"The very first step in understanding what this is all about is giving up the concept of an active, volitional 'I' as a separate entity and accepting the passive role of perceiving and functioning as a process." - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

Monday, May 16, 2016

Your Duty: See Who You Are

Sri Annamalai Swami

Q: In Swami's book someone asked him, 'I am making decisions, but I don't feel that I am making these decisions. It is just my destiny or divine will.' You answered him by saying that this was correct, but now you are saying that whether or not one does self-enquiry is nothing to do with destiny at all.

AS: The Self is always present. Nothing obstructs your awareness of it except your self-inflicted ignorance. Our efforts, our sadhana, are directed towards removing this ignorance. If this ignorance is removed, the real Self is revealed. This revelation is not part of destiny. Only the outer bodily activities are destined.

Q: So my inner life is my own responsibility. I cannot blame Bhagavan if I am not remembering myself.

AS: Bhagavan is always present, inside you and in front of you. If you don't cover the vision of Bhagavan with your ego, that will be enough. The ego is the I am the body idea. Remove this idea and you shine as the Self. That is the only thing you need to do in this life. The various events of your life - all the things that are going to happen to you - they are all destined. If you don't want them to happen, they will still occur, even if you try to avoid them. And if you want things that are not in your destiny, they won't come to you.

There is no point worrying about the outer events of your life because you can exercise no control over these destined activities. Your responsibility in this life is to see who you are, not to rewrite your life script.

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सर्वभूताधिवासं यद्भूतेषु च वसत्यपि।
सर्वानुग्राहकत्वेन तद्स्म्यहं वासुदेवः॥

That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings,
who is the giver of grace to all, the Supreme Soul of the universe, the limitless being:
I AM THAT. -- Amritabindu Upanishad