The pride of Brahman and "I Am"

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Q: How can Brahman, which is intellectually understood, be truly experienced?

M: "Brahman" is not new, it has always existed. It is "Self-existent." You yourself are that Brahman. It is due to ignorance that one becomes deluded by worldly life. You must get over this delusion. In order to obliterate delusion, if required, one can take help of the pride "I am Brahman." Though you may have understood about Brahman, you remain proud of domestic life. To destroy the pride associated with the body, you can take the help of the pride of "I am Brahman." However, if you can succeed in getting over pride without the help of the pride of Brahman, then it is preferable that you proceed without it.

Q: What is non-conceptual happiness?

M: One may have a tendency to believe that once Brahman is understood, concepts are eliminated. This is untrue because there is no relation between Brahman and concepts. They are distinctly apart. It entirely depends upon an individual whether or not to form concepts. Whatever may be the nature of the concept, it either binds or liberates. It is equally untrue to believe that once Brahman is understood, concepts are formed. It is up to the aspirant to get the clear understanding of Brahman; therefore, Brahman is described as non-conceptual. The Master says "The state of Brahman is itself a non-conceptual state." If you follow the advice of the Master and put this concept into practice, you can easily be in the state of spontaneous Samadhi. They, who know that the Self is neither bound nor liberated, are truly liberated, while those who claim superiority due to pride, "kill" their own Self.

A person once unknowingly imprisoned a man, thinking that he was his enemy. He later came to know that the man was his father. After realizing his mistake, he got him released, honored him by offering him a seat, and then begged forgiveness and worshipped him. This pleased his father. Another person similarly imprisoned his father and later he too released and honored him. Up to this point, his behavior resembled that of the person mentioned previously, but later he exhibited strange behavior. He once again arrested his father with the help of a servant and established that he was deceitful. He then ordered his servants to severely punish the father after imprisoning him. The act of the first man seems natural, while that of the latter seems peculiar. Yet, whether natural or peculiar, they are both unreal. Even to label things as untrue, is untrue.

Once it is understood that the pride of ignorance, as well as that of knowledge, is untrue, everything is seen as untrue. It is all only illusion. The one who realizes this, is no longer affected by it. As is our pride, so are our actions. The feelings of bondage and liberation are associated only with the gross body and not with one's "True Nature" (Swaroopa). One's "True Nature" alone is pure, and untainted. The feeling "I am" arises in it. This feeling of "I am" is itself ego in it's first and purest form. Later, it is tainted with the pride associated with the body; "I am so and so." Understand that these are both only different forms of ego.

Liberation and bondage are both expressions of the ego. Only one who recognizes this ego can be truly realized. Saying that "I am liberated" is to remain in bondage. One can drown even in the shallowest water of illusion by tying on an anchor in the form of the "pride of liberation."

Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj - From a talk given Sept. 23, 1933