[Advaita-l] WHAT AM "I"

[Sudhanshu Shekhar]

Akhilesh ji,

Can you please elaborate upon // In a very important sense, the I is
precisely what is absolutely non-existent, as non-existent as the horn of a
hare//.

Regards.
Sudhanshu.

On Fri 7 Jun, 2019, 18:43 Akilesh Ayyar, <ayyar at akilesh.com> wrote:

> Namaste,
>
> But my point is that technically, Brahman is beyond I and not-I, is beyond
> is and is not, and is beyond something and nothing. In a very important
> sense, the I is precisely what is absolutely non-existent, as non-existent
> as the horn of a hare. In the end, nothing can be said that is true, and so
> one must fall silent. It is that living silence which is the real
> teaching of Vedanta.
>
> On Fri, Jun 7, 2019 at 3:05 AM Sudhanshu Shekhar <sudhanshu.iitk at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Hari Om,
>>
>> "I am something" just means that it is not that I am nothing. I am not
>> horn of hare.. this is what is meant by "I am something".
>>
>> What I said abot I is what silence is. It is nothing which can be
>> conceived of. And yet it is. That silence is not horn of hare. And that
>> silence cannot be conceived of.
>>
>> Sudhanshu.
>>
>> On Fri 7 Jun, 2019, 12:29 Akilesh Ayyar via Advaita-l, <
>> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Namaste,
>>>
>>> "Thus, a complete description of I is as follows: I am something. And I
>>> am
>>> not that which I can even think about."
>>>
>>> Not quite. To say "I am something" is also a thought with all the
>>> accompanying limitations. Thus the only complete description is silence.
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jun 7, 2019 at 2:28 AM Sudhanshu Shekhar via Advaita-l <
>>> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> > Hari Om,
>>> >
>>> > I am something. I am not nothing. And I am not that which I can see,
>>> hear,
>>> > smell, touch, taste, feel, decide, or identify with. I am not that
>>> which I
>>> > can think or visualize.
>>> >
>>> > This is a complete description of myself.
>>> >
>>> > Any word of Shruti which appears to describe "I" positively is nothing
>>> but
>>> > negation alone. "I" cannot be described positively. So words like
>>> Satyam,
>>> > Jnanam, Anantam etc are not positive but negative description alone.
>>> For
>>> > eg, I am jnanam. So let us not think that Shruti indicates me as some
>>> sort
>>> > of "light of awareness" or "consciousness" etc. But She is merely
>>> saying
>>> > that I am not jada.
>>> >
>>> > Thus, a complete description of I is as follows: I am something. And I
>>> am
>>> > not that which I can even think about.
>>> >
>>> > Regards,
>>> > Sudhanshu.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Fri 7 Jun, 2019, 09:55 Belavadi Shankar via Advaita-l, <
>>> > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > > Please read Ashtawakra Samhita.
>>> > >
>>> > > On Fri, Jun 7, 2019 at 7:53 AM sreenivasa murthy via Advaita-l <
>>> > > advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>>> > >
>>> > > > Dear friends,WHAT AM " I "? This  is  the  question
>>> > > > which will be in the mind of
>>> > > > a sincere student  of  Vedanta.The  answer  for  the  above  vital
>>> > > > question  is :
>>> > > > The  uncreated , unborn,  light of  awareness  is what  I  am.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > That is  the basis  substratum,  andcontainer  of  all experiences.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > Theworld, senses, body,  mind,  waking, dreaming,  sleeping,
>>> > > >
>>> > > > knowledge,  lack of  knowledge,  consciousness,
>>> > > >
>>> > > > unconsciousness– whatever  can  be framed  as  some
>>> > > >
>>> > > > kind  of experience—these  are  allappearances  in  this
>>> > > >
>>> > > > changeless  reality of  my  being.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > I  am prior  to  those things  and  yet  Icontain  them  all.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > No  experience is  separate  and apart  from  what I  am.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > UNQUOTE.
>>> > > > Is it  not  the message  of  the  Upanishads?
>>> > > > Allof  us should  cognize  this within  ourselves  by   ourselves
>>> > > > so that we can be krutArthas.
>>> > > >  Withrespectful namaskars,SreenivasaMurthy.
>>> > > >
>>> > > > _______________________________________________
>>> > > > Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
>>> > > > http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>>> > > >
>>> > > > To unsubscribe or change your options:
>>> > > > https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>>> > > >
>>> > > > For assistance, contact:
>>> > > > listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
>>> > > >
>>> > > _______________________________________________
>>> > > Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
>>> > > http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>>> > >
>>> > > To unsubscribe or change your options:
>>> > > https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>>> > >
>>> > > For assistance, contact:
>>> > > listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
>>> > >
>>> > _______________________________________________
>>> > Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
>>> > http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>>> >
>>> > To unsubscribe or change your options:
>>> > https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>>> >
>>> > For assistance, contact:
>>> > listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
>>> >
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Archives: http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/archives/advaita-l/
>>> http://blog.gmane.org/gmane.culture.religion.advaita
>>>
>>> To unsubscribe or change your options:
>>> https://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/advaita-l
>>>
>>> For assistance, contact:
>>> listmaster at advaita-vedanta.org
>>>
>>