Dear James,
The Self is always good because it is the subject, the consciousness or awareness. There is no need to do anything or to change it.
I always say “the Self is “nothing”, not something or no thing”. Because it is not an object of observation but the observer or awareness.
I formulated this correctly, didn’t I?
James: Yes, but “nothing is not a good word, although I know what you mean. There is no such thing as nothing because there is only consciousness. The self is definitely something because we love it more an anything. To say the self is “not a thing” or the self “cannot be objectified,” is as good as words can do.
Now I finally understand that if you do anything in this world, dedicate it to God or Ishvara. Because as a human being, I always want something and do everything to become happier. Doing this is unnecessary because what I said above about who I am is correct.
James: Yes, the Self can’t be improved. It is always fine as it is. However, it improves without effort if you stand as awareness/consciousness; the knowledge does the work. One additional point, however: Amma is a who. You, the self, are a what.
It is the best attitude for my body/mind to act like this in this world, this dedication to God. Not for the sake of the Self because that is okay.
It couldn’t make me (the Self) happier, because every action I takes causes another one. Because the pattern is, it wants the result of the action to be repeated in this way. Is this conclusion also correct?
James: Yes, indeed!
Thank you very much for all the energy you put into teaching.
Lots of love
It’s my pleasure.
Amma: Thank you for your answer. I wrote you this email because I was happy that I had come to an insight again. Some aspects of the teaching are so difficult to understand that it can take a long time before they are truly understood. Like “dedicate your worldly actions to god.” For a long time I couldn’t understand why I should do this. Or “the right perspective of object and subject”. This last topic makes everything very simple and clear. And is a beacon in a troubled world.
