious and who live in a state of Self all the time. 

Tolle says we can, if we are semi-conscious on our way to full consciousness, find a peaceful balance while living in both the physical world and the spiritual. 

Mahrashi says this: 

It is said that liberation [which would be peaceful balance ]is of three kinds, with form, without form, or with or without form.  Then let me tell you that the extinction of the ego that asks which form of liberation is true, is the only true liberation. 

Meaning what?

Until we totally surrender the little me, the idea of a self, be it physical or spiritual, we will never be free.

All is well in my world. 

Arthur Osborne ( Ed)(2002) The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Mahrashi in His Own Words. Kindle Edition

Eckhart Tolle (November, 2020) The Power of Not Knowing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjqlpvcWGXQ