Questioner: Hi! I enjoyed reading your website. I have a question. I was wondering: you wrote regarding karma yogi that you have to practice the knowledge of “I am”. But you didn’t get specific as to how. What methods do you use?
Rory: The practise itself is called akandakara vritti, which simply means keeping your mind upon the thought “I am awareness”, particularly when there’s any sense of “I” arising that otherwise might be superimposed into identification with name and form.
The key to freedom is shifting our sense of identification from body/mind/ego to the Awareness in which they are experienced. This is achieved by continued contemplation on Self Knowledge.
Questioner: Exactly. But what does that mean in practical terms? Walking around all day thinking I am I am I am?
Rory: No, you already know that “I am”. The fact that you ARE is self-evident. That “I am” is not a revelation to anybody.
The key is to be aware when you’re associating this innermost sense of “I am” with the body/mind/ego and to then redirect it to Awareness. This can be done whenever you become consciously aware of ignorance rerouting your sense of identification to body/mind/ego.
It can also be done as you are studying the teachings and setting aside specific time to deep contemplate the scriptures…or, as I said, simply, the knowledge “I am Awareness”.
This is Vedantic meditation, or nididhyasana, the third and final stage of Vedanta
Questioner: So basically mindfulness practice? Practicing being in the present moment? Eckart Tolle?
Rory: No, it’s quite different to mindfulness practise although there is an element of that. The mindfulness element comes in with being aware of where the mind is, and where our sense of identification is.
The similarity ends there. Mindfulness, as I understand it, doesn’t aim to change our experience or thinking patterns; it’s more just being aware of what arises.
With Vedantic meditation you are deliberately shifting your mind from a thought of ignorance to a thought of Truth, with regards to personal identity.
So mindfulness is a start, as you need to be present enough to know what your mind is doing. The key is then to redirect the mind from a thought of ignorance to Self-Knowledge.
Questioner: So it’s a dwelling on self knowledge. But can’t you describe it more concretely?
Rory: Yes, it’s all about Self-Knowledge; when the mind sufficiently reaches the tipping point and the knowledge is fully assimilated, it eradicates the sense of lack and limitation associated with identifying as a body/mind/ego entity. Only Self-Knowledge can do that.
May I ask if you a student of Vedanta? If you haven’t read my Bhagavad Gita commentary I recommend it as it lays things out in a clear and systematic manner. The ebook is available for free on unbrokenself.com, at least for the next few weeks.
Questioner: I am a Christian but I am also a student of Advaita Vedanta. That is great. I will. Thank you! I need to see what practices you are referring to.
Rory: Fantastic, I think you’ll find the book helpful as it provides an overview of pretty much all the main themes of Vedanta.
The practise in Vedanta is threefold: sravana, manana and nididhyasana; which roughly translates as listening to the teaching, applying reasoning to resolve any doubts and confusion that might arise, and, last but certainly not least, deep contemplation/meditation upon the Knowledge, which is what we’ve touched upon. The book goes into great detail on purifying the mind, karma yoga, meditation, self enquiry, devotion, managing energies and psychology, etc.
Have a look and if any further questions arise just let me know.
Questioner: Except that wouldn’t provide the spiritual exercises one needs to do to stay in the “I am”, right?
Rory: I’m sensing there’s a confusion that may, I suspect, stem from jumping from teaching to teaching.
The problem is not that you’re not “staying” in the “I am”. You ARE; you exist, so you’re never not in the “I am”. As I said before, the problem is simply the notions attached to that I am; the idea that I am the body, the mind, or thoughts, beliefs and feelings.
Resolving this fundamental error is not achieved by a set of spiritual exercises per se. That’s not the way traditional Vedanta works. It’s not a matter of jumping in and, say, doing a particular style of meditation for 20 minutes twice a day. Vedanta is a system; a body of knowledge. There are actually multiple techniques and what we call prakriyas, or teaching methodologies and you’ll find them threaded throughout the book.
The thing is, however, with Vedanta, you have to follow ITS instructions and do exactly as it says on the packet or it almost certainly won’t do very much. That means starting at the beginning and working your way through the teaching systematically. That’s the first stage, which is called shravana or “listening”. It has to be done with a real openness of mind and willingness to set aside preconceived notions at least until the vision of the teaching is unfolded and we get a solid grasp of it.
The initial techniques, if you like, which are recommended for everyone and which you’ll find unfolded in the book, are basically to purify the mind so that it’s ready and open to receive the teaching.
First of all, we need a solid understanding of, and commitment to, dharma. Dharma is a word with multiple meanings depending upon the context. In this case, dharma means right action; it means responding appropriately to each and every situation we find ourselves in by doing what is right (according to both the situation and our relative nature) rather than simply acting to satisfy our ingrained likes and dislikes/desires and aversions.
Once you understand dharma, you are set up to practise karma yoga; which is THE essential technique for all students. We all have karma (action) in the world and karma yoga converts our action into a form of service; we’re basically serving God/the Totality rather than seeking to simply get what the ego wants. Again, the early chapters of the Gita unfold the teaching of karma yoga in great detail. It’s the foundational practise for anybody who wants to make this Knowledge work for them. The Gita is, in fact, our source text for karma yoga.
Even if you do nothing else than practise karma yoga, you’ll find life becomes a whole lot easier and more pleasurable. We’re no longer doing actions in order to get whatever results we’re psychologically invested in/dependent upon. Rather, we live to serve, and to contribute back to the world. This gradually purifies the mind like nothing else. We become less driven by binding desires and aversions, the mind becomes more peaceful and stable and then it easily settles upon the teaching of Self-Knowledge. The mind MUST be sufficiently tamed if that Knowledge is to equate to liberation. An agitated mind, under the sway of various attachments and addictions, is simply an infertile field for the seeds of Self-Knowledge to grow in. The conditions must be right.
An aspect of karma yoga is devotion or upasana yoga. This is detailed in the middle sections of the Bhagavad Gita. As a Christian you’ll probably find this easier to process than some of the people who come to Vedanta with an atheistic worldview. Again, devotional practise and meditating upon God, whether in the form of a deity, simple, or via the Knowledge of God as the all-pervading essence of all that is, is designed to purify the mind and reduce the tension of all the extroverting desires, compulsions and ego conditioning.
When those basics are in place, and only then, we are able to progress with the core of Vedanta; jnana yoga, or the yoga of Self-Knowledge. As I said, this takes the form of the threefold stages of 1. listening 2. reasoning and 3. sustained contemplation/meditation upon the Knowledge.
Those are the practises. It’s important to slow down and start at the beginning; trying to jump to the end doesn’t work, unless a person happens to have an exceptionally “qualified” mind (which, in today’s culture, is almost unheard of). It’s necessary first to lay the groundwork and we do that by udnerstanding and following dharma and practising karma yoga every single day; converting all our actions to service of the Divine and accepting whatever results come our way, whether seemingly conducive or not, as a gift from the Lord. Over time, this transforms the psyche and renders the mind a fit and fertile ground for Self-Knowledge to convert to genuine and lasting liberation from limitation, sorrow and suffering.
It works. It’s been working for thousands of years which is why Vedanta has been around all these millennia. You have to do it on Vedanta’s terms, however, not your own. Trying to cherry pick the essentials just doesn’t work in my experience. As I said, it’s a complete system; a body of knowledge and it is set up to work in a certain and very specific way.
That’s why I hope you will take advantage of the book. It lays out the entire teaching from beginning to end, using one of the most powerful and comprehensive of the Vedantic scriptures. Don’t try to jump to the end of seek to extract what you’re looking for from it while discarding the rest. It’s all needed; all necessary. Get a handle on karma yoga, which is to be practised every day as a new modus operandi, or mode of functioning in the world. Life becomes so much easier and sweeter and, you’ll find, the Self-Knowledge sinks in with remarkable ease.
Going back to your original question, your problem, seeking to “stay in the “I am”” is not the actual problem. The problem is simply one of ignorance; like every human being, you’ve falsely identified your sense of self with the limiting adjuncts of body, mind and ego.
The key to breaking free of this delusion is to apply Self-Knowledge to the mind, consistently and rigorously, until this Knowledge becomes ironclad conviction and the sense of suffering and limitation associated with the false self dissolves like darkness in the morning light. That’s what Vedanta is for. Just, as I said, you need to start at the beginning and that means getting the mind into shape for receiving knowledge. That means making karma yoga your primary mode of living. If you’re looking for a practise, start there and keep devoting your mind to the study and contemplation of Self-Knowledge. There’s no skipping to the end; it’s a case of “slow and steady wins the race”.
This article is basically excerpted from the Gita commentary, but it may be a useful reference point https://www.unbrokenself.com/3-stages-of-vedanta/
This might also be of use https://www.unbrokenself.com/turning-knowledge-into-liberation-tips-for-nididhyasana/
Questioner: Thanks so much for your input. I still have a question regarding definition. When you say “devoting your mind to the study and contemplation of Self-Knowledge.” What EXACTLY does that mean? What are you actually DOING when this is happening? It sounds like you are suggesting some kind of ongoing meditation. This must take form in action, but you (and others I’ve read) have kept that vague. That’s where my actual question is.
Rory: Hi Alan,
I think I’ve been precise and concrete, at least I’ve tried to be. I’m not entirely sure where the disconnect is but I’ll try again.
Devoting your mind to the study and contemplation of Self-Knowledge means following the three stage process of Vedanta.
This doesn’t involve any guesswork on your part; it’s all already been figured out and it has a clear outline with concrete, actionable steps.
Stage 1 is shravana, or “listening”.
You find a teacher, preferably one in a recognised Vedantic lineage, well versed in the scriptures, established in Self-Knowledge and ideally with good teaching skills. What they do is unfold the scriptures, usually starting with preliminary texts such as Tattva Bodha, which establishes the main concepts and terminology, and then gradually working up to the more advanced texts. The internet age has made this so much easier; teachers can teach globally with the aid of Zoom or Youtube. The job of the seeker is simply to expose their mind to the Knowledge and allow Vedanta’s vision of Reality to gradually take shape. So, the first stage is inputting the knowledge.
As I mentioned, it’s also imperative to get the mind into shape, so it’s a fertile field for the seeds of Self-Knowledge. The seeker is expected to simplify their life and become a karma yogi; which, as discussed, is explored in great detail in the first third of the Bhagavad Gita. What this does is loosen the grip of the psyche’s binding desires and aversions, creating a more peaceful, balanced and discerning mind. This is particuarly essential in the high stress times in which we are living.
Some kind of devotional practise is also highly beneficial for purifying and refining the personality, and this may take the form of prayer, chanting or visualising God as either a form or the formless totality of all that is.
There’s also the practise of meditation (extensively covered in the 6th chapter of the Gita) and learning to understand and work with/balance what we call the gunas, the three qualities of matter, as unfolded in the Gita’s 14th chapter. These are all highly practical things and will completely transform a person’s life even without the Self-Knowledge.
So, this “priming the mind” through karma yoga, devotional practise, meditation and managing the proportions of the gunas through lifestyle, diet, and so on, will take place as you are going through stage one; listening to the teaching.
Stage 2, manana or “reasoning” means reflecting upon the Knowledge and all that you are being taught and making sure that you GET it. If there are any areas of confusion or doubt, you make a note of that and resolve it with the help of your teacher. It’s important not to simply take things on blind faith alone; you have to truly understand how all the pieces fit together and be extremely clear on the logic on the teaching. I think of this as the Q&A stage.
Stage 3, nididhyasana, means “deep contemplation”. It’s not enough just to read or listen to the teaching and think that’ll be enough to transform everything. This stage is about fully integrating and assimilating the Self-Knowledge and it necessitates going over the teaching again and again until it cements. It means continuously contemplating what the teaching is pointing to; that your nature is actually pure, unconditioned Awareness of Consciousness.
The teaching will ONLY work if our mind is there for it. It takes significant time and effort to shift our basic centre of identification from the body/mind/ego entity to simply Awareness. This stage may mean studying the appropriate texts and books, your notes, reading and listening again and again until it begins sinking it.
It also means applying self-enquiry to the mind. Each time you find your mind engulfed by storm and stress, you can bet it’s due to ego identification. Page 44 of my book leads you through the basic self-enquiry process. It’s always about disidentifying from the aggregates of the body, mind, intellect, ego and so on and reclaiming your basic identity and nature as Awareness. I find journalling is excellent for this; what you’re basically doing is challenging all patterns of ignorance based self-limitation and reaffirming your nature as Awareness.
You’re not at this stage yet, I don’t think, so it’s not one you need to worry about for now.
In terms of EXACTLY what to DO, here’s what I recommend.
Read the Bhagavad Gita book.
It’s all in there. This is your shravana. As you go through the initial chapters, you’ll learn about how to “qualify” the mind with karma yoga and you need to start practising that every day as a foundation of your entire spiritual life. If, after reading these chapters, you still have questions about karma yoga, then hit me up and I’ll endeavour to help—but only once you’ve actually read and processed the book.
Resist the urge to skip to the end and try to get to the most “advanced bits”. With Vedanta you really need a beginner’s mind and you need to start at the beginning and work your way forward, bit by bit, making sure you’re taking in each part as you advance.
Here’s a playlist featuring my teacher James unfolding the teaching of the Gita, free to watch/listen to on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPzcQokm3vE&list=PLhFBqLqs0-TkhdCsm5yzcTavdhNwmgZrI
You might want to go through that as you’re reading the book. James is a gifted teacher who absolutely changed my life.
That’s as concrete and actionable as you’ll get.
Have fun and enjoy!
It truly is the greatest blessing to find this teaching, as it should be taught, because it is nothing less than a science of consciousness and it works—it sets minds free and has been doing so for thousands of years. We truly are blessed.
Have a great day.
rory
