How to be Free from Ego

Moojibaba takes a student through a clear, step-by-step guidance into the core of Self-Inquiry. A practical, ever-relevant response to the question “how to observe with detachment?”

“The feeling ‘I’ in you:
‘I see, I think, I did, I know’,
who is the ‘I’ that knows?
Is it personal or impersonal?

This is the most important discovery,
because until you really realize this and know this,
you take yourself to be an object,
perceiving other objects.”

Monte Sahaja, Portugal
15 November 2024

~

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How to be Free from Ego

5 November 2024
(with subtitles)

[M.] Can I just read it out?
[Q.1] Yes.

[M.] You write, 'Dear Guruji.

I am too ashamed and afraid to speak to you.

I don't know how to observe with detachment.

I don't know how to be aware
that I am aware.

I still see this 'I' identity as real.
Please help me.'

It's a very, very honest thing.

I wish people would write more like this.

Because some people,
they hold back and they don't say.

So I appreciate that you can say it,

because I can kind of have a chance

to share with you in a simple way.

'I don't know
how to observe with detachment.'

Actually, we're observing with detachment
on many things,

if they don't matter to you,
you understand?

If things don't matter to you,
you still see them,

but you're not distracted by them.

Everybody, same thing.
So that's the first part.

There is no such thing as
not observing with detachment.

If, suppose everything you see,
every situation you had,

you had to remember.
It's just alive in you.

We'll be completely crazy.
Nobody can do.

There is the mechanism
of our true natural state,

it's working all the time to ...

Like you can walk through here,
walk up there.

You don't have to notice every step.
You don't notice everything.

You meet a person, 'Hi. Good morning'.
You pass. You don't have to retain that.

So a natural detachment is functioning inside us.

It's already there, detachment.

If we were not able to detach
and yet we are perceiving,

we would be in trouble.

So, first of all, know that it's natural
that you meet people ...

It's the things that matter to you,

that you start to become more attached to.

Like it has meaning
and so I have to remember this thing.

So it's almost like
you take a kind of photograph

in some kind of way inside,
it's like that matters.

So then it become important.
So like this, when you say,

'I don't know how to observe with detachment.'

If I say, But you're doing it anyway
with many things.

If I walk through from the front
to the back here,

and I say to everybody as we're walking through,
Be detached from everything,

then it becomes a problem,
because it turns it into a strangeness.

Because naturally you're detached from things.

You come to satsang
and I'm teaching you something much more powerful

and to bring awareness to something
that's already natural for you.

But I want it to be natural for you
even with things that matter.

[Q.1] Yes, that's my problem.

[Mooji] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's a problem for everybody.

With things that don't matter,
no problem.

You don't even have to say,
'I'm going to be detached from that.'

You don't even have to say that.
You don't have to think.

You're just senses, eyes, life.
You meet these things. Nothing.

Just move through them. You retain your peace.

But about the things that you say matter,
and what makes them matter?

Let's slow down a bit and say,
what makes some things matter?

It's an open question.
Why do they matter?

Some

relationship, some concepts,

OK, this is family, this is my job,

this is my relationship,
and these things matter.

So if somebody else's relationship
is in trouble, it's no problem for you.

But if you have a relationship problem,
it matters for you.

So what is this thing that I'm talking about,
to observe with detachment?

It's just a little step further
than what I say,

you walk through,
you're naturally detached anyway.

What I'm asking about,
learning to observe with detachment,

is to bring that detachment ...

Because whatever you see,
nothing sticks actually. A natural thing.

But when things matter, your relationship,

what you want, your work and so on,

it creates a structure in your mind

and you have to take care of that.

So, I'm not going into all of these things.

I'm saying that,
OK, what is attachment, is to ...

I want you to be aware of a space within you,

which is not changed
by whatever is happening around you.

It's alive.
It's not dead, but it's not,

it's not attached
to the outcome of things so deeply.

I don't know if I'm putting it right.
I'm trying to find an example.

[Q.1] I feel like there is no space.
It's just all mind and identity.

[M.] If you are able to see mind,

you must be looking from
some place that's not mind.

This is true for everybody.
Just you're not aware that it's like that.

Actually, what I'm saying is
actually so powerfully true for you,

when you're aware of it.

And largely, the teachings
and the practice of what we do here

is to make you more aware of something about you

that you're not so aware of, for everybody.

And because we're not aware
in the place that you should be aware

of your inmost being ...

You can't see that.

That's the other thing.
Everything else you can see.

Every relationship, every object you can see.

Every thought you can remember,
you can think.

They're all called 'other',
everything you can see.

But your Self you cannot see!

You get that?

You can say,
'Oh, this is my body. This is my ring.

This is my house. This is my car.'

My, my, my. This belongs to me.

My, my, my. Everything belongs to you.

This is my family. This is my mother.
This is my house.

This is my country. This is my passport.
This is my birth certificate.

All 'my', meaning they belong to you.

But can you say,
This is my my? This is my me?'

You can't say, 'This is my me.'
Why?

[Q.1] Because I cannot see this.

[M.] Yes.
So because you can't see it,

[M.] does it mean it's not there?
[Q.1] No.

[M.] Right.
So there's something in the world,

everything you can see,
but something you cannot see.

Everything you can see,
but something you cannot see.

And yet you cannot deny that it is real,
isn't it?

You know you are.

Now, I'm going to zoom in a little bit closer

in this feeling that, 'Yes, I know I am.'

This thing which you cannot see,

that you say, 'You know it is here.'
I mean, it's the first fact,

because if it's not here,
nothing else is here, isn't it?

But it cannot be seen, yeah?

OK, so we are back to this point.

Everything you can see, everything;

your thoughts, feelings, objects, people,

your feelings,
all of these things, you can see.

You can even see
the quality of your sight, isn't it?

So if you went to the optician
and he says,

'Could you tell me something,
why you come here?'

You said, 'Actually, I'm not able to see
or focus on things so well.'

He said, 'In both eyes?'

You say, 'No, no, in the right eye.'
'OK, tell me something.'

You said, 'In the left eye, I can see
maybe 80% of what it should be,

but in the right eye it's like about 50.'

So something must be seeing sight,
isn't it?

The capacity is there.
You don't have to ask anybody.

You can see, yes,
something is aware of even the sight

is not functioning well.

So something must be behind even the sight.

You're also aware of feelings,
emotion,

sense of time. If somebody said,
'Yesterday something happened',

you're aware of what that means.
Everything you're aware of.

Everything you can see.

But your Self, can you see?

Why?

Your body you can see.
Your body you can see.

You can see your smile.
You can see your body.

You can see everything.

But your Self,
is seeing your body [seeing] your Self?

Why not?

[Q.1] Because something is aware of ...
[M.] Yes.

[Q.1] ... of the body.
[M.] Yes.

That something which is aware of the body
cannot be seen.

[M.] You're saying, no?
[Q.1] Yeah.

[M.] Can it see sickness?

It can know, 'I'm not feeling well'.

'I'm not feeling ...'
It knows emotion.

'I'm feeling a little a bit uncomfortable.'

It sees everything.
But itself it cannot see.

You're saying? Yeah.

Why can it see everything,
but it cannot see itself?

[Q.1] This I don't know.

[M.] This which cannot ...

You can see everything,
but you cannot see your Self.

This which you cannot see,

yet you cannot deny, this is your Self.

Everything you can see,
your feelings, thoughts,

and the function of intellect.

Everything you can see.

But that which is seeing them,
you say, 'I can see.' [VERIFY]

It's sort of,
the word 'I' represents this thing,

but it cannot be seen.

Even your mother can come and say,

'Darling, it's nice to see you.'

What is the 'you' that she's seeing?

[Q.1] The body.
[M.] The body.

And she's seeing her affection,
her memory of you.

All this she puts to become you.

'Darling, it's so nice.
I haven't seen you for a long time.'

So whatever someone says,
'It's good to see you.

Where have you been? You put on weight'
or, 'You lost some.'

All of this is to do with what?

[Q.1] Appearance.
[M.] Your form and appearance, OK?

[M.] So, can she see You?
Can you see You?

Is that scary?

[Q.1] No, it's not scary, but it's ...

Something is missing or feels like ...

[M.] OK, take a moment
and think about what's missing.

You cannot see your True Self.

I also cannot see my True Self.

Why?
Because it's not an object.

It's not even a thought.

[Q.1] But you say to stay as this.
But ... [laughs]

[M.] Well. OK. OK, thank you.
I say to stay as this. Why?

Because, first of all,
you imagine something else to be yourself.

You call yourself a woman,
a daughter, you're from this country,

my parents, I'm ... Whatever. Like this.

So we're used to associating some quality
that represents you.

But really, you're earlier than this,
in the purity.

The one that is aware,
that says ...

You're talking on the phone,
'I'm 27 years old. I've got two children.

I'm married. I live in this place.'

That one, is what?

[Q.1] Person.
[M.] The person.

Is the person and the Self,
the True Self, is the same thing?

[Q.1] No.

[M.] Does that bring a feeling of discomfort?

No. No. Because there's nothing
you have to do to know that.

You, something knows.

Yet most people in the world
have not even looked like this.

They have not even thought about this,

because your world starts with your person.

If I employ you, I look at you, I interview,

I say, Tell me about yourself.
You say, 'I studied this in university.

I lived in South Africa for a while. I travelled.'

Information.
Information cannot be You.

It's about your person.
Which is, what is the person?

[Q.1] This identity is person.
[M.] Yes, yes.

[M.] Can you see the identity person?

[Q.] Yeah.
[M.] What does it look like?

[Q.1] Some tightness, some attachment.

[M.] Attachment.
[Q.1] To ideas.

[M.] Yes.
Attachment to some ideas, OK?

But the person is also an idea.

[Q.1] This is the problem,
because it really feels real. So, yeah.

[M.] Because it is the feeling 'I' in you,

this 'I', it says,
'I see', 'I think', 'I ...' Da, da, da.

Who is the 'I' that thinks.
We're not sure, the person or the real Self?

'I want'.
'Yes, I know.'

Who is the 'I' that knows?

Is it personal or impersonal?

[Q.1] Personal.
[M.] It's personal. OK, good!

[M.] What sees it's impersonal?

[Q.1] I don't know what.
I know it's something is seen but ... [VERIFY VS SEEING?]

[M.] Yes. It's the same answer.
You've given the answer already.

It cannot be seen.

This is the most important discovery,

because until you really
realise this and know this,

you take yourself to be an object
perceiving another object.

The object being your person.
And it's OK, it's OK.

God made it like that,
that we would also be projected

into the world of thought
and feeling and association

and say, 'This is me'.
For a while.

But with this 'I', that works as the person,

its world and itself is never stable,

because it has an identity.

Is the identity of the person
always stable? No, no.

But it tries with everything
to share that it is stable.

Because stable means, it's wise, it's real.
It's dependable. It's consistent.

I'm just talking this through.

But I'm pointing to a deeper knowing
behind this person

that knows the person, that sees the person.

That which is aware of the person ...
You're with me?

Is it attached to the person
or is the person attached to it?

Take a moment.

[Q.1] It's not attached.
[M.] It's not attached.

[M.] Does it suffer from not being attached?

[Q.1] No. [laughs]

[M.] But I had to question you,
for you to recede to that place,

to say, 'It's not attached.'

Because where we are functioning, normally,

is from the identity of the person,
which is attached.

Which likes and dislikes.

Who wants and doesn't want.

Who thinks this and thinks that.

And very much is in the function
of perceiving and living, no?

So, what I'm sharing,
is that, that's OK.

But if you only are aware of yourself
as a person, with its world,

you will never be totally happy.
Because it's not stable.

Today, 'Ah, I'm so happy.
I'm so ... Oh, so wonderful!'

Tomorrow I see you ... [imitates struggling]

I say, Mia, what's up?
'It's OK, I don't want to talk about it.'

[M.] Who is it, who is speaking? Person, no?
[Q.1] Yes.

[M.] What does the Self say?
What does the real Self say?

Is it important at all?

[M.] No. Is the Self important?
[Q.1] No.

[M.] It's not important?
[Q.1] No.

[M.] Does that mean it's no good?
It's not significant?

The Self is not important?
It's not important?

OK, so what's the purpose
of it existing then?

If other things after it are important,
like the person;

personal identity is important,
personal world is important,

personal attachment is important.

But the one before all of this comes,
which cannot be removed,

can the Self be killed? No.

And you say, I like that, actually,
'It's not important.' OK?

[M.] What is important?

[Q.1] I feel this exercise is important to do.
[M.] Yes.

[M.] Why is it important, the exercise?

[Q.1] To stabilise in this.
[M.] Yes.

[M.] Is it the Self, the inmost Self,
that has to stabilise,

[M.] or something else has to stabilise?
[Q.1] Something else.

[M.] Right.

Why does it need to stabilise,
the something else?

[Q.1] Not to get pulled into identity.

[M.] Yes. What is it that gets pulled
into identity, is it the Self?

[Q.1] Attention.
[M.] Attention. Attention gets pulled.

[M.] So attention is very important.
[Q.1] Yes.

[M.] When the attention gets pulled into identity,

what knows it most deeply;

the attention, the mind, the person,
or the inmost Self?

[Q.1] The Self. The inmost Self.
[M.] The Self.

[M.] Does it suffer?
[Q.1] No.

[M.] No. Still it's important,

because every time the attention
goes out and forgets itself,

[M.] it forgets where it comes from.
[Q.1] Yeah. [laughs]

[M.] Every time the attention goes out,
gets involved in its projections,

it causes some pain.

It creates a kind of a world,
it creates emotion,

it creates ups and downs, like this.

And something is troubled by that.

Maybe the person is troubled by that.

And in our world,
everything is due to the person.

It's the person that takes
another person to court.

It's the person that wins or lose.
What about the Self?

[Q.1] Nothing. [laughs]
[M.] Is it important to know this?

[Q.1] Yeah.
[M.] Yeah.

OK, so when we speak about ...
I'll come back to your letter now.

You say, 'I don't know
how to observe with detachment'.

Does the Self need to know
how to observe with detachment?

[Questioner shakes head, no]
[M.] Why?

[Q.1] It doesn't need anything.
[M.] It doesn't need anything.

[M.] Yet everything is known to it.

The play of the mind,
or da da da da, it knows,

[M.] but it's not impacted upon.
[Q.1] No.

[M.] There is a link between
the sense of the person and the inner Self.

When the person,
who cannot exist without the inner Self,

when it gets into states of confusion and pain,

if it doesn't realise its root as the inner Self,

it goes floating off and trouble can come.

Mental problems can come.
Sickness can come. Anger can come.

Fear comes. Everything comes.

So it's very important that
this personal sense

becomes aware of its root.

[Q.1] Yes, and when I try
to do this exercise, I cannot come to this.

[M.] Who is doing the exercise?
[Q.1] Yes, the mind and the person

[Q.1] and the one who wants to stop suffering.
[M.] Right.

[M.] What knows this?

What is aware of this?
Is it the person-mind or the inner Self?

[Q.1] The inner Self.
[M.] Yeah. Is the inner Self troubled?

[Q.1] No.

[M.] Still, the exercise is good,
because this is the real yoga.

Yoga means the coming together into oneness,

where the sense of the person
has to rediscover its root.

The person cannot live by itself.

Even when it's not aware of the Self,
it still comes from the Self.

So largely the human expression
of the consciousness self

is self-aware as a person.

And so it can go for lifetimes,
in the human lifetime, living the person,

because it's a big world, its dreams,
and 'I have to go do this.

I like this, I don't like that,' and da da da.
Maybe life after life.

'This life I love, I love ice cream.
I'd die for ice cream.'

Next life, 'I can't stand ice cream.'
There's nothing consistent about it.

Except that it cannot exist
without the real Self.

And it has intelligence also.

So, when it happens to this personal self,

for some reason,
it's being attracted to find out that

maybe it suffers enough in the world

and it wants to find a solution for it.

And the only solid solution
is to discover where it comes from,

and that where it comes from and itself,
are one.

That's what the search of life is.

Because all beings who are not aware
of this oneness with the Self,

all of them suffer. All have problems. You see?

So this is the purpose of our satsang,

is that the consciousness,
in the form of a person,

becomes attracted to its root,

and not just attracted
to the world in front of it.

And so this exercise, like detachment,
meaning that whatever is going on,

to go in the world, to do,
the this, and self-image,

self-image, self-assessments,

all of this is a play of the mind,
is mind states.

And it has to realise that
all states are changeful, OK?

And that it can witness them,
it can observe them, without being them.

In fact, you can only observe something,
because you're not it, actually.

And that there's a capacity,
even in the person, to observe,

and in observing them it knows
that it's not them.

And that characteristic is like its parent.

You see, the person,
the characteristic of looking and realising that,

'Whatever I see is only
an impression, a thought, a feeling,

but it's not what I am,'
that's called awakening

It's waking up to the fact that nothing out here

comes through the mind or the senses,
nothing of there

can be fundamental to me.
All of it is changing.

And even myself as the person
who is looking and knowing this,

is like on the verge of this way - world -

this way - into the abyss of the Self.

Because it has a capacity
that when it looks

and it is not identified
with what it sees or what it experiences, OK?

And each thing comes, like life is saying,
'This thing and this thing'.

And it's saying,
'No, it's not this. What I am is not this'.

As you keep doing that,
it naturally comes back

to its original Self-awareness.

And I say, Self-awareness,
non-dual Self-awareness,

like not one thing, not a divided union,

but a harmony,
it comes back into realising,

'But here nothing is happening to me.'

When I go into the mind,
into identity,

then happenings become relevant.

But if I even can observe
and be aware of even my person,

which is like my person is like the....

What you call this?
The binoculars that see the world,

but the person who sees the world

is also seen from the place of the Self.

When it knows this,
it's coming back into conscious harmony.

That's all the thing of detachment is.

You don't have to kill anything.
It's just understanding.

The realisation of the Self
is a journey of understanding,

and understanding your misunderstanding.
So it's simple.

Unless we get it, it might seem,
'It's the most complex thing'.

Why?
Because you're not used to doing it.

Each one is used to looking forward,
looking outward.

Even sometimes when you think
we're looking inward into our mind,

it's still outward from the inner Self.

[Q.1] Yes, and this happens a lot,
because I go in,

and then it's the body.
I cannot go beyond.

[M.] Oh, you're in the body-mind?

But something behind that
knows this thing.

The mind cannot make an ultimate realisation

without becoming the realisation.

The mind or the person
cannot come to ultimate realisation

and remain independent of that realisation.

The more it becomes aware,
the more it finds it is. Not that it has.

And this is very significant thing.

Nobody can have the realisation
and be somebody who has realisation.

What it means is that, the idea of yourself

as being only the person,
subsides again, and is seen,

it is seen
as also the most subtle object.

This subtle object of a person
is behaving like a subject,

and that everything in its world
is the object.

But to the Self, it also is the first object.

The first object shines as this feeling 'I',
'I am here'.

You know, 'Mia!' 'Yes, I'm here.'
What it means, 'I am here'?

The reference normally is,
'Look, I'm over here'.

And this is OK, this is normal,
this is the only place

where language can exist, in that way.

The language is for the sense of the person

having relationship with what it likes or dislikes.

Actually,
there's nothing wrong with this, ultimately.

Because even as you wake up
again to realise that, whatever happens,

it's seen from this place.
But this place cannot be seen,

and that I can only really be this place.

Then when you really know this,
the dynamic expression of this,

which is like of being a person,
that can still play,

but it won't have that delusion in it.

[Q.1] Yes. This delusion has to go.

[M.] No, it needs to be understood.

It doesn't need to go.
Why it needs to go?

Because you are combining it with your identity

and it hurts like, 'No, no, no, no'.

But all this now,
you're going to see all of this

are constructs of the mind.

And the self is just a psychological portrait

of the mind, of the person.

But the inner being, which has no shape,
you can't identify and say,

'Ah, I found the inner being.'
You cannot do that.

Because anything you can do that with,
is an object in the perception.

[M.] You got it, isn't it?
[Q.1] Yes.

[M.] OK. So, prove your problem.
Go on.

[M.] You see, you will need to sit with this,
more and more.

Because it's like shape shifting.
One minute you think you're looking

and the next minute you're involved, invested.

Don't get angry about this,
because it's been happening for lifetimes.

So, let it happen, it's OK.

Just keep seeing, but wait a minute,
this can be seen also.

The most intimate
is also an object of perception.

The most intimate,
because 'intimate' means at least two.

If there's not two, there's no intimate.

Can you be confused, 'you',
in the light of what I'm sharing?

[Q.1] No, no.
[M.] Thank you.

[M.] But you can be aware of confusion.

If you can be aware of confusion
without identifying with confusion,

are you cheating?

[Q.1] No, no. [laughs]

[M.] Very good.

So let's start again from the beginning.
What's your problem?

[Q.1] That when I do this exercise,
I believe I need to find something.

[M.] 'I' being what?
Qualify your status.

[Q.1] The person.

[M.] When the person do the exercise?
OK.

There's another word for person
in this exercise,

I would call it,

when the personalised intelligence of the truth,

when the personal intelligence of God

gets confused with its projections,
then it's like, it's lost to itself.

It's like it's lost to itself.

When that loss to itself becomes painful,

you're on the brink of awakening.
You understand?

Because if you're not troubled by it,
then you will not go beyond it.

[Q.1] When it's just pain, pain, pain.
[laughs]

[M.] 'No pain, no gain,' they say.
You have to ...

It's like, in a way,
you're giving birth to yourself.

[Q.1] Because I sit and I do,
but I feel like there is no result.

[M.] You, again,
who is sitting and looking, is what?

[Q.1] The person. [laughs]

[M.] Does it matter that
we're catching it like that?

That it's the person doing it,

and that what the person cries about today,

laughs about another moment.
That it's not consistent.

And even if it says, 'Eureka, I found the Self!'
Can it be true?

[Q.1] No.
[M.] Why not?

[Q.1] Because it cannot be seen.

And if it lends to some illusion of ...

[M.] So then what's the practice for?

[Q.1] To become aware of all these ...

[Q.1] ... wrong ideas.

[M.] Yes, that's one way we can put it.

Tell me another way we can put it.
That's good.

I take that, to become aware
of all these kind of little,

all these little kind of distortions
of understanding,

to become aware of them.
But more subtle than that.

By becoming aware of them,
you become aware of what?

[Q.1] Of that which is seeing.
[M.] Is seeing, yeah.

How can you become,
be aware of it phenomenally?

Can you become aware of it phenomenally?

[Q.1] No.
[M.] No.

[M.] So therefore,
you become aware of what?

[Q.1] It feels like it's just moments
of this awareness.

[M.] Yeah. It will flicker before,
because you're not used to it.

The reflex is used to going out
and connecting

with objects of projections
and perception, used to that.

But now I'm asking you to ...
All this is happening for everyone.

And even the one who says,
'But this is happening to me,

and I find it frustrating!'
With where I'm asking you to do,

is to see that that also
is an aspect of the mind.

But all of these aspects, they came originally

from out of this projection, forward.
Can you see?

[Q.1] Yeah.
[M.] Yeah.

[M.] And that the real opportunity
is in seeing this.

But still something is feeling,
'No, but mind is still troubling'.

No, don't worry.
It's troubling who?

Who is the mind troubling?

[M.] We can say together after three: 1, 2, 3 ...
[Q.1] No one.

[M.] The person. Oh, no one!
Oh, you beat me to it!

It's troubling no one!
It's troubling no one.

That's a better answer than the person.
You see this?

[Q.1] Yeah.
[M.] OK.

[M.] So now what?

It's enough or not enough?

[Q.1] I don't know.

[M.] Who is saying? Who is ...?
Where is this answer coming from?

I can accept it, or I can question it,
'I don't know.'

'I', who don't know?

[Q.1] It's the person.
[M.] It's the person.

[M.] Yeah, sure?
[Q.1] No. [laughs]

[M.] It can be from the person.
If you say it's from the person, OK,

then I would say,
You give me one more move.

But what's aware
that it's coming from the person?

[Q.1] Yes.
Something feels like it's not satisfied,

but I should not go after this.

[M.] Yes.
This is a powerful seeing,

'Something feels not satisfied.'

That which feels not satisfied,
is it personal or impersonal?

[Q.1] It's personal.
[M.] Personal.

[M.] You see, if that gets you each time,
like the person goes,

'I know, Guruji, but you know, I can't get ...'
Who's speaking?

[Q.1] Person.
[M.] Yeah.

[M.] So we will finish on that note?

[Q.1] Uh, person? No. [laughs]
[M.] Thank you, OK. Where?

[M.] What does finish mean?

[Q.1] Just this conversation.
Finish the conversation.

[M.] The conversation can finish
in its oral manifestation.

It may go to be
some kind of little stuff

in the mind that feels like,
'Yeah, I don't know.

I had a talk with Mooji,
and it was really clear,

but now it's not clear.'
Is a report from?

[Q.1] The mind.
[M.] From the mind.

[M.] And it is that ultimate?
[Q.1] No.

[M.] No.
What is ultimate?

[Q.1] That which is aware of this.

[M.] Yes, yes.

Which is where?

[Q.1] It's nowhere.

[M.] Why are you smiling?
[Questioner laughs]

[M.] So, you have a problem?

[Q.1] No.
[both laugh]

[M.] Can you, from this place of answering,
ever have a problem?

[Q.1] No. No.

[M.] Are you sad or happy about this?

[Q.1] Nothing.
[M.] Very good.

[M.] More subtle than even happy.

[M.] Yeah.
We're good?

[M.] If you go walking
and the mind comes again and says,

'I can't remember anything about that.'

'I'm going to try and see
if I can get that mood back.' Was it a mood?

[Q.1] No.
[M.] It's not a mood.

[M.] Can you lose this?

[Q.1] No.
[M.] No.

[M.] Can you possess this?
[Q.1] No.

[M.] Very good.

[M.] I'm happy. Very good.

So, the rest I don't have to read, no?

'I don't know how to be awar
that I am aware.'

[Questioner laughs]

'I still see this 'I'-identity as real.
Please help, Mia.'

[M.] Do we need?
[Q.1] No.

[M,] Very good. Can I keep it?
[Q.1] Yes. I mean, throw it.

[M.] Throw it, keep it.
I'm happy you're like this. It's good.

[Q.1] You don't need to keep it.
[M.] Because this [the letter],

I call it an auspicious reaching out
to clarify something.

And to that extent, it's very ...

I mean, it's not a game.

We can say it is like a game,
but it's not a cynical game.

It's, you may say, a game or a play or

something that needs to happen

to the human expression of consciousness,

when it comes to a stage
where its world is not working.

And I don't see that as a disaster.

I see it as opportunity
to look behind the scene.

[Q.1] Yes, yes.
I want to take every opportunity to look.

[M.] OK. Now? Right now?

[Q.1] Always, yes, now.
[M.] Yes. OK.

[M.] Do you need to look further now?

[Q.1] I can do, yes.
[M.] Yes.

[M.] Yes. Good.
[Q.1] Yes, yes. [laughs]

[M.] Thank you. Very good.

And you don't need to talk
to anybody about it.

Just you sit with that, and watch.

And however tricky the mind can be,
you remember, it is secondary.

That which is primary, is seeing that.

And the mind can come in the form
of thought or moods or sensation,

it can appear like confusion,

it appears as identity,
but it's still only appearing.

Can the Self appear?

No.

So it causes the appearing
of the mind play and the diversity,

but it itself is indescribable, actually.

So at this point I would say,
sit and contemplate that.

That's all you have to do.

You see, it sounds as though
from what you write, somebody might think,

'Wow, I feel she's in real trouble.'
But for me, I say, what an opportunity,

I got to find out from you,
we can look together.

And it's all in you. It's all you.

Very good.

Would you like some tea?
Are you OK?

[Q.1] I think there's food waiting for me.
[M.] Go eat, it's cold.

[M.] That's the only food that's worth
eating cold right now.

[M.] Thank you. Wonderful, darling.
Thank you, thank you, thank you,

[Q.1] Thank you.
[M.] Yes. See you in a bit.

[M.] OK. OK.
[Q.1] Thank you.

[M.] If you are earnest,
you can walk the same road.

It's fresh every time.

[inaudible speech in background]

[Q.2] Yes, something is missing,
like people bring to you often,

[Q.2] 'Yes, I do exercise, great,
but something is missing.'

And there was a moment when I recognised,

'Oh, wow, I have this thought.'
I really needed to look into that.

And it came to me,
that due to the habit of having a shape,

it's as though something is looking
for the shape within the shapeless.

And this gives you an idea
that something is missing.

And then,
another thing that you keep telling us,

Can you bear your own emptiness?

And it's just like,
it just clicked in a different way.

That it's not bothersome anymore when it comes.

[M.] We're used to possessing some phenomenal gain.

We say,
'Yes, but there's something missing'.

Sometimes I might put it ...

What is saying that something is missing?

And, you know,
we're in a kind of 'end of game' moment.

'The mind?' OK.

What's seeing the mind,
saying something is missing?

'Oh, I can't see that.'

Does that mean, it doesn't exist?
You see?

'I', who can't see it?

Even the one who is saying, 'I can't see it',
is also seen, from it.

[M.] But this, we come to something .... What?
[voice] Could you say that again?

Even the one who is saying,
'I can't see, what's seeing this',

is itself seen, in this.

But there is something that feels like,
'I need a concrete ...

... conclusion.'

And any concrete conclusion is also just phenomenal.

And this is why I say,
You cannot bear your own emptiness.

Because something is relying on a trophy.

But both the trophy and the one gaining it,
aren't real, either.

Like this.

So it can look like, it's kind of mental, OK?

It's like the sword of wisdom can look like,

'Hmmm, but it's made of cardboard.'

It doesn't matter what it thinks,
but, yes ...

This is the heart of Advaita contemplation!

It is the ...

There is no next, after this.

You understand?
Unless we go out.

Which is fine, but go out after!

When you go out during,
when we're looking,

something wants to escape.
OK, that's fine, it's OK.

Is that you?
Kind of ...

Because you're used to this being also mind,
and ...

[M.] So anyway, we can just stop there.
[voice] Yes.

[M.] Yes, the ax has fallen.

But the head is talking.

[laughter]

Yes, the ax has fallen, but the head is talking.