It does not matter...

It is the mind alone that is simultaneously the door to bondage and liberation. How one tunes and understands one's mind determines whether one gets freedom or stays in bondage. It is the mind that creates an identity for us - known as Ego. Indeed Ego and Mind are synonyms - two names describing essentially the exact same thing. But even in writing we use words such as MY MIND or OUR MINDS. Clearly, we treat them as possessions and not our own selves. The writing in itself serves as a dead give away to what our scriptures declare - We are not the mind. However, the mind is so powerful that the association it creates becomes a crutch to which we stick all our waking moments. It is what makes us think who we are.

The Maharshi used to say that the mind has to be dealt with closely. This has to be understood clearly. Who is it who is dealing with the mind? What is that Entity which wants to deal with the mind? This entity has to be something which is bound to be different from the mind - in other words there has to be a subject-object relationship between this entity and the mind. All our daily practical experiences will clearly demonstrate that there indeed is an entity that stands in the capacity of an observer - doing nothing - participating in nothing and yet being present in every instant. Even in deep dreamless sleep, this entity is the one that understands and experiences a complete lack of all physical phenomenon which we experience in deep sleep or even otherwise in the other two states - viz waking and dream sleep. If there were no such entity - this observing entity - our continuity would be lost. We might sleep as John and wake up as Abraham. Now - this entity is what our scriptures goad us to observe carefully. Let the worldly drama carry on is what the scriptures insist we understand. Once this understanding dawns on us - the next step would naturally lead us to what we call DISCERNING. We begin to discern the true nature of the events around us. Of course by all means continue what you are doing. But the moment a particular situation begins to affect you adversely - think about who you truly are and what is your real association with the thing that's affecting you. Every other thing then begins to fall in place.

Mind always presents a catch-22 situation. As mentioned earlier - it is the mind alone which creates our identities and every instance of our life goes through the process of being analyzed and brewed upon by the mind. The mind is a lot more complex than we can ever imagine. It sees, senses, observes, filters and analyzes a mind boggling volume of data. Of course something as intricately complex as the mind will never allow its own annihilation. But the end result of all pursuits leading to true self realization has to ultimately involve a complete annihilation of the mind. The catch-22 however is that mind alone has to annihilate itself. Through mind alone mind has to be convinced of its unreality. But one cannot kill the mind simply by wishing it away. When we say we have to kill the mind, what is meant is that we need to loosen its grip on us. And its grip will be lost only by understanding its true nature and how it plays its games. Once the real understanding takes place mind will cease to bother us until a point will be reached when the mind will be found to be completely gone. What needs to be understood is that there is an entity which is observing all these things. The fact that there is a mind, the fact that there is a world, the fact that someone is getting troubled or someone is enjoying life and such --- all these things are happening in a certain realm whose observer is actually neutral to all this drama. Just as a street light throws its light regardless of whether the street is silent or whether somebody is being robbed - so too is this entity which serves only as a spectator. It has no role to play - just as the street lamp has no role to play except to shed light. Similarly, this entity - which is indeed the basis for all the drama is completely unconnected with the drama itself. Once the understanding that we are not the actors of the drama but that neutral observer - all the rest disappears even as the snake disappears from the rope once the true knowledge dawns.

Till this understanding does not take place - the world will either be fun or hell. The ups and downs and the vicissitudes will continue because they are not in anyone's control. All this talk of free-will, destiny, fate, luck, chance etc is for mere intellectual consumption alone. They all happen in the realm of Avidya or Ignorance. All teachings are in the realm of Ignorance. The Teacher and the Taught are in the realm of Ignorance. Whatever is the not-self is merely in the realm of ignorance alone. But of course, the drama is profound. Its grip on us is profound. So we tend to suffer or enjoy and try to find out reasons behind our state and course of emancipation etc. Then one fine day, through some grace of the Lord, the reality dawns. Indeed there is no lord in isolation from us. He is not sitting there in heaven tasked with dispensing justice to errant souls or rewarding the beautiful ones. It's as illogical an exercise as anything else. For if He were sitting somewhere else - He would simply become another entity - howsoever powerful it may be - it would just be another entity. And that contradicts the omnipresent, omniscient nature of God. God, cannot exist in isolation. Of course, there is no sufferer and there is no suffering. But tell this to a person who has defaulted on his credit card bills or who has just lost a loved one. He will retort back and say - all this is pure myth. Such is life. Such is this drama. And it will go on. To the one who understands, it doesn't matter. To the one who does not understand, it will never matter.