Q&A from students

Q: Since a little over a decade ago, I experience inner silence, and “isness,” simple “being.” However, it is still “me” who “abides” and knows “isness” (‘doership’) and I do not experience the “isness” in my dreams, which are not lucid. Is my subconscious reached yet? 

A: Recognizing the “isness” in the dream state is quite an advanced endeavor. Most seekers want to and should first recognize “isness” in the waking state (and stabilize such recognition).

That said, not recognizing the “isness” in dreams can be attributed to various factors, such as:

– not fully remembering the dreams in detail (if you don’t have a detailed dream journal or a strong connection to subconscious memory, how do you know you didn’t recognize it in the dream state?);

– lacking an intense yearning for liberation (powerful desires gradually permeate the subconscious mind); and

– most of the waking state recognition is happening on the surface layer of the mind (it should be a “full-being” recognition, which also involves the heart and energy, and you must also have moments in sitting practice where you go below the waking state while effortlessly maintaining self-awareness).

Additionally, the one who initiates the recognition of “isness” in the waking state is not present in dreams (unless lucid). Therefore, the dream ego may lack the insight to be self-aware. In other words, as you point out, the “doership” and you being the one who “who abides and knows isness” means that in the absence of that “you,” the recognizer (a limited yet purer self because it has recognized its own background of awareness), there is no recognition of “isness.” What must be experientially understood is that the recognizer is always awareness and never the seeker/person/doer. Only awareness recognizes itself, and if awareness is present in a dream (which obviously is), then it is recognizing itself. Due to your tendency to identify with a body (physical, dream, etc.), this is missed, and there is only recognition of the dream content, just like you can go through a whole day without recognizing your breathing, though it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Q: Despite these (huge) blessings I still often feel “troubled” on waking. Since my “shift,” I lead a kind of paradoxical “double” life. A blessed life of Being (awareness-isness) & (still) my old life of ego and its sufferings… My ego thinking, my usual way of speaking & my interactions with others often interrupt my abiding… “I” still tend to identify with this lifetime’s “story.” I still suffer from vanity, fear, sadness, anger, ignorance, dukkha (suffering)!

A: The “double life” you speak of means that there are still fluctuations between being identified with being or awareness and the ego or personhood. In other words, although you have realized the nondual space of awareness, your ego still seems to superimpose itself onto that space and pull you into itself, leading you to an apparent “paradox” of suffering on the top of suffering-less space. It’s as if you need to bring being from the background into the foreground of your life (through presence/self-aware energy rather than only being a mental recognition), pervading every moment until the identification with the personhood dissolves and the background/foreground dichotomy collapses.

However, remember not to mistake the archetypal sattvic personality (i.e., Ramana Maharshi’s expression as described mainly by his devotees) with the natural state (permanent and effortless abidance in the I am) because it may not necessarily be the case (e.g., the great Nisargadatta Maharaj’s expression being an example of what we could almost call “sattvic rajas”). Being in the natural state doesn’t mean that you will stop experiencing the natural spectrum of human emotions. Just because you know the moon’s reflection in a lake is not the real thing, it doesn’t mean it disappears; it just means it is seen for what it is. As it is continually experienced in that way, this experiential recognition will eventually overflow into your manifested expression of body-mind and make it more sattvic and transparent to allow the light of awareness to shine through with less filtering. But don’t allow the belief that you must be a saint to be able to be established in the natural state to corrupt your discernment.

Q: How long will it take to reach sahaja samadhi with regular practice? I think not even having any vague estimation is the main source of the anxiety that’s holding me back. My mind keeps telling me that it may take god knows how long for the natural state to become effortless, and this produces a lot of anxiety.

A: There’s no precise timeframe because it varies from seeker to seeker. No two individuals have the same predispositions, karma, conditioning, etc., so the time it takes to embody and stabilize in the natural state is different for everyone. I’ve seen students “achieve” it in two months, and we’ve all heard about seekers who have been at this for decades, often without significant results due to misguided approaches, inadequate guidance, or ineffective practices. Despite the natural state being within reach with the proper mentorship, dedication, and practice, anyone claiming to provide an exact timeframe is simply talking nonsense.

However, what you’re telling me is actually great self-contemplation. Your unacceptance of the present moment indicates a lack of surrender and letting go; it implies a resistance to the now and the unknown. You seem to want to be somewhere in the future where the natural state never falls away rather than here and now. This is a hindrance that prevents you from realizing the ever-presence of the natural state. It’s already here, as it’s not something one could acquire and lose, but these clouds prevent you from seeing the all-shinning sun. Perhaps it’s good to allow complete helplessness to take hold of you and then relinquish your fears, anxieties, etc. Let it all go, don’t avoid or suppress the pain, and definitely don’t give the mind the power to dictate whether your abidance in the I am is effortlessly present or not—self-awareness goes beyond the mind. At the end of the day, those seeds of uncertainty can only find fertile ground when you are outside of the I am.

Q: I have struggled to understand the distinction between knowing that my Light is very bright and that I am a talented/advanced spiritual seeker—versus the ego-based idea that I am special. The ego wants to hook onto the spiritual. How do I embrace the magnitude of my Being, when the goal is that my oneness will eventually disappear into Oneness? Everyone has the same potential—isn’t it counterproductive to celebrate my uniqueness? I believe this work with you is important—not having to ‘worry about your ego’ is liberating, something I’m just starting to appreciate.

A: In a nondual context, which is what matters here, an advanced or talented spiritual seeker is one who is able to let go and sink into the untainted presence of God, letting all the masks fall—one who is able to recognize their own self-awareness in their heart. Nothing else.

While the moon shines beautifully with its seemingly independent and captivating light, it’s important to recognize that its radiance is, in truth, borrowed from the sun. The moon’s reflected light is special in its own way, but it is the sun that makes it all possible. Once we truly acknowledge the sun’s unending light, we are then free to fully acknowledge the moon’s enchanting light. However, prematurely dismissing the moon’s reflected light in its entirety, just because it doesn’t belong to the moon, can inadvertently prevent us from truly realizing the sun—as it is in that very reflected light that we follow our way back home to the sun.

Celebrating one’s uniqueness is done by realizing God’s presence through our individual lens. When our attention sinks into “I am,” and we become so transparent that we realize that God moves through us, breathes through us, sees through us, thinks through us, and so on, then our manifested expression blossoms into that very celebration. Celebrating one’s uniqueness based on personality traits (regardless of how ‘sattvic’ they are) can become an “ego trap.” Celebrating one’s uniqueness may be a valid goal when it comes to self-improvement; however, in authentic spirituality, what should be celebrated first is the common factor between us all—the essence. Once the celebration of essence is truly accomplished, we can then celebrate form, as it cannot ever be separate from its own essence. The celebration of one is the celebration of the other, with no separation at all. This is what I call the dance of nondual-duality.

When it comes to resolving “personality issues” to optimize the spiritual process, we definitely need to take care of the issues that hinder realization. The problem is that all these issues are ego issues, and undergoing continuous ego refinement can be a never-ending journey. That’s why there must be a balance between purification work (resolving “personality issues” instead of spiritually bypassing them because they will manifest later on and prevent even deeper realization) and nondual work (abiding in the space where no such issues exist).

Interestingly enough, both of these “works” are actually the same. Object-based practices can provide some degree of purification and refinement, but they alone cannot entirely eradicate deeply ingrained patterns and conditioning that act as barriers to enlightenment. Hence, the importance of proper guidance cannot be overstated—just like grace—as it serves as the ultimate aid in nondual work and contemplation, together with directed nondual practice, which is exactly what you’ve been doing.

Q: I believe this work with you is important—not having to ‘worry about your ego’ is liberating, something I’m just starting to appreciate.

A: Yes. In fact, worrying about the ego actually comes from the ego (“spiritual ego”), and keeps oneself chained to the ego. Being in the space where no such worry exists—that’s how the “not having to worry about the ego” is truly accomplished—and how one starts to truly see the ego’s behaviors and subtle mechanisms in play.

Q: Can I be completely stabilized in the natural state and still realize the aspirations I perceive to be the blueprint for my life? Or could this urge be a diversion from my spiritual growth and practice?

A: Being in the natural state is quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately, the vast majority of human beings have no idea that experiencing reality from such a profound dimension is even possible. Even among the spiritually inclined, only an extremely small number of aspirants will realize their real nature.

For those who realize it, some will naturally attune themselves to whatever “blueprint” their vehicle of expression seems to have in this world, and will go in that direction. It’s not that they don’t want to go further in their enlightening journey (if they’re aware that the natural state is not “final”); it’s just that they feel an ardent call compelling them to express their inner beauty and realization through different channels, be it creative endeavors, aiding others in spiritual or conventional ways, championing eco-friendly or earth-harmonious causes, etc.

Some of these calls could be said to “horizontally” expand one’s integration within the natural state, rather than “vertically” ascending within the Tree of Liberation. Could it be premature to put too much focus and energy into such a “branch” instead of keeping them in the main “trunk”? Yes, if one’s not yet fully stabilized in the natural state. That said, oftentimes, it may also be integral to one’s path—a pivotal phase enabling the emergence of subconscious and emotional remnants as well as a way to deepen one’s relative expression in the light of awareness. Allowing one’s relative expression to go in the direction of fulfilling such innate calls might well be a component of their spiritual expansion and growth rather than a detour or distraction. It varies case by case. Guidance is truly precious throughout such endeavors.

Not everyone feels the inclination to immediately delve deeper into the investigation beyond presence into absence, and definitely not everyone will experientially go beyond both into suchness in this lifetime. And that is perfectly fine. When a genuine nondual aspirant feels and is truly ready, the proper guidance and grace will naturally manifest.

Q: The tales detailing extraordinary spiritual occurrences in your book please the senses, but what purpose do they serve? I’m not going to be brave enough to say they did or didn’t actually happen (that’s not for me to ponder), but for someone on the spiritual path, it only inflates my ego to expect these things to happen. I will leave my mind open, and I would love to hear your feedback to my comments. I am willing to learn.

A: As I was writing the autobiography, I was actually leaning toward refraining from writing about those “mystical experiences.” The rationale behind this was that I didn’t want these events to distract readers from the true purpose of the book or color their perception of it. After all, those types of experiences described in the earlier chapters bear no real relevance to enlightenment or liberation per se, even though they can be powerful catalysts for paradigm shifts and certain types of insights.

Upon careful consideration of whether to include them, I opted for the sensible choice, as any person with a wise spouse would do: I asked for her opinion, and engaged in a lengthy discussion with her on this matter. As you’ve noticed in the book, she was also present during all those moments, so she knew exactly what I was talking about. In the end, we concluded that these experiences and events, despite their otherworldly nature, needed to be included in the book because they genuinely occurred. Seeing that they were a part of my path, these experiences played an important role in showcasing my highs and lows, the pitfalls, desires, intentions, etc., throughout the journey. They aid in understanding the significant transition I underwent, especially when I got into nondual and actual profound spiritual teachings—the ones that truly matter.

As I said in the autobiography, at the beginning of one of the earlier chapters:

“Years later, when I read this, even if I don’t believe it happened, one thing is for sure: It really happened! The mind will store this memory as if it had occurred in a distant dream. But know this one truth: it happened!”

At the time, I had to write this prelude into one of the entries in my diary to ensure that any doubts that might arise years later wouldn’t cast uncertainty on whether that particular experience truly occurred, especially because, unlike all the other mystical events, this specific part I address in the autobiography had happened only to me that day on the beach. During that period, everything felt exceptionally new to me, and I was still years away from having a proper and mature understanding of what we refer to as spirituality.

While skepticism is absolutely valid, it is always important to avoid limiting our experience to preconceived notions of what’s possible. Instead of adopting a narrow perspective, we opt for unbounded openness—and allow life to show us what’s possible. These “extraordinary” occurrences had the right impact at the right moment, and not only am I grateful for them, but they were extremely important for shaping the way my life unfolded at the time. Had I omitted them from the book, I’d not have been open, truthful, and sincere in giving the account of my path.

Moreover, the so-called mystical experiences and the display of otherworldly phenomena in my earlier days were actually far more extensive and prominent than what I described in the book. I excluded many such events and experiences because I didn’t want a substantial portion of the book dedicated to these matters. I don’t hold anyone at fault for having doubts about them. It’s important to emphasize that the purpose of these initial chapters is not to inflate anyone’s ego; on the contrary, they highlight the significant pitfalls that may arise from pursuing such a direction, as well as the unexpected beauty and miraculous nature of manifestation.

When we live life from a deeper dimension of being, we open ourselves to the wondrous fragrance of existence. We don’t need to walk on water or part the sea to experience the extraordinary, because each breath, each heartbeat, each sight, each sound, each sensation, each taste, each smell, and each moment is full of itself, luminous, undivided, and overflowing with extraordinariness.

Q: Can practicing in specific “sacred” locations be beneficial?

A: Undoubtedly, certain locations are endowed with an energy capable of amplifying your sadhana. Practicing amid the embrace of nature, for instance, is better than practicing within the confines of a shopping center. Some places exude an aura of profound energy, discernible to those who are sensitive. Furthermore, practicing with advanced practitioners or within the presence of a liberated being can also elevate your sadhana to new heights. Yet, unless you have very particular circumstances, the majority of your sitting practice time will unfold in your house. Therefore, choose a specific space for sadhana, even if it’s just a small corner, and if possible, use it solely for that purpose. Infuse your practice space with “spiritual” or “meditative” elements, which can be as simple as a candle. That candle will not be a mere candle but a representation of the light of consciousness guiding you to your true home.

These little details can turn any environment into an environment more conducive for sitting practice, and you will have a reminiscent of those “sacred locations” that you mention right within your own living space.

However, it is important to realize that although the energy of a place can positively affect your sadhana, the mind and its level of activity (and thereby aid the pacification of thoughts, the flow of energy, and the overall restlessness of your body-mind), when it comes to settling into “I am,” this self-aware joy of being is available everywhere, regardless of the place or time. In the heart of awareness, all the sacredness can be found.

Q: I’m alone on my spiritual journey. People around me are not understanding, offering little solace or support, and perhaps even casting doubt upon my sanity. How do I cope with this?

A: The vast majority of the world looks at those who invest time in self-discovery and spiritual practice as the odd ones out. However, a closer examination reveals that it is not the genuine spiritual seekers who are sick; rather, there is a collective illness afflicting the very fabric of society. Everyone is playing a game of pretending. In their quest for enlightenment, the truth-seekers stand as outliers, challenging the status quo that thrives on illusion.

To comprehend the genuine pursuit of truth requires a departure from the golden handcuffs of the collective mind, which demands a degree of maturity that is rarely seen.

The pervasive condition of suffering, coupled with an incessant sense of inadequacy and an unrelenting feeling of lacking, is the normal state of probably everyone you know. People don’t understand those who seek the truth because people live in a state of ignorance. The divergence between those who seek the truth and those who unconsciously dwell in ignorance mirrors the difference between authenticity and conformity.

Do not let society be the arbiter of value.

There are books and teachings that extend a comforting hand, assuring you that you are not alone; they guide you toward your center. There are also communities, people all around the world, who are genuinely seeking the truth, those who have realized that everlasting happiness and completeness are not achieved by “looking outward.”

I know it’s not easy. I’ve been in solitude. Yet, opening the door to my heart allowed me to realize that I’ve never really been alone. And once you open yours, you’ll know you’ve never been alone either.

I am with you, and I stand with those legitimately seeking something more than what the commonly shared superficial outlooks and societal facades appear to present. You are never walking alone. Be like space and allow grace to fill you up.

Q: Is extensive purification necessary, or can I jump into nondual practice?  

A: The necessity of extensive purification varies for each practitioner. Some may require significant purification, others may need only a moderate amount, and still, a few may need almost none at all.

Q: How to deal with emotional upsets?

A: All emotional experiences present a chance to choose awareness over ego, love over fear.

Do we want to clutch onto emotional disturbances or release them? If we truly examine the implications and ramifications of clinging to them against the advantages of releasing them, we may notice that there’s a peculiar allure in basking amid the debris of emotional upset. But do we really want to wear those worn-out clothes? These are the stories that the ego loves to dwell on, feeding itself and preventing any of the much-needed surrender. Do we want to accept, heal, and surrender, or do we want to find ourselves among the souls carrying unseen burdens?

It may be prudent to investigate the dividends we get from holding onto the remnants of a painful episode. What is it that we are getting? How meager are our standards? What satisfaction do we get? Really answer these questions.

Ultimately, the main question is: how does it help us be enlightened? How does it help us be free? It just doesn’t. It may serve to satiate our subconscious yearning for easing guilt through self-punishment—because that’s what we are doing, punishing ourselves over and over again by reliving those experiences in our mind. But this is the ego’s self-preservation game, and it is very good at it.

That said, just like any of the ego’s games, the mere discernment of such a situation has the potential to transform it from a negative situation into an illuminating one. It is a great opportunity to be fully present with these emotions, allowing them to be and to express themselves in their “rawness” while you simply witness them and let them go. Do not create any stories about them; just be aware of them. See only the clouds, not the figures they may form. Then, when there’s more space between you and them, allow your presence and the flavor of being to pervade the whole experience—you are now choosing love over fear.

Q: I have read numerous books on Ramana Maharshi, finding enjoyment in his biographies and stories, yet I continue to find it challenging to apply his nondual teachings into my sitting practice. How can I practice his teachings?

A: Most books about Sri Ramana Maharshi have an introductory biography about him. They inform us that he was born in 1879 in Tamil Nadu, India. In 1896, at the age of 16, he had a death experience where his ego or sense of being a separate individual completely vanished. They also tell us how he traveled from Tiruchuzhi to Tiruvannamalai, settling near the sacred hill of Arunachala. There, quite unintentionally, he attracted a following of devotees and truth-seekers, sharing his insights until his passing in 1950.

Although these biographies are inspiring, you must not overlook a critical aspect: don’t equate Sri Ramana Maharshi with that body-mind form. Let me introduce you to the biography of the real Ramana Maharshi, or better yet, Arunachala Ramana, as he referred to himself, and then illustrate how to implement his teachings in a straightforward way:

Arunachala Ramana is the unborn. He is formless and dwells in the heart of every being. He is ever-available, for he is not limited to a specific space-time but always accessible in and as your own awareness.

Many of Sri Ramana Maharshi’s teachings are preserved in books, but above all, if instead of looking at objects, you look at your own awareness, the source of “I” or “I-thought,” you will be practicing the most elevated form of his teachings. There, your ego will melt into the bliss of Arunachala Ramana himself, who is none other than your true self.

The cessation of an objectified and conceptual existence is the start, the way, and the goal. Finding yourself beyond objects and concepts, in the subjectivity of experience, is what I call the state of presence. This is being aware of yourself, not as an object but as awareness—and that is how you practice Arunachala Ramana’s teachings.

To put it simply: sit, shift your focus away from the contents of your experience into the background of awareness, and stay there. That’s it.

“Do not think this body is me.
I am shining in each one of you as ‘I’.”

– Sri Ramana Maharshi
The Mountain Path Vol. 49 No. 4, Oct 2012

Q: Is the state of presence different from practicing “I am” in your Tree of Liberation?

(follow-up to question #11)

A: Incorporate surrender and heart into the state of presence, and you will be in the state of “I am” (which could also be termed “blissful awareness of being”). The state of presence is inherently empty; there’s nothing there but empty awareness. If everything you do is abiding in the state of presence or being aware of awareness while ignoring both the dimension of the heart and surrender into being, and you are without proper guidance, then this will most likely lead only to a shallow awakening of the state of I am.

Devotees and disciples who lived with Ramana Maharshi at the ashram naturally experienced a profound opening of their hearts and deep surrender to him. Therefore, this didn’t need to be addressed as much, although they still had regular devotional chanting within the ashram, and Ramana himself highlighted the harmonious interplay between the path of nondual devotion and the path of consciousness, and even composed hymns and poems dedicated to Arunachala.

However, in today’s world, outside of retreats, satsangs, or transmissions, most truth-seekers practice alone at home, necessitating a greater conscious emphasis on heart and surrender. This also lifts practical nondual teachings from their often-misinterpreted ambiguity to a clear and precise understanding.

In Hinduism, the terms Atman and Brahman are imbued with a more devotional and surrender-infused flavor, whereas terms like “awareness,” “consciousness,” or even “Self” are generally viewed as neutral. In some languages, the concept of self doesn’t even exist, only the concept of “I.” One could say, “connect with the soul and be one with God,” but this phrasing could also evoke some religious overtones, which might not resonate with everyone, especially without previously subconsciously reframing these designations.

Just to be clear: within a practical approach of nondual sadhana, “I am” is different from “aware of awareness.” The former is surrendering to and as blissful empty awareness, while the latter is being aware of contentless awareness—just empty and spacious awareness, as if it were “missing” its ananda nature. Depending on variables such as your natural inclination, level of maturity, and guidance, your experience of self-awareness may feel more like a “manifested vacuum” than blissful emptiness.

The state of I am is an “upgrade” from the state of presence. Atma-vichara, as Ramana Maharshi termed his practical approach, means investigation or inquiry into atman. So, when his disciples investigated atman (awareness) within their master’s presence, they did so with an open heart and full of surrender. That’s why it worked and led many of them to the natural state and beyond.

Nowadays, modernizing our understanding and approach to spirituality and enlightenment is a beautiful thing, because it enhances their accessibility and efficiency—but we must never lose the richness, otherwise it’s like we’re draining the flavor from a dish by removing all seasoning. That’s why, in the Tree of Liberation, both surrender and heart are integrated with presence. This is what leads to “I am” and to its maturation into the natural state.

Q: Could you clarify the distinction between love and attachment in personal relationships?

A: Love and attachment could not be more different; they’re at opposite ends of the spectrum. In a relationship, true love is about experiencing oneness with the other. This genuine love nurtures and supports without clinging, allowing each person to flourish while simultaneously being part of an unseparated whole.

Q: What is the best spiritual practice?

A: When you use the term “best,” I take it to mean the most effective in achieving your specific spiritual goals. Assuming it’s about enlightenment or liberation, there are precise steps that facilitate a deeper journey into self-exploration, propelling you to realize your true being, expand into universal consciousness, dissolve into the lightless light of the absolute, or even recognize suchness.

The truth is that the most effective spiritual practice may differ for each individual, depending on their predispositions, tendencies, karma, the current phase of their path, etc.

The manner in which you engage in a practice actually makes a massive difference:

One thing is certain: having a good heart, an open mind, and access to proper teachings makes it all very much possible.

Paramahansa Yogananda: How is the spiritual uplift of the people to be effected? What are the instructions to be given them?

Ramana Maharshi: They differ according to the temperaments of the individuals and the spiritual ripeness of their minds. There cannot be any instruction en masse.

Q: Aren’t dualistic practices inferior to nondual practices?

A: Dualistic practices center on the notion of duality. They are about engaging with otherness, that which is distinct from “I,” from the subject. These practices focus on objects of consciousness.

That said, it’s vital to understand what these practices are and what they are not. While they offer many benefits, dualistic methods should not be mistaken for direct paths to liberation. They are better seen as preparatory steps—bridges that may assist in crossing over to the nondual shore.

Q: What’s the simplest way to incorporate surrender into everyday life that will also benefit my spiritual practice?

A: When it comes to surrender outside of sitting practice, there is an approach that is pretty straightforward: when you’re triggered, let go immediately. Delaying only makes it harder. Of course, to have this level of clarity, you need sharp discernment—you must first recognize the emotional and mental disturbances surfacing within. From this vantage point, you can discern the turbulence without becoming entangled in it.

When an arrow strikes you, let go at that instant and remain seated in and as awareness. This allows the pain to ebb away like the ocean tide. If you cling to the thoughts and emotions that surface, you’ll find yourself ensnared in a vortex of reactive energies and narratives.

If you get lost in the story, when you eventually “return” to awareness, you might realize how lost you were—lost enough to possibly regret your words or actions or perhaps what you failed to do.

This loss of clarity can last distressingly long. Sometimes, you might find that only a few minutes have passed, but on some occasions, we could be talking days, weeks, or even years.

Where were you? How did life pass by so quickly? Don’t let what can be surrendered hold you back. Remain rooted in your own being, and let whatever surfaces play out without getting swept away by it.

This approach will help you avoid accumulating so many mental impressions, thereby not only making your daily life easier, but also enhancing the efficiency of your nondual practice.

Q: I don’t seem to realize when I get caught up in the emotional narratives of my life. How come?

A: That is not a conscious process. It’s like when you get lost scrolling through social media or absorbed in playing a video game. You simply drift away, quietly and imperceptibly. It’s a state of self-forgetfulness, where subconscious processes and conditioning completely dictate the show.

Imagine going through life and getting caught up in every thought, emotion, and narrative—whether personal, collective or even spiritual. It’s a burdensome way to live. Surrender opens you up; it creates a more expansive and receptive space within you, paving the way for fresh insights, realizations, transformative experiences, and profound shifts.

This highlights the contrast between being lucid and clear, fully aware, versus being semi-conscious, where ego, conditioning, and subpersonal processes take over and live your life for you.

Many seekers overlook the impact that their daily lives have on the quality of their spiritual practice, particularly on how much of the stuff that they have to go through during each practice session are newly accumulated impressions. How can anyone truly dig deeply within if they’re constantly accumulating more dirt every day?

This is the difference between using everyday life as a means of purification versus allowing it to accumulate more shadows and turmoil within.

If you don’t surrender at the first sign of disturbance, you’ll have other opportunities, but they may become increasingly harder, requiring focused effort to regain composure and lucidity. For genuine seekers, the call to return to clarity will always remain. Even though it may become more challenging, coming back to conscious presence will eventually become a more fluid, natural response.

Each time you feel resistance coming up, remember: let go. Regardless of the mind’s persuasive efforts, just let go, it’s not worth it.

Q: I have a deep fear of the “enlightened state” as it is represented in my mind. There is a detachment from my life and the people I love in it. I find this to be handicapping to my “progress.” It is as if all the “normal human stuff” becomes meaningless in a negative sense. Could you offer some insights on this?

A: Fear is a natural element of the journey, often rooted in our survival instinct. It may emerge from uncertainty about the future, reluctance to dive into the unknown, apprehension about letting go and surrendering, etc. However, it can definitely be transcended.

Here’s something to consider: no enlightened being has ever looked back with regret. Genuine liberation does not bring new levels of confinement, such as complete detachment from loved ones or indifference; it doesn’t lead you to deny or reject your humanity and life, nor does it lead to nihilism or a lack of self-love.

If it did, it wouldn’t truly be liberation, as it would introduce constraints into your life. Liberation doesn’t diminish love or interconnectedness; rather, it deepens them. Enlightenment doesn’t strip away our humanness—it allows the divine to illuminate through it.

Since enlightenment is about dispelling the “darkness of ignorance,” and since fear comes from misidentification, misapprehension, and ignorance, these elements vanish when illuminated by the light of liberation, just like a shadow vanishes when you put light into it.

If a person has spent their entire life in a dark cave, the brightness outside may seem scary. But if they start with a candle to gently introduce a bit of light, then progress to a flashlight, they’ll gradually come to realize that there is nothing to fear outside. Eventually, that person will be ready to step out of the cave and fully appreciate reality as it is.

Don’t be afraid. Be glad you’re blessed to be on this marvelous path. There’s really nothing else in life that compares to it.

Q: Do some nondual traditions inadvertently encourage escapism?

A: Many nondual traditions strongly reject the so-called “manifest world,” viewing it only as a place of suffering and malady. Various teachings proclaim the physical body to be a curse, a burden, and the human condition as only a relentless cycle of pain and despair that we must escape from and transcend at all costs. There’s no denying that there’s a subtle inclination toward escapism ingrained in some nondual traditions, completely rejecting one’s relative existence.

Many of the world’s spiritual masters originated in the East, in what is often considered to be economically deprived nations with low levels of material prosperity and barely any social welfare system. In those places and cultures, shunning the “world”—maya, illusion, samsara, whatever one wishes to call it—is understandable. After all, hunger, disease, physical pain, discomfort, and so on, that’s what this world appears to offer them. Therefore, extinguishing this synonymous-with-suffering world and finding the unmanifested, nirvana, or pure and untainted awareness “on the other side,” is viewed as the way.

Breaking free from this type of perspective, however, is critical if you wish to move forward on the spiritual path in the more advanced stages and also in terms of integration and embodiment.

The manifest world and human existence are not to be shunned and rejected. A spiritual seeker must never bathe in self-denial, but rather in self-love.

Initially, when first embarking on the path, you may have to distance yourself from the world and the ‘objects’ of experience in order to lessen their burden on you, propelling you to discover your sense of awareness. But this dualistic grasp will have to be transcended further down the spiritual journey. Your understanding of manifestation itself will change as you evolve on the path, and you will recognize that it doesn’t have to be the plane of sorrow and suffering; instead, it can be the stage for the blissful celebration of liberation. We don’t have to escape this world to some transcendental subject apart from it, rejecting it as if it were the devil—we just have to recognize the unfabricated nature of reality as it is.

Q: How to approach deep inquiry and how important is it?

A: Deep inquiry is essential. Initially, inquiry is dualistic. There is one who inquiries. But once you are at least in the natural state, and with adequate guidance, inquiry begins to unfold as nondual practice. There is no inquirer, just the inquiry. It is like a “self-arisen” (or guided) open-ended question, that is put up with sincere curiosity and a profound yearning to discover a non-conceptual, experiential answer. It’s not looking for a thought-based answer.

In the beginning, inquiry needs a potent question—a question that means something to you. If it doesn’t mean anything to you, nothing will happen. For enlightenment, it typically must also point toward you. This doesn’t mean that the inquiry must be about “I,” but that should point toward “I,” toward yourself. Of course, Who am I? is the ultimate spiritual question, but there are countless others.

Remember: It always starts with a question, unfolds through introspection*, and culminates in insight.

Eventually, the inquiry leads you into the answer, to which you simply surrender. It’s a process that flourishes by itself on itself. Don’t get in the way. Don’t go for familiarity. You have to be with the unknown. There are no good or bad answers. Maintain an open stance without expectations, struggle, or resistance. Just be total empty openness, be willing to look, and become the answer itself.

Proper deep inquiry always demands an openness, a readiness to receive whatever truth may emerge, no matter how unsettling it may be. Inquiry must be approached in a way that you are ready to be utterly dismantled by the experiential insight it reveals.

Engaging in true inquiry means that you are willing to stake everything—that you are willing to risk your life, as you know it, in the pursuit of experiential non-conceptual understanding.

This isn’t about casually asking questions. It is a deep commitment to delve into the unknown, into the mystery, regardless of the cost. In a moment of profound inquiry, you are ready to give everything for it.

To truly inquire is to make an offering of oneself at the altar of wisdom, ready to be transformed.

[*Introspection: “action of closely inspecting or examining.” Derived from the latin introspicere, which means “to look into, examine, or observe attentively,” it combines intro- meaning “inward” with specere, “to look at, to observe.” Thus, introspection means: inward attentive observation. It is how a proper inquiry should unfold.]

Q: What’s a more advanced way of dealing with thoughts in practice through inquiry?

A: There are many ways. Here’s one. Contemplate the following:

Where does a thought come from?

In what way it appears?

Where does it appear?

Which form or identity does it have?

Where does it go when it departs?

What is a thought made of?

Does it appear inside or outside?

Where are the boundaries between inside and outside?

What’s the difference between thoughts and empty awareness?

Where is the line that differentiates a thought from empty awareness?

Who is the thinker?

Is there a thinker of thoughts?

Is there a need for a thinker?

These are all great inquires to do. Not as a way to look for intellectual answers, but as starting points of self-exploration. You must really want to know—want to be—the answer. Be open. Be willing to look. Be willing to receive.

A wave is nothing more than water. It is water in motion, an expression of the ocean’s energy. Even though it is seen as a wave, it has never been anything other than water; its nature has always been water. In the same way, all the various thoughts that arise are nothing but the swirling patterns of empty awareness, which cannot be grasped or defined. They never solidify into something real or truly definable. And even though empty awareness does seem to arise as thoughts, it remains empty awareness.

Through this inquiry, you must arrive at a resolute understanding that every fleeting thought, every whisper in awareness, is not an alien occurrence but the self-aware emptiness itself. This experiential insight transforms every thought-wave into a moment of luminosity, revealing that thoughts, once regarded as unwanted, are actually undifferentiated from empty awareness. This breaks the mind. This breaks thoughts. This breaks duality.

Q: I have read and learned about the “awareness watching awareness” method that leads to “manonasa.” Are those who reach “manonasa” liberated?

A: The “awareness watching awareness” method (or just being “aware of awareness”) is a lovely and powerful nondual practice. You simply look directly into awareness and stay there with that empty looking. Because awareness is not an object, you will not find anything, and thus you merely stay as empty awareness.

[The idea and exact wording of being “aware of awareness” is not something new that someone discovered in the twenty-first century—it was mentioned and taught before in no uncertain terms, in plain English, by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, for example].

It is often said that by staying as empty awareness, you will eventually “attain” manonasa (“annihilation of the mind”), where you realize pure awareness as your blissful ground of being, and manifestation itself as utterly non-existent (i.e., only essence is real, form is and has always been non-existent). This eventually leads you to absolute absorption, where you realize the absolute. Manonasa implies the embodiment of this insight in all your multidimensional being. This is how you experientially realize Advaita Vedanta’s Ajata Vada, the “doctrine of noncreation,” expounded first by Adi Shankara’s mahaguru Gaudapada.

Of course, when we attempt to realize, integrate, and embody this in actual practice and life, we discover that this is not as straightforward as it may seem. There are countless nuances, pointers, understandings, shifts, and so on that must happen to fully embody this insight. It’s not as simple and monochromatic as “sitting in awareness twelve hours a day for some years and be done.” This is only the tip of the iceberg, and that’s why I’ve come to know countless truth-seekers who’ve been practicing this way for years and years and have yet to experience a fundamental, life-changing shift.

Plus, there’s no such thing as “annihilation of the mind” because that would assume the existence of a mind. The truth is that there’s no mind, anywhere. That view is already an erroneous starting point. And having the correct view and understanding when approaching a practice and teaching is more important than spiritual seekers often think.

That’s also why Gaudapada points out in his commentary on Mandukya Upanishad (Mandukya Karika) that the mind is nothing but “non-dual Brahman.”

[As an interesting side note, although Gaudapada drew obvious inspiration from Nagarjuna to write his commentary, both in ways that enriched Gaudapada’s teachings and in ways that stirred ferocious philosophical debate, they probably wouldn’t have gone out for a drink together, had they been contemporaries…]

What manonasa actually means is the permanent dissolution of all things manifested, even the experiencer and experience, into what Gaudapada called “absolute non-manifestation,” which we can call the “unlit awareness”—the unmanifested (i.e., Nisagardatta Maharaj’s “absolute”). This goes beyond presence, beyond universal consciousness, beyond the “true self.” Many nondual teachers casually use terms like mukti, manonasa, nirvana, etc., interchangeably, but they do not have the same meaning at all. I cover all of this and more in detail in my autobiography.

Beings in manonasa are in what I call absolute state: absent duality, using the Tree of Liberation as a guideline, or akin to the 8^th picture in Zen’s Ten Ox Herding Pictures.

This is not really liberation as I see it, but the uttermost transcendence of Maya, however, without realizing the always-has-been subjectless-objectless nondual truth even of manifestation itself. Transcending manifestation in order to realize nonduality—manonasa—is an advanced but not final step.

Q: Can you just list a few limitations with the awareness watching awareness practice?

A: The nondual practice and teachings of “awareness watching awareness” or “awareness aware of awareness” (or similar) are quite good and direct—I really like them. However, it’s important to realize that doing this practice in “isolation”—without heart, without surrender, without the proper view and understanding, and without paying any attention to your daily life—will only bring you to what I call presence in the Tree of Liberation, which is basically the first step of the journey, alongside the awakening of discernment.

Here are a few limitations of this method:

– It can feel very “dry” and “ananda-less” for a lot of practitioners. Not just in the beginning, but even after years and years of practice. Without love, joy, or bliss, the practice can easily become stagnant and mechanical. Without these elements, one’s sense of separate self will not totally melt into blissful awareness. Being aware through the heart is very much needed.

– Focusing only on sitting practice often ends up creating a “bubble” that doesn’t lead you to realize that sitting-with-eyes-closed or walking-showering-eating-moving-laughing-living-with-eyes-opened can have the same depth of practice; eventually, there should be no difference between them. Practice must flow into daily life beyond just sitting. You will not spend most of your life seated in practice.

– It can lead you to reject perception and your relative self because they’re seen as pure ignorance. Believing that “If I’m still perceiving the world, I’m still in ignorance” is a misapprehension of the absolute and can become a huge pitfall. This view can bring limitations in terms of human experience and lead to subtle suppression of your relative life.

– May create or increase the yearning to escape life, emotions, thoughts, sensations—escape from the human experience, from the universe. This then may prevent you from meeting the world and sentience with full compassion, kindness, and openness, therefore preventing you from experiencing oneness through these virtues; it doesn’t allow the “transcendental” to dance with the “mundane” in complete groundlessness. The sense of interconnectedness with humanity, sentience, and the universe may not totally awaken, because of the incomplete understanding that leads one to feel that “there’s no people, animals, mountains, planets, sentience, etc.—there’s only awareness.”

– Although this practice and view are good to lead you to substantial nonduality, they do nothing to help you realize non-substantial nonduality. They don’t lead to the dissolution of all self-references either, for “pure awareness” will always be reified and become one’s frame of reference. This is okay initially, but then has to be transcended for actual liberation.

– Performing this nondual practice in a vacuum can definitely lead you to powerful experiences and absorptions but it can also potentially lead you to bypassing vasanas/deeply-rooted subtle impressions that actually may need to be taken care of for proper integration or embodiment. Obviously, we shouldn’t be spending our whole life purifying ourselves and uprooting vasanas, but complete negligence of some of this stuff can cause a lot of problems. Looking for transcendence without also addressing deeper underlying issues can lead to a fragmented understanding and embodiment.

There are more, but these are enough to give you an understanding of potential limitations of this practice and the underlying view that comes with it. At the end of the day, it’s a beautiful, powerful, and extremely effective nondual practice and form of self-inquiry, if used in conjunction with proper guidance, understanding, heart, and surrender.

Q: I’ve been facing many problems recently. What’s an effective spiritual approach to address them?

A: In nondual teachings, the solution to most problems begins by first seeing who has them.

When you go into the empty space of your being, the drama, heaviness, and contraction caused by the thought “I have a problem” fade away. This space of being is free of problems. Suffering is found when you no longer consciously acknowledge and abide in or as this space.

If the drama, heaviness, and contraction are not there, then it means they are not inherent to you—they are mere transient guests in the vastness of your being.

This means that despite the problem, the problem-free state of being is always available to you. Being in this space may not eliminate the problem, but it gives you the necessary space and clarity to manage it, surrender it, and transcend it.

Additionally, you’ll also be able to deal with the problem from a higher perspective, not only in your capacity to resolve it but also by reframing the whole situation and seeing its purpose in your spiritual path. Every problem then becomes an opportunity to purify, grow, expand, and assess the embodiment of your insights and realization—it may propel you to a new depth of self-understanding.

Human beings all strive to transform problems into solutions; yet, if the solution doesn’t translate into spiritual grow, the relief or satisfaction it brings may just be the seeds of new problems. Proper spiritual guidance can help in discerning this with exceptional clarity.

The ultimate relief and satisfaction is to be found in the space of being, and if that space is already available—always available—and you truly experientially know it, then problems become spiritual levers for purification, learning, and integration of realizations into your multidimensional being.

Two great books that help you better understand this is are The Yoga of Consciousness and The Yogic Dharma.

In short: When facing a problem, turn back into your own space of being, not to escape but to gain the unobstructed clarity needed to transmute the problem into an opportunity to integrate and expand your spiritual realizations and insights.

Q: Sometimes, the experiences or insights I have don’t offer me any consolation.

(follow-up to question #25)

A: That is not necessarily bad. Sometimes, we have to look where it hurts, where it’s painful, where we’re afraid to look, so that we can see through our beliefs and illusions.

Obviously, our practices may gift us with numerous moments of joy and bliss; there might be profound love and peace. Yet, the spiritual path is not about looking for consolation; it’s not about seeking comfort and pleasure while trying to avoid pain. To cause a fundamental change in the way you experience reality, the roots of your identity must be dissolved; any false ground must crumble; all mirages must be seen through. Genuine teachings are not sleeping pills—on the contrary, they propel you to wake up from your slumber.

There is a big difference between seeking consolation and shattering your illusions. After all, what’s the point of having gold and diamonds if they’re just the material that your handcuffs are made of?

When a proper path is established, there is an equilibrium between piercing through these layers that need to be purified and abiding in the space of being where they don’t even exist. Depending on where you find yourself, you may tilt more toward one side than the other.

That’s why creating space between yourself as consciousness and potential vasanas, afflictions, shadow, etc., is an important first step, as it loosens the emotional grip they have over you. When there’s space to breathe, transformation, surrender, and transcendence become possible.