Nan Yar - Who am I?

by Ramana Maharshi

Who is the Knower that knows the world but cannot itself be known? Who is the Hearer that hears the birds but cannot itself be heard? Who is the Seer that sees the clouds but cannot itself be seen?

I have feelings, but I am not those feelings. Who am I? I have thoughts, but I am not those thoughts. Who am I? I have desires, but I am not those desires. Who am I?

Clouds float by in the sky, feelings float by in the body, thoughts float by in the mind – and you can effortlessly witness all of them. They all spontaneously arise in your own present, easy, effortless awareness. And this witnessing awareness is not itself anything specific you can see. It is just a vast, background sense of Freedom – or pure Emptiness – and in that pure Emptiness, which you are, the entire manifest world arises.

Emptiness and Form are not-two. After you realise that the manifest world is illusory, and after you realise that Brahman alone is real, then you can see that the absolute and the relative are not-two or nondual, then you can see that nirvana* and samsara* are not-two, then you can realise that the Seer and everything seen are not-two, Brahman and the world are not-two – all of which really means, the sound of those birds singing!

Sri Ramana would remind us that the pure Self – and therefore the great Liberation – cannot be attained, any more than you can attain your feet or acquire your lungs.

When will the realisation of the Self be gained? When the world which is what-is-seen has been removed, there will be realisation of the Self which is the Seer.

When will the world which is the object seen be removed? When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition [knowledge] and of all actions, becomes quiescent [still], the world will disappear.

What is called 'mind' is a wondrous power residing in the Self.

Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world.

In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world.

The thought 'Who am I?' will destroy all other thoughts,