"Me" and "Mine"

Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

December 24, 1980

There is a great difference in my present state; earlier when I listened to bhajans I was conscious of the words and the deeper meaning of the words, and I was totally involved in the bhajan. Now my consciousness reacts only to the extent that there is consciousness of the bhajans taking place, but no involvement. I am no longer concerned with anything to do with me or mine. This sense of me and mine is so strong that there can be quarrels over nothing more than a little piece of cloth with no intrinsic value, simply because of the identification of mine.

This consciousness is nothing but energy. When the body essence grows weaker, the consciousness grows weaker, and ultimately will leave; nothing is dead.

Food is one item that keeps this energy in good order. I take hardly any treatment, but I do have my body massaged. This massage revives the warmth in the body (which is the energy) so the energy in the body, which tends to be lax and cold, is warmed up again by the massage.

What is born is the waking and sleep states and the concept of time and consciousness. Once this consciousness is conscious of itself it takes on certain items as its own, because of conditioning, and others as not its own, and it will fight for and try to protect those which it considers its own. When consciousness realizes its potential power, its universality, the me and mine concept is lost.

This universal consciousness is known as GOD, which is the Almight, the Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient, all the attributes. These attributes are given to God in consciousness, not to the absolute. The Absolute is without attributes.

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Whoever has abandoned desires, and moves about without attachments and the sense of 'I' and 'mine' - he attains to peace.

This, O son of Pritha, is the state of dwelling in Brahman. Having attained it, one is no more deluded. By abiding in that state even by the time of death, one is united with Brahman.

- From Srimad Bhagavad Gita