sarah austin

The Simple Truth of It All
You want to know your True Nature and hence it is assumed you are reading this message. Is that enough? Reading this blog or any message on Advaita or Vedanta literature is certainly not enough. People spend hours reading and discussing this subject without ever LISTENING to the message therein. After listening, the next step is to follow the pointers. Yes, there is a feeling of peace and calmness on reading these messages and literature or on discussing this subject. But are you really getting anything out of it other than mental entertainment? Be honest with your own self. Is it not true that once you are immersed back in your work or other activity, the feeling of happiness or peace that was present when reading or discussing Advaita or spirituality, passes away just as quickly. You are then left longing for the same feeling once again. That is called suffering- when you are longing for something or some feeling that you do not have currently and are constantly longing for or are in search of it. What does that tell you? That no state is eternal as all states are changing. Why are you still running after some “state” which you hope to achieve at some future time and place? Why not Realize that you are THAT STATELESS STATE- your TRUE NATURE- and you are ALREADY THAT. Would that not make more sense than running around in circles chasing any transient state ( for all states are transient)?

So, what is the solution to all this suffering? It is utterly simple. Simple when one makes a sincere, honest and concerted effort and yet extremely difficult if one is not sincere and does not have the desire to do so. All it needs is for you to inquire into your own self. Inquire into who is this “I” (the ego). Where did this “I” come from? Obviously, this “I” was not there in my sleep and there was no suffering or longing in my sleep. Now that there is an “I” in my waking state, I am suffering. You have to do the work of inquiry for no one else can do it for you. Upon inquiry you must have the firm conviction, that in fact, the “I” (the ego) does not have any independent existence nor does it have any substance. It is but a thought only (the I-thought). Unless and until one does this investigation into one’s own self, all other efforts are entirely futile. Just try it and see how simple this whole process is. For there is nothing new to be gained here. Only the false has to be removed to reveal the REALITY which is already there.

Once this TRUTH is realized, then by all means do whatever you like including discussions about it or writing about it (like this author!).