Vedantic Meditation IV I AM THE …
Introduction:
Meditation 4 helps to expand the mind to such a degree that it ‘fades away’, is dropped, left behind. Thus, I appreciate, here and now, the vastness of Consciousness I am. As Consciousness, I am so vast that the whole universe, space, all the galaxies down to the smallest subatomic particles are all contained in Me, Consciousness (note: not person). They arise from Me as Source, are sustained by Me as Support and resolve into Me as Resolver-Renewer. I, Consciousness, am one, undivided seamless whole. I, Consciousness, am all there is. That universal-Consciousness, I am, here and now. It is a direct and immediate recognition and abidance as Consciousness, Brahman, Myself. The axiom in Vedanta is: “Aham Brahmasmi” … I am Brahman, Consciousness-universal.
Here is an exercise from Swami Paramarthananda using space as a metaphor for Consciousness:
Space is in this room but is overlooked.
Next, space is in all rooms.
Rooms are varied but space is only one.
Space is not only inside the rooms but is also outside the rooms.
Really speaking, space is not just inside or outside the rooms;
all rooms, the whole house, exist in space.
Everything exists in space; the vastness of space accommodates everything.
So, too, as Consciousness, I am so vast, I accommodate all forms, everything. Consciousness is so vast and accommodating, like space, undivided, indivisible, cannot be separated, no parts, one seamless whole present everywhere, all-pervading. That Consciousness I am, here and now.
The mind has served its purpose and is left behind, not used anymore. It helped to cognitively negate and understand that I am not the body nor mind. Neither am I ‘person’, which is a projection in the mind based on identification with the body and mind. The mind is small and thinks small. Logical processes and reasoning which worked earlier, do not work now. The mind has its use in life for cognition, for logic and inference, but is limited. It may even get frightened by vastness and may constrict, withdraw into its smallness because vastness is not its nature. Vastness is the nature of Consciousness only. Using reasoning and logic will not help and may block the appreciation of vastness.
The role of the mind and the sense of person in spirituality is to be used wisely and then dropped. It is like a springboard, used by the diver to spring into the air; once up, the springboard is left, not needed anymore. Similarly with the mind-body personality which is used as an instrument and then dropped. The nidi point is the springboard to leap from ‘person’ to Consciousness.
The quality required now is trust in and acceptance of the scripture and teaching based on scripture. Trust is not placed in the processes of the mind. Only direct recognition and abidance work at this level of recognition of Consciousness-universal. They arise from acceptance and trust in the Scriptures because the scriptures and teaching have come from Consciousness-Brahman in the form of Ishvara, the Lord. The Scriptures say that I am Consciousness-universal, Brahman, which is infinite and vast. I am Consciousness, even while living and using my limited human form in daily life. I could never have known this by myself. I trust and accept the scriptures and teaching.
In Meditation 4, I abide as Consciousness itself by using the features of Consciousness just as I did in Meditation 3. I am now beyond and cognitively free from the mind-body mechanism with its sense of ‘person’, the mistaken thought of separate individuality and independent existence and function. Since I have now clearly and firmly dis-identified with ‘person’, it will not be mentioned at all in this meditation 4. I position myself clearly and firmly as Consciousness beyond the mind and ‘person’.
The pronoun ‘I’ will again be used. Please personalise it to yourself. We will open and close the eyes at the appropriate point, as in Meditation 3. The word ‘feel’ will be used again in this meditation; it has been explained in Meditation 3. Keep the attention at the confluence of the three lines, the ‘nidi point’, to keep the attention introverted and steady.
Through the instruction of ‘feel’ as described in meditation 3, the features of Consciousness will be used as stepping-stones to lead to Consciousness itself. I abide as Consciousness in all My pervasive expansiveness and fullness, in My singularity and non-duality: “I am pure universal Consciousness itself, here and now”.
Through the instruction of ‘recognise’, the re-definition of myself as Consciousness will be reinforced and firmly established so that I abide as Consciousness without any doubt or error. I confirm: “I am Brahman, Atma, Consciousness” and abide as That. Thus, in this meditation 4, I position myself firmly as Consciousness and am clearly aware of and solidly established in my nature of Consciousness. “I am pure universal Consciousness itself, Brahman, here and now.”
About the word ‘THE’ … in ordinary usage, the article ‘THE’ points to a specific object, eg. the cat, the individual, the house. But in Meditation 4, it will be used differently, as a superlative showing absoluteness, eg. from good, to better, to best, to THE best, the absolute best.
When used in this context, the word ‘THE’ indicates the highest, the one, the only, the supreme, nothing more, nothing else, nothing better, just that and only that. The mind expands to such a degree that it fades away, it becomes so transparent that the limitless expansiveness of Consciousness is directly recognised. There is no body, no mind, no person. There is only universal Consciousness, nothing else.
Thus, the word ‘THE’ when associated with a feature of Consciousness, is really a figurative expression for Consciousness itself, an indirect pointer to Consciousness. It indicates the nondual vastness and absoluteness of Consciousness. For example, the two words … ‘THE Immortal’ … indicate Consciousness with its immortal feature, being That which has the feature of immortality. That immortal, absolute, vast Consciousness, I am, here and now. So too, with the other features of Consciousness.
The implied understanding of all the features of Consciousness is: “There is only Consciousness, nothing else.” I recognise I am the Essence of everything, the Source of everything there is. Instead of I, Consciousness, being in everything, the reality is that everything is in Me, Consciousness. It is a cosmic reversal. I, Consciousness, accommodate all things and all beings, everything.
The meditation …
As Consciousness … I am immortal.
I am … THE Immortal …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Immortal
… recognise being THE Immortal …
… rest, be, silently confirm: “I am THE Immortal” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
open eyes … here and now.
As Consciousness … I am eternal.
I am … THE Eternal …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Eternal
… recognise being THE Eternal …
open eyes … rest, be, silently claim: “I am THE Eternal” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
… here and now.
As Consciousness … I am changeless.
I am … THE Changeless …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Changeless
… recognise being THE Changeless …
… rest, be, silently confirm: “I am THE Changeless” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
open eyes … here and now.
As Consciousness … I am limitless.
I am … THE Limitless …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Limitless
… recognise being THE Limitless …
open eyes … rest, be and silently claim: “I am THE Limitless” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
… here and now.
As Consciousness … I am infinite.
I am … THE Infinite …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Infinite
… recognise being THE Infinite …
… rest, be, silently confirm: “I am THE Infinite” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
open eyes … here and now.
As Consciousness … I am complete.
I am … THE Complete …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Complete
… recognise being THE Complete …
open eyes … rest, be, silently claim: “I am THE Complete” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
… here and now.
As Consciousness … I am fulfilled.
I am … THE Fulfilled …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Fulfilled
… recognise being THE Fulfilled …
… rest, be, silently confirm: “I am THE Fulfilled” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
open eyes … here and now.
As Consciousness … I am beyond.
I am … THE Beyond …
close eyes … as Consciousness… feel being Beyond
… recognise being THE Beyond …
open eyes … rest, be, silently claim: “I am THE Beyond” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
… here and now.
As Consciousness … I am free.
I am … THE Free …
close eyes … as Consciousness … feel being Free
… recognise being THE Free …
… rest, be, silently confirm: “I am THE Free” …
… I am universal Consciousness, Brahman …
open eyes … here and now.
Applying this recognition of Consciousness-universal, Brahman, to my daily Life …
As Consciousness … I am not a speck, a point, a minuscule, a dot in the universe.
This mind-body is … it is an insignificant dot in the universe …
… made from the same material as the universe …
… from total causal matter … comes the individual causal body …
… from total subtle matter, energy … arises the individual subtle body …
… from total dense matter, stardust … is formed the individual dense physical body.
But I am not this mind-body personality …
I am the … unwitnessed Witness … the unknown Knower … the unobserved Observer …
… unrecognised Recogniser … the unwatched Watcher … the unseen Seer …
of this mind-body.
I am the Source … the Matrix … the Substrate … from which the mind-body …
… indeed, from which … the whole universe … the entire cosmos … appears.
The whole universe … is an object in My Presence …
… made from Me … appearing from Me … appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … and therefore bound … inert matter.
I, Consciousness … am not a speck in the universe.
The whole universe … is a speck, a bubble in ME, Consciousness-universal… here and now.
The whole universe arises from ME … I, Consciousness, am its Source.
The whole universe is sustained by ME … I, Consciousness, am its Support.
The whole universe resolves into ME … I, Consciousness, am its Rest …
… cycle after cycle after cycle …
… eon after eon after eon …
… the whole universe is present in ME …
… the whole universe is ME … Consciousness …
… appearing as different temporary forms … with corresponding names …
… all minerals … the whole mineral kingdom … IS ME … appearing as minerals …
… all plants … the whole plant kingdom … IS ME … appearing as plants …
… all animals … the whole animal kingdom … IS ME … appearing as animals …
… all humans … the whole human kingdom … IS ME … appearing as humans …
… all are manifestations of Me, universal Consciousness, I …
… everything IS ME … manifested.
I am Consciousness-universal … formless … pure … unconditioned … unassociated … unattached … non-dual … Presence … Awareness … Fulfilled.
Everything is just Me, Consciousness-universal, Brahman.
