[Advaita-l] The man who never thinks

[Sony Krishna Swamy]

A self-analysis by Anand A.

Source:
http://advaita-space.org/77-advaita-articles/199-the-man-who-never-thinks



We are prone to think, to perceive, to analyze, to reflect, to dream, to
aspire during our waking hours. We jump from one thought to another, from
one desire to another. Thus the waking hours of our whole life are spent in
thoughts. Thoughts control us. We do
whatever our aspirations make us do. Thus we have become the slaves of our
mind, dancing to its tunes, its whims and fancies. The genuine sweetness of
life is spoilt by this addictive habit. Thoughts disturb our inherent
peace, make us commit sins much against our wish and force us to do what
not! We feel as though we are chasing a mirage. It seems that in this wild
goose chase we will never reach contentment. The main question that arises
in the mind of a discriminating man is how to free oneself from the octopic
grip of the mind. How to find the much needed repose from the great strain
caused by unceasing volley of thoughts? To answer these questions let us
analyze our own experience carefully.

The fundamental enquiry is – Is there a silent element in us which is free
from   this vortex of thoughts? Do we have a transcendental real nature
which is free from the commotion of thoughts? The key to the whole haunting
problem caused by thoughts lies in this Self analysis.

If we delve deep into ourselves we discover a Silent Substratum, the base
on which the thoughts appear, stay for a while and disappear.  Our
intuition tells us this clearly. For we find that in deep sleep the
thinking man is conspicuous by his absence. Yet we recollect- ‘I slept
soundly and blissfully’.  Who is it who slept happily and was not aware of
anything? Who recognizes having slept so soundly? No thoughts are there in
deep sleep and yet how are we aware of sound sleep and the bliss of having
slept? All these clearly point out to an unthinking man (Self) in us who is
just ‘being’. That Self devoid of all thoughts, free from the process of
thinking is awareness itself.  It is aware of itself – its presence and is
an embodiment of unconditioned bliss. We just sleep and thereby realize
bliss. We do nothing, not even wink or think in sleep to attain that bliss.
This means that such absolute bliss is our very nature – the nature of our
‘being’. This inherent happiness in us is obscured on waking up from deep
slumber. On awaking from slumber all worries, all confusions crop up. Let
us examine as to what happens on waking up? On waking up our ego – the
thinking man arises and we lose our natural bliss. The ego – the assumed
‘I’ – ‘I am so and so’ the thinking man blocks the inherent bliss of the
Self, masquerades It. Thoughts arise and we follow them. We fall into their
snare, forgetting our true nature. The thinking man rises and the
unthinking man (Self) recedes to the background. Just as in a cinema show
 when the movie starts we  no longer perceive the spotless screen but see
only the movie, similarly on the arising of the thinking man we forget the
Self (devoid of thoughts) and get engrossed in our thoughts .

Thus from our analysis so far we have found that the thinking man rises and
sets, appears and disappears while the man (Self) who never thinks- is
never the agent of thinking process  is the substratum of all thoughts.

The sure solution to this problem is to stop identifying with the thinking
man (the assumed ‘I’ or ego) and remain as the Self which never thinks but
just ‘is’. In other words just to ‘be’ and not to think. Therefore Ramana
Maharishi remarked that it is not our nature to think. To shift one’s
attention from thoughts (thinking man) to the Silent awareness behind it
(our true nature or the unthinking man) we highly need God’s grace.  Only
His grace could accomplish this shift of attention for us. This alone can
make our life blessed.



Regards,
Sony Krishna Swamy