July 9, 2025 • 24 mins
We explore a profound listener question about what comes after experiencing formless awareness and whether spiritual development plateaus after self-realization.
• Celebrating when abstract spiritual concepts become experientially clear through consistent practice
• Understanding that formless awareness exists beyond body, intellect, ego, and memory
• Recognizing that seeking "what's next" after self-realization often comes from remaining ego
• Explaining why spiritual powers (siddhis) aren't necessary for genuine enlightenment
• Addressing the misconception that awakening should grant control over the material world
• Exploring how true self-realization changes our relationship to experience rather than giving supernatural abilities
• Finding contentment in the "plateau" of awareness without needing to climb higher spiritual levels
• Understanding how being a "disciple" can continue to bring joy even after self-realization
• Learning to recognize when we're searching for the glasses already on our face
Let me know your questions about meditation and non-duality! I'm planning to restart weekly meditation sessions soon, so keep an eye out for notifications about that in the future.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, welcome to another episode of the Bearded
Mystic podcast, and I'm yourhost, rahul N Singh.
Thank you for joining today,and today I have a listener's
question.
I love these type of questionsand it's from Dhillon G, as I
mentioned in the last podcast,and he's been a listener.
(00:21):
He's been a listener for manyyears now and you know when
we've held weekly meditationsessions he was very regular and
I think I want to start thoseup again so you can look forward
to some notifications aboutthat in the future.
Now, his question is OK.
(00:45):
So over the past several monthsI've been meditating daily and
feel more grounded in theexperience of formless awareness
.
I can now more confidentlyrecognize the state of
witnessing, being aware of myawareness and observing the
sense of presence that's beyondthe body, intellect, ego or
memory.
That's beyond the body,intellect, ego or memory.
(01:10):
What once seemed abstract nowfeels intuitively and
experientially clear.
I resonate deeply with whatadvaita vedanta describes, that
this presence is formless,beyond time, space and gender
and fundamentally unaffected bythe material world.
Just a quick thing before weget to the questions.
I mean this is brilliant.
This perfectly describes as itshould be.
(01:33):
You know, sometimes we forgethow natural and simple the
experience of being aware is wedon't have to do anything other
than be the witness.
The more you go into being thewitness, the easier it is to
break away from theidentification of body and mind.
Now, it's not that the body andmind itself is bad, it's our
(01:56):
attachment to the identificationof the body mind that takes us
back a little, so we can end upgoing into pain and suffering
and going into that endless loopwhere we can't really transcend
our suffering, and that that iswhere the problem lies.
But what Dylan G is talkingabout here is that you know,
(02:16):
once this whole experience ofbeing being aware, of awareness
and being in formless awarenesswas something abstract, and this
happens when we're inspirituality.
We think that all these conceptsare very, very abstract,
different, difficult.
It seems to be impossible toachieve.
And my thing is, if the Rishissaid it, there's most likely
(02:41):
it's possible.
And the fact that there's beenmany accounts, especially in
India, of people achieving thesame thing, the exact same thing
, in my opinion shows that ifthis can be replicated, it's
very much possible.
Now people like to say well, welive as householders, so it's
very difficult.
(03:02):
Well, not really.
In fact, I think as ahouseholder it's even easier
because when you're just a monk,yes, all your focus is on
spirituality, but there'snothing that's going to
challenge it for now, you know,whilst when you are in the
shelter, at home, in your normalday-to-day life and then you
(03:26):
have a guru as well that youlook up to, that you have
someone that you follow.
And when they challenge you inthe household as a your parents
dealing with your children,dealing with your work, managing
(03:47):
all of that and yet keeping aninner stillness, an inner
centeredness, that's the realdeal.
So for me, I think being ahouseholder makes it easier.
That's my perspective.
I mean, yeah, that's just myopinion, but I have found that
(04:07):
being in formless awareness inthe home is a lot easier.
And yes, you do need constantremembrance.
Of course, you know there'sthings I put on for music and I
just like to dissolve in that.
And there's times when I will,with my breath, remember that I
am formless awareness or thatthere is only formless awareness
(04:29):
, and that whatever me is stillremaining may that enter the
shelter of the formlessawareness and that I let go and
enter into formless awareness.
And then, if I've done anymistake in the state of duality,
you know I apologize not onlyto the people I'm sorry to, not
only those people that I've hurtor have caused suffering to,
(04:53):
but even to myself, and this issomething I've grown up to
understand and refine and soforth.
But yeah, and also what D dylang says, which is amazing, um,
that it's beyond my body,intellect, ego, memory.
That's true.
Formless awareness cannot beformed as memory.
(05:14):
If you try to make it frommemory, automatically, you see
it as an object.
So therefore, memory doesn'tstick.
And if you're chasing thememory of an experience, even
then, like you're, you won't bestable and you can, then it
becomes another attachment.
(05:35):
So, um, and again, like eventranscending the intellect, yes,
you can discriminate or discernbetween the real and the unreal
, but there's a point where youdon't need to do that anymore,
where you don't need to see whatis changeless and changing.
You can automatically just enterinto formless awareness, and
when I say enter, meaning thatyou just recognize, it's right
(05:58):
here, and you know, in thismoment he's also said I've also
come to appreciate that thisawareness is not only within me,
but shared, the same essence orsubstance that we refer to as
God, perfect.
I don't think anyone can wordthat better than it is, and that
(06:18):
is so true.
That is literally, when youknow it's true, self-realization
, because if you just see it asI am the self and I'm the only
one who's realized no, then it'sego, but this is, uh, this is
important.
This stage, um, is a good stepin self-realization.
(06:41):
Something has happened here,like um, like individual waves
made of the same water.
I'm starting to see thisawareness reflected in others,
brilliant, recognizing thatbehind each person's body and
mind there is also the sharedstillness and presence.
This is absolutely important,again, and also very difficult
(07:02):
to practice, because people havepersonalities and we may not
agree with those personalities,but to remember that they are
still.
That shared presence, thatformless awareness, is what's
really important.
And reminding oneself of thatbecause, again, we can trip up
(07:23):
at any time this is very good.
So he comes to the question.
My question is what now?
While the realization that godis within you once felt deeply
empowering and uplifting, I'venoticed that it hasn't
necessarily translated into anyincreased ability to influence
(07:44):
the material world.
I still face the samelimitations I did before.
So I wonder, am I right inthinking that this awareness
doesn't grant us more power in aworldly sense, but rather
changes our relationship toexperience or is there another
depth or level beyond this thatI've not yet reached?
(08:05):
Good question, I mean, first ofall, what now?
I mean, see, this is when I cansay, ego is still present
somewhat, because over herewe're seeing that there's
something in time saying well,what's next?
There's got to be something,there's got to be something,
there's got to be, um, there'sgot to be something more than
(08:26):
this.
But actually, once you're informless awareness and you're
resting in that formlessawareness, one is to maintain
that resting, uh, when I sayresting, I don't mean that it's
literally uh.
You know, I saw a video aboutthis where somebody was
criticizing when we say restingin formless awareness, but I
don't even understand themeaning.
(08:48):
It was very pedantic, in myopinion.
But when one is grounded informless awareness, when the
foundation and everything isformless awareness, there cannot
be anything now or here.
It's all formless awareness.
All is Brahman.
(09:09):
Cannot be anything now or here.
It's all formless awareness,all is brahman.
There is nothing more to graspor contain or to, to grow
towards or anything like that.
At this point, if, if one is,but if one sees the ego arising
to what is next?
There must be something more.
But yeah, it's the ego istelling you there's something
more.
You see, once you meet God,what is left?
(09:32):
Once you see God face to face,once you see Brahman face to
face and the face merges intoone, what's next?
Nothing more.
I mean, this is the pinnacle,and to embrace the pinnacle is
(09:54):
the most important thing Now.
Is that pinnacle giving youbliss?
Is it giving you peace?
Is it giving you joy?
If it's giving you all of thesethings, you're good, then
that's, that's all you need.
That's, that's liberation.
So, yeah, you won't you.
You know, in my appear, in myexperience, I've not gained any,
(10:17):
um, extra sensory powers or uh,nothing stands out, shall I say
, where I'm like, oh, that'sbecause, you know, I realized
that I'm formless awareness.
Nothing like that has actuallyhappened to me.
And, yeah, I'm just trying to.
Yeah, there's some element ofcold reading that I can do now.
(10:40):
So, which I tend to avoidbecause there's only so much.
You can look at somebody and andthen just totally understand
them, and you just want to notdo that.
It's kind of I just don't likedoing that.
But I have the ability to dothat, where I can look at
somebody and totally kind ofunderstand where they are
(11:04):
spiritually and and everythinglike that.
I tend to not do it anymorebecause I don't think we live in
the time today where everyonethinks they're the perfect
disciple or spiritual aspirant,so I tend not to say anything.
Sometimes I do make thosedeclarations in passing in
(11:25):
conversations and people likehow can you say that?
But it's because of thatability.
But I've always had thatability, when I was even younger
, so it's something that's onlycarried on.
I guess maturity is that I'velet go of it and I don't see it
as important.
So, yeah, you don't need theseextra powers, these siddhis.
(11:49):
Even the Patanjali Yoga Sutrassay so, and even in just
spirituality in general.
You don't need these siddhis,these powers.
They are Maya itself, they'repart of this nature.
Therefore, they don't hold muchvalue, in fact, compared to the
bliss of the self.
(12:09):
That's nothing you don't want.
You don't want any.
You don't need more.
You don't need the world tobend to your will either.
You know it's.
It's like let the world be it,it's gonna run its own course.
You.
You are running your own coursein terms of body and mind too,
(12:32):
because now.
But there's no course for theself to be in now.
So once you've realized that youare formless awareness, there's
nothing left more to do,there's not a more single,
there's no such thing as eventaking a single step now,
because you are where you're,where you've always been.
You know, there's in the jupjiside, it's, they say, and it's
(12:56):
really good that, um, you know,uh, I forgot where it is.
But basically it goes to thewhole thing that the truth is
the same today as it isyesterday, as it will be
tomorrow, like it will always bethe same.
(13:17):
And that sameness is what wehave to understand of formless
awareness.
That's annoying me that Iforgot the line.
Yeah, and really yeah.
The only thing that changes isyour relationship to experience.
(13:37):
You see the, the, how fallibleexperience is.
So even if you have mysticalexperiences, you understand that
actually isn't there anawareness of those mystical
experiences?
So even if one is havingtranscendent states of mind,
(13:59):
you're witnessing that thewitness is still present,
because it's the witness thatreckon.
That is the same throughoutmystical experiences and
non-mystical experiences.
So even there, you know, we cansense it, um, and yet there's,
in my opinion, there's.
No, I've not found any moredepth after being in formless
(14:24):
awareness, once you realize that, from for mercy that you are,
that there's nothing more.
In my opinion, there's nohigher level or below level,
these things as higher and lower, you know they, they're that's
totally destroyed as well.
Um, also, I recognize that evenasking this might come from a
mindset that's still caught inseeking or trying to move up
(14:47):
spiritual levels, wanting toreach higher and higher heights.
I don't know if that's the mosthelpful frame, but I'll admit
it's the one that appeals to me.
I totally get it Dillanji,totally normal, like we do want
to keep growing.
Like we do want to keep growing.
And how is it that one can beself-realized and still be in
(15:12):
the mindset of a seeker?
The way I Look at it as this,you've realized yourself Tatva
Masi, you are that, you are thatBrahman, aham Brahmasmi.
I am Brahman, I am FormlessAwareness, I am Nirga Rupam.
Fine, but as a mind, yes, themind may still want to learn
(15:33):
more.
The mind can keep seeking, canseek the language to explain
what this brahman is, so it canexplore that.
So one is always seeking inthat aspect.
How can one remain humble?
Well, simply by understandingthat, even if you say there's
higher spiritual levels, isn'tthat the ego that wants to go
(15:56):
higher?
Isn't it the ego that tries topull you lower.
See, the self is static, it'sstill, it's the same, it's
changeless, it's beyond levels,it's vast.
So, and I understand whatyou're talking about, because
(16:17):
there was a time when I was atthat same stage and I realized
that that stage was onlycreating more of a spiritual ego
, because I wanted to be higherthan the next person, ignorant
(16:40):
of their true nature.
And if you can stand next tothem and still feel that they're
the same as you, that's whenyou've reached.
But if you're standing next tosomebody who has not realized
their true nature and you're,and you think in your mind
they're lower than you, thenthat's ego.
Then I would question where theself-realization has truly
occurred then.
Because self-realization meansthere's only the self, because
the self is omnipresent.
That's the only thing thatremains.
(17:02):
So that's the important step tounderstand here.
And then, how do you measure ifyou go higher and higher?
Because when will you stop?
Because even if you want to gohigher into the experience of
formless awareness, you'll onlybe reaching yourself in the end,
under the illusion that there'ssomething higher that you're
(17:23):
attaining.
For example, if there's wavesto the ocean, in the end, no
matter how high the waves thatyou chase, that you surf, in the
end it's just the ocean.
So it doesn't really matter.
(17:43):
And again, because this isinfinite, even if you go higher
and higher, you'll only beresting back to yourself.
You can keep going higher forsure, sure it will allow that
game to happen, because you areallowing the game to happen.
(18:05):
You are the self, you arecreating the game for yourself.
The issues will tell you, brochill or sister chill, but it's
a mind, when it mixes withwanting to achieve something
higher, that we play that game.
And remember, the mind is alsojust a reflection of this pure
(18:28):
consciousness, nothing more,nothing less than that.
So that's important tounderstand as well.
So I get it, it's, it's.
It's really, really important.
And then, so you say, myquestion really is have I
reached a kind of plateau, or isthere more to discover or
integrate from here?
I think I've addressed thissomewhat, um, but have you
(18:54):
reached a kind of plateau?
And what do we do when weplateau, when we kind of we're
at the same place for quite sometime?
The first indication is itgiving me peace, is it giving me
bliss, is it giving me joy, isit giving me happiness,
(19:15):
contentment, and are thesebreaking at any point?
If they're breaking, that meanswe're still working, okay.
So the mind is still gettingaccustomed, we're refining, and
that's important.
Nothing wrong with that.
But that still means thatself-realization has taken place
.
But now there's a refinementgoing on.
So that's important.
(19:35):
That's the integration period.
The more you stabilize and themore you're grounded in formless
awareness.
When you realize that's youronly true nature and it's
unbreakable, it's changeless,you know that there's nothing
left to do.
Now, my biggest thing that I do, and because I also felt the
(20:12):
same thing that you're feelinglike, I went through the same
process same feelings, samequestions.
Like I plateaued.
What do I do now?
Same feelings, same questions,like I plateaued, what do I do
now?
And what I realized is that,even though I know I'm formless
awareness, I like the game ofbeing the disciple.
I love it.
I absolutely adore being thedisciple.
(20:36):
So whenever I see my guru, I'mabsolutely enamoredoured.
I'm not saying there's dualityin that.
No, I recognise the Guru as myown, as my own self.
There's no difference.
But I enjoy being the disciple,and not only the disciple of my
Guru, but disciple ofSatchitananda, of existence
(21:00):
itself.
So you know I read.
You know I read all the timeand that reading gives me joy,
gives me language.
I enjoy reading people'sexperiences Into, discovering
their true nature.
I absolutely love it and thesekind of things.
(21:27):
Not only are they inspirational, but they show you that you are
doing the right thing, you areon the right path.
There's no need to make bigdeclarations that, oh, I'm
enlightened or I'm awakened.
Your life speaks it.
You know you speak it.
Your words speak it, yourfamily will see it, your friends
(21:53):
will see it.
And, yes, you may become a bitmore solitary, you may be a bit
more mindful about how you spendyour time, which is only
natural, but you know there's.
If you reach that plateau, it'snot a bad thing.
From what you've explained tome, like I, I'm going based on
(22:17):
that and for me, I think if youfeel like there's still
something, a bit more, then youknow maybe there still is, but
sometimes we can.
It's like, for example, you'relooking for the necklace that's
(22:41):
already around your neck, you'relooking for the watch that
you're already wearing, you'relooking for the glasses that you
already have on, and that maybe the case here, and sometimes
we just need to be reminded well, that's just the case and
(23:05):
there's nothing more now.
Another thing is how silentdoes your mind get Now?
If your mind still races withthoughts and it's still in the
rajasic level or damsic level,then we need to make sure that
(23:29):
that's calm.
So I don't know why I said thatlast bit.
I don't know why, but that is aweird thing to do.
But just check the nature ofthoughts and if you're
plateauing, plateau intoformless awareness I mean it
sounds funny and ridiculous, butyeah, in every breath, just
(23:57):
remember your true nature, thatthere is only this formless
awareness.
So anyway, this is a long videobut I kind of enjoyed it If
there's anything.
Anyone has any questions?
Dilanji, if you have anyfollow-up questions, please ask.
And anyone else, if you haveany questions, please do ask.
Don't be shy and do like thisvideo, comment, video comment,
(24:22):
subscribe, do all that stuff andfollow me on discord and so on,
and I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Thank you very much.
Take care, namaste.
Hello, welcome to another episode of the Bearded
Mystic podcast, and I'm yourhost, rahul N Singh.
Thank you for joining today,and today I have a listener's
question.
I love these type of questionsand it's from Dhillon G, as I
mentioned in the last podcast,and he's been a listener.
(00:21):
He's been a listener for manyyears now and you know when
we've held weekly meditationsessions he was very regular and
I think I want to start thoseup again so you can look forward
to some notifications aboutthat in the future.
Now, his question is OK.
(00:45):
So over the past several monthsI've been meditating daily and
feel more grounded in theexperience of formless awareness
.
I can now more confidentlyrecognize the state of
witnessing, being aware of myawareness and observing the
sense of presence that's beyondthe body, intellect, ego or
memory.
That's beyond the body,intellect, ego or memory.
(01:10):
What once seemed abstract nowfeels intuitively and
experientially clear.
I resonate deeply with whatadvaita vedanta describes, that
this presence is formless,beyond time, space and gender
and fundamentally unaffected bythe material world.
Just a quick thing before weget to the questions.
I mean this is brilliant.
This perfectly describes as itshould be.
(01:33):
You know, sometimes we forgethow natural and simple the
experience of being aware is wedon't have to do anything other
than be the witness.
The more you go into being thewitness, the easier it is to
break away from theidentification of body and mind.
Now, it's not that the body andmind itself is bad, it's our
(01:56):
attachment to the identificationof the body mind that takes us
back a little, so we can end upgoing into pain and suffering
and going into that endless loopwhere we can't really transcend
our suffering, and that that iswhere the problem lies.
But what Dylan G is talkingabout here is that you know,
(02:16):
once this whole experience ofbeing being aware, of awareness
and being in formless awarenesswas something abstract, and this
happens when we're inspirituality.
We think that all these conceptsare very, very abstract,
different, difficult.
It seems to be impossible toachieve.
And my thing is, if the Rishissaid it, there's most likely
(02:41):
it's possible.
And the fact that there's beenmany accounts, especially in
India, of people achieving thesame thing, the exact same thing
, in my opinion shows that ifthis can be replicated, it's
very much possible.
Now people like to say well, welive as householders, so it's
very difficult.
(03:02):
Well, not really.
In fact, I think as ahouseholder it's even easier
because when you're just a monk,yes, all your focus is on
spirituality, but there'snothing that's going to
challenge it for now, you know,whilst when you are in the
shelter, at home, in your normalday-to-day life and then you
(03:26):
have a guru as well that youlook up to, that you have
someone that you follow.
And when they challenge you inthe household as a your parents
dealing with your children,dealing with your work, managing
(03:47):
all of that and yet keeping aninner stillness, an inner
centeredness, that's the realdeal.
So for me, I think being ahouseholder makes it easier.
That's my perspective.
I mean, yeah, that's just myopinion, but I have found that
(04:07):
being in formless awareness inthe home is a lot easier.
And yes, you do need constantremembrance.
Of course, you know there'sthings I put on for music and I
just like to dissolve in that.
And there's times when I will,with my breath, remember that I
am formless awareness or thatthere is only formless awareness
(04:29):
, and that whatever me is stillremaining may that enter the
shelter of the formlessawareness and that I let go and
enter into formless awareness.
And then, if I've done anymistake in the state of duality,
you know I apologize not onlyto the people I'm sorry to, not
only those people that I've hurtor have caused suffering to,
(04:53):
but even to myself, and this issomething I've grown up to
understand and refine and soforth.
But yeah, and also what D dylang says, which is amazing, um,
that it's beyond my body,intellect, ego, memory.
That's true.
Formless awareness cannot beformed as memory.
(05:14):
If you try to make it frommemory, automatically, you see
it as an object.
So therefore, memory doesn'tstick.
And if you're chasing thememory of an experience, even
then, like you're, you won't bestable and you can, then it
becomes another attachment.
(05:35):
So, um, and again, like eventranscending the intellect, yes,
you can discriminate or discernbetween the real and the unreal
, but there's a point where youdon't need to do that anymore,
where you don't need to see whatis changeless and changing.
You can automatically just enterinto formless awareness, and
when I say enter, meaning thatyou just recognize, it's right
(05:58):
here, and you know, in thismoment he's also said I've also
come to appreciate that thisawareness is not only within me,
but shared, the same essence orsubstance that we refer to as
God, perfect.
I don't think anyone can wordthat better than it is, and that
(06:18):
is so true.
That is literally, when youknow it's true, self-realization
, because if you just see it asI am the self and I'm the only
one who's realized no, then it'sego, but this is, uh, this is
important.
This stage, um, is a good stepin self-realization.
(06:41):
Something has happened here,like um, like individual waves
made of the same water.
I'm starting to see thisawareness reflected in others,
brilliant, recognizing thatbehind each person's body and
mind there is also the sharedstillness and presence.
This is absolutely important,again, and also very difficult
(07:02):
to practice, because people havepersonalities and we may not
agree with those personalities,but to remember that they are
still.
That shared presence, thatformless awareness, is what's
really important.
And reminding oneself of thatbecause, again, we can trip up
(07:23):
at any time this is very good.
So he comes to the question.
My question is what now?
While the realization that godis within you once felt deeply
empowering and uplifting, I'venoticed that it hasn't
necessarily translated into anyincreased ability to influence
(07:44):
the material world.
I still face the samelimitations I did before.
So I wonder, am I right inthinking that this awareness
doesn't grant us more power in aworldly sense, but rather
changes our relationship toexperience or is there another
depth or level beyond this thatI've not yet reached?
(08:05):
Good question, I mean, first ofall, what now?
I mean, see, this is when I cansay, ego is still present
somewhat, because over herewe're seeing that there's
something in time saying well,what's next?
There's got to be something,there's got to be something,
there's got to be, um, there'sgot to be something more than
(08:26):
this.
But actually, once you're informless awareness and you're
resting in that formlessawareness, one is to maintain
that resting, uh, when I sayresting, I don't mean that it's
literally uh.
You know, I saw a video aboutthis where somebody was
criticizing when we say restingin formless awareness, but I
don't even understand themeaning.
(08:48):
It was very pedantic, in myopinion.
But when one is grounded informless awareness, when the
foundation and everything isformless awareness, there cannot
be anything now or here.
It's all formless awareness.
All is Brahman.
(09:09):
Cannot be anything now or here.
It's all formless awareness,all is brahman.
There is nothing more to graspor contain or to, to grow
towards or anything like that.
At this point, if, if one is,but if one sees the ego arising
to what is next?
There must be something more.
But yeah, it's the ego istelling you there's something
more.
You see, once you meet God,what is left?
(09:32):
Once you see God face to face,once you see Brahman face to
face and the face merges intoone, what's next?
Nothing more.
I mean, this is the pinnacle,and to embrace the pinnacle is
(09:54):
the most important thing Now.
Is that pinnacle giving youbliss?
Is it giving you peace?
Is it giving you joy?
If it's giving you all of thesethings, you're good, then
that's, that's all you need.
That's, that's liberation.
So, yeah, you won't you.
You know, in my appear, in myexperience, I've not gained any,
(10:17):
um, extra sensory powers or uh,nothing stands out, shall I say
, where I'm like, oh, that'sbecause, you know, I realized
that I'm formless awareness.
Nothing like that has actuallyhappened to me.
And, yeah, I'm just trying to.
Yeah, there's some element ofcold reading that I can do now.
(10:40):
So, which I tend to avoidbecause there's only so much.
You can look at somebody and andthen just totally understand
them, and you just want to notdo that.
It's kind of I just don't likedoing that.
But I have the ability to dothat, where I can look at
somebody and totally kind ofunderstand where they are
(11:04):
spiritually and and everythinglike that.
I tend to not do it anymorebecause I don't think we live in
the time today where everyonethinks they're the perfect
disciple or spiritual aspirant,so I tend not to say anything.
Sometimes I do make thosedeclarations in passing in
(11:25):
conversations and people likehow can you say that?
But it's because of thatability.
But I've always had thatability, when I was even younger
, so it's something that's onlycarried on.
I guess maturity is that I'velet go of it and I don't see it
as important.
So, yeah, you don't need theseextra powers, these siddhis.
(11:49):
Even the Patanjali Yoga Sutrassay so, and even in just
spirituality in general.
You don't need these siddhis,these powers.
They are Maya itself, they'repart of this nature.
Therefore, they don't hold muchvalue, in fact, compared to the
bliss of the self.
(12:09):
That's nothing you don't want.
You don't want any.
You don't need more.
You don't need the world tobend to your will either.
You know it's.
It's like let the world be it,it's gonna run its own course.
You.
You are running your own coursein terms of body and mind too,
(12:32):
because now.
But there's no course for theself to be in now.
So once you've realized that youare formless awareness, there's
nothing left more to do,there's not a more single,
there's no such thing as eventaking a single step now,
because you are where you're,where you've always been.
You know, there's in the jupjiside, it's, they say, and it's
(12:56):
really good that, um, you know,uh, I forgot where it is.
But basically it goes to thewhole thing that the truth is
the same today as it isyesterday, as it will be
tomorrow, like it will always bethe same.
(13:17):
And that sameness is what wehave to understand of formless
awareness.
That's annoying me that Iforgot the line.
Yeah, and really yeah.
The only thing that changes isyour relationship to experience.
(13:37):
You see the, the, how fallibleexperience is.
So even if you have mysticalexperiences, you understand that
actually isn't there anawareness of those mystical
experiences?
So even if one is havingtranscendent states of mind,
(13:59):
you're witnessing that thewitness is still present,
because it's the witness thatreckon.
That is the same throughoutmystical experiences and
non-mystical experiences.
So even there, you know, we cansense it, um, and yet there's,
in my opinion, there's.
No, I've not found any moredepth after being in formless
(14:24):
awareness, once you realize that, from for mercy that you are,
that there's nothing more.
In my opinion, there's nohigher level or below level,
these things as higher and lower, you know they, they're that's
totally destroyed as well.
Um, also, I recognize that evenasking this might come from a
mindset that's still caught inseeking or trying to move up
(14:47):
spiritual levels, wanting toreach higher and higher heights.
I don't know if that's the mosthelpful frame, but I'll admit
it's the one that appeals to me.
I totally get it Dillanji,totally normal, like we do want
to keep growing.
Like we do want to keep growing.
And how is it that one can beself-realized and still be in
(15:12):
the mindset of a seeker?
The way I Look at it as this,you've realized yourself Tatva
Masi, you are that, you are thatBrahman, aham Brahmasmi.
I am Brahman, I am FormlessAwareness, I am Nirga Rupam.
Fine, but as a mind, yes, themind may still want to learn
(15:33):
more.
The mind can keep seeking, canseek the language to explain
what this brahman is, so it canexplore that.
So one is always seeking inthat aspect.
How can one remain humble?
Well, simply by understandingthat, even if you say there's
higher spiritual levels, isn'tthat the ego that wants to go
(15:56):
higher?
Isn't it the ego that tries topull you lower.
See, the self is static, it'sstill, it's the same, it's
changeless, it's beyond levels,it's vast.
So, and I understand whatyou're talking about, because
(16:17):
there was a time when I was atthat same stage and I realized
that that stage was onlycreating more of a spiritual ego
, because I wanted to be higherthan the next person, ignorant
(16:40):
of their true nature.
And if you can stand next tothem and still feel that they're
the same as you, that's whenyou've reached.
But if you're standing next tosomebody who has not realized
their true nature and you're,and you think in your mind
they're lower than you, thenthat's ego.
Then I would question where theself-realization has truly
occurred then.
Because self-realization meansthere's only the self, because
the self is omnipresent.
That's the only thing thatremains.
(17:02):
So that's the important step tounderstand here.
And then, how do you measure ifyou go higher and higher?
Because when will you stop?
Because even if you want to gohigher into the experience of
formless awareness, you'll onlybe reaching yourself in the end,
under the illusion that there'ssomething higher that you're
(17:23):
attaining.
For example, if there's wavesto the ocean, in the end, no
matter how high the waves thatyou chase, that you surf, in the
end it's just the ocean.
So it doesn't really matter.
(17:43):
And again, because this isinfinite, even if you go higher
and higher, you'll only beresting back to yourself.
You can keep going higher forsure, sure it will allow that
game to happen, because you areallowing the game to happen.
(18:05):
You are the self, you arecreating the game for yourself.
The issues will tell you, brochill or sister chill, but it's
a mind, when it mixes withwanting to achieve something
higher, that we play that game.
And remember, the mind is alsojust a reflection of this pure
(18:28):
consciousness, nothing more,nothing less than that.
So that's important tounderstand as well.
So I get it, it's, it's.
It's really, really important.
And then, so you say, myquestion really is have I
reached a kind of plateau, or isthere more to discover or
integrate from here?
I think I've addressed thissomewhat, um, but have you
(18:54):
reached a kind of plateau?
And what do we do when weplateau, when we kind of we're
at the same place for quite sometime?
The first indication is itgiving me peace, is it giving me
bliss, is it giving me joy, isit giving me happiness,
(19:15):
contentment, and are thesebreaking at any point?
If they're breaking, that meanswe're still working, okay.
So the mind is still gettingaccustomed, we're refining, and
that's important.
Nothing wrong with that.
But that still means thatself-realization has taken place
.
But now there's a refinementgoing on.
So that's important.
(19:35):
That's the integration period.
The more you stabilize and themore you're grounded in formless
awareness.
When you realize that's youronly true nature and it's
unbreakable, it's changeless,you know that there's nothing
left to do.
Now, my biggest thing that I do, and because I also felt the
(20:12):
same thing that you're feelinglike, I went through the same
process same feelings, samequestions.
Like I plateaued.
What do I do now?
Same feelings, same questions,like I plateaued, what do I do
now?
And what I realized is that,even though I know I'm formless
awareness, I like the game ofbeing the disciple.
I love it.
I absolutely adore being thedisciple.
(20:36):
So whenever I see my guru, I'mabsolutely enamoredoured.
I'm not saying there's dualityin that.
No, I recognise the Guru as myown, as my own self.
There's no difference.
But I enjoy being the disciple,and not only the disciple of my
Guru, but disciple ofSatchitananda, of existence
(21:00):
itself.
So you know I read.
You know I read all the timeand that reading gives me joy,
gives me language.
I enjoy reading people'sexperiences Into, discovering
their true nature.
I absolutely love it and thesekind of things.
(21:27):
Not only are they inspirational, but they show you that you are
doing the right thing, you areon the right path.
There's no need to make bigdeclarations that, oh, I'm
enlightened or I'm awakened.
Your life speaks it.
You know you speak it.
Your words speak it, yourfamily will see it, your friends
(21:53):
will see it.
And, yes, you may become a bitmore solitary, you may be a bit
more mindful about how you spendyour time, which is only
natural, but you know there's.
If you reach that plateau, it'snot a bad thing.
From what you've explained tome, like I, I'm going based on
(22:17):
that and for me, I think if youfeel like there's still
something, a bit more, then youknow maybe there still is, but
sometimes we can.
It's like, for example, you'relooking for the necklace that's
(22:41):
already around your neck, you'relooking for the watch that
you're already wearing, you'relooking for the glasses that you
already have on, and that maybe the case here, and sometimes
we just need to be reminded well, that's just the case and
(23:05):
there's nothing more now.
Another thing is how silentdoes your mind get Now?
If your mind still races withthoughts and it's still in the
rajasic level or damsic level,then we need to make sure that
(23:29):
that's calm.
So I don't know why I said thatlast bit.
I don't know why, but that is aweird thing to do.
But just check the nature ofthoughts and if you're
plateauing, plateau intoformless awareness I mean it
sounds funny and ridiculous, butyeah, in every breath, just
(23:57):
remember your true nature, thatthere is only this formless
awareness.
So anyway, this is a long videobut I kind of enjoyed it If
there's anything.
Anyone has any questions?
Dilanji, if you have anyfollow-up questions, please ask.
And anyone else, if you haveany questions, please do ask.
Don't be shy and do like thisvideo, comment, video comment,
(24:22):
subscribe, do all that stuff andfollow me on discord and so on,
and I'll see you in the nextepisode.
Thank you very much.
Take care, namaste.
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