Who am I? Meditation

When desire or knowledge have not arisen in me – who am I?, in that condition. That is truly my essential Reality. By reflecting in this way, one will be absorbed into that Reality.

Vigyan Bhairava Tantra Sl.97

Gurdjieff tried from one angle. He said, just try to remember you are. Ramana Maharshi tried from another angle. He made it a meditation to ask, to inquire, “Who am I?” And don’t believe in any answers that the mind can  supply. The mind will say, “What nonsense are you asking? You are this, you  are that, you are a man, you are a woman, you are educated or uneducated, rich  or poor.” The mind will supply answers, but go on asking. Don’t accept any  answer because all the answers given by the mind are false. They are from the unreal part of you. They are coming from words, they are coming from scriptures, they are coming from conditioning, they are coming from society, they are coming from others. Go on asking. Let this arrow of “Who am I?” penetrate deeper and deeper. A moment will come when no answer will come. That is the right moment. Now you are nearing the answer. When no answer comes you are near the answer, because mind is becoming silent—or, you have gone far away from the mind. When there will be no answer and a vacuum will be created all around you, your questioning will look absurd. Whom are you questioning? There is no one to answer you. Suddenly, even your questioning will stop. With the questioning, the last part of the mind has dissolved because this question was also of the mind. Those answers were of the mind and this question was also of the mind. Both have dissolved, so now you are. Try this. There is every possibility, if you persist, that this technique can give you a glimpse of the real—and the real is ever-living.

Benefits of this Method

This meditation has many wonderful, practical implications. Sometimes, we experience fear, self-doubt, or an addictive desire. The next time this happens to you, ask yourself these questions – To whom do these fears belong to? Or to whom do these doubts or desires belong to? As you peer within, you will find that there is no such entity. Then, all your fears and doubts will be washed away, and you will rest in awareness.