This part is Submitted by Sri D.C.D. on 25-8-1944
1. Japa of koham is not correct. Put the question once and then concentrate on finding the source of the ego, and preventing occurrence of thoughts.
2. You should not attend to the breathing if you are capable of concentrating on the enquiry without it. Some may have to attend to the breathing if unable to concentrate on the enquiry alone. Some may practise kevala kumbhaka during the enquiry. Some may require the help of regular pranayama also to steady the mind and control the thoughts. All these practices are to be given up when the mind becomes strong enough to pursue the enquiry without any aid. Pranayama is to be practised with the usual caution. It will gradually increase the power and duration of kumbhaka. It will make the mind one-pointed. Take help if unable to concentrate without it. Pranayama is like reins to control the mind-horse, or like brakes to control wheels of thought … ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Whence am I?’ are one and the same. They refer to the ego only. No such questions can be asked in the case of the Real Self.
3. Suggestive replies such as Sivoham etc., to the enquiry, are not to be given to the mind during the meditation. The true answer will come by itself. Any answer the ego may give cannot be correct. These affirmations or auto suggestions may be of help to those who follow other methods, but not in this method of enquiry. If you go on asking, the reply will come. The method of enquiry is dhyana, and the effortless state is Jnana.
4. ‘I’ is also a Guru-mantra. The first name of God is “I.” Even OM comes later. Atma or the real Self is always saying ‘I-I.’ There is no mantra without the person who does the japa, i.e., Aham. The japa of Aham is always going on within. Japa leads to dhyana and dhyana to jnana. You may practise saguna meditation or the method of enquiry according to your inclination. Only that method which is most suitable for a person will appeal to him.
5. Without losing hold of the knowledge of “Who you are,” you may continue all activities as prompted to perform by the inner controller. They will go on even without your efforts. What you are destined to do, you cannot avoid. They will come your way of their own accord. You should also understand what japa, kirtans, etc., are meant for. The real japa is always going on. Japa and God are one and the same. See the philosophy of the name of God as given by the saint Namadeva.
6. In the enquiry, ‘I’ refers to the ego.
7. Don’t entertain such thoughts of imperfection, lack of
qualities, etc. You are already perfect. Get rid of the ideas of imperfection and need for development. There is nothing to realize or annihilate. You are the Self. The ego does not exist. Pursue the enquiry and see if there is anything to be realised or annihilated. See if there is any mind to be controlled. Even the effort is being made by the mind which does not exist.
8. Real asana is “being established” in the Self-Reality or the Source. Sit in your Self. Where can the Self go and sit? Everything sits in the Self. Find out the source of the ‘I’ and sit there. Don’t have the idea that the Self cannot be realized without the help of asanas, etc. They are not at all necessary. The chief thing is to enquire and reach the source of the ego. The details such as posture, etc., may distract the mind towards them or to the body.
9. You may read whichever book you like. Self (Atma) is the real book. You can look into it whenever you like. Nobody can take it away. It is always at hand to be read. Hold onto your Self in your spare time also and then you can read any book.
10. Ask yourself, “To whom do these doubts, fears and worries occur?” and they will vanish. Cease to pay attention to them. Pay attention to the Self within. Fears, etc., can only arise when there are two, or when anybody else exists apart from, or separate from, or outside you. If you turn the mind inward towards the Self, fears, etc., will disappear. If you try to remove a doubt or fear, another doubt or fear will arise. There will be no end of it. The best method to annihilate them is to ask “To whom do they occur?” and they will disappear. Destroying a tree by plucking its leaves one by one is impossible – other leaves will grow by the time you pluck a few. Remove the root of the tree – the ego – and the whole tree with its leaves and branches will be destroyed. Prevention is better than cure.
11. Q. Should I look for the source within the body?
A. The ego arises within the body. Hence in the first instance
you may look within the body for its source. When you reach the source there will be no inside or outside, because the source of the Self is all-pervading. After realization everything will be inside the Self.
12. Q. Is the source on the right side of the middle line of the chest?
A. The Heart is defined as the place from which the “I thought” arises. Heart means the Centre (of consciousness). It cannot be identified with any part of the body.
13. Keep the mind quiet. That is enough. Sitting in the hall will help you. The purpose of effort is to get rid of all efforts. The force will be clearly felt when the stillness is achieved. Spiritual vibrations exist everywhere and they will manifest when the mind is stilled.
14. Look at your Self or Atma, rather than anywhere else. The eyes may be kept open or closed – it is immaterial. There is only one I, whether you spell it ‘I’ or ‘eye’. There is no point in opening or closing the eyes. Attention must be focused on the inner ‘I’. You are not an eye that can be opened or closed. You may close or open the eyes according to your liking or inclination. It is immaterial, and not important. You will cease to think of the world when you think of the Self. If you are in a room and close your eyes and do not look out, it is immaterial whether you close the windows or keep them open. (The body is the room, the eyes are the window.)
Looking at ajna-chakra, etc., is not necessary in this method. It may help in keeping the mind from going out towards external objects. Concentrate on the Self without which there are no chakras. They do not exist without you. You are all of them. All centres (chakras) are in the Heart. The Heart is not the anahata chakra, which is in the spinal cord. Heart is ‘I’.
15. First find out whether the ego, who is depressed by these thoughts, exists. Find out how you got the idea of the body. Solve this problem for your ego, then see if anything remains to be solved.