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I Am (K)Not the Body
Compiled by Pradeep Apte

Dedicated to the Guru of Gurus Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi and one of his extra-ordinary disciples Muruganar

Introduction

I had a collection of handwritten notes that were prepared while going through two books, the 'Guru Vachaka Kovai' (the garland of Guru's sayings) and 'Padamalai'. These are teachings of Bhagwan Sri Ramana Maharshi recorded in Tamil verse by his disciple Muruganar made generously available to the whole world in English by Mr. David Godman and his team. I had the feeling 'I am not the body' when I held these books in hand even before I had read them. Thus I started taking down notes with this idea in mind and this collection is the outcome of that effort. This soft copy was only recently prepared as I felt that many spiritual aspirants may find them useful as I did.

Pradeep Apte
1st January 2009

I am (k)not the body

1. You must have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'. The thought 'I am the body' is the deceptive device that makes us desire the world as though it were real. Thus we believe that we are entrapped in this powerful snare of bondage.

2. You must have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'. The world appears only due to the confused belief 'I am the body' which is said to be the 'maya' (delusion or ignorance) that projects names and forms.

3. The delusion that causes the name-and-form appearance to be seen separate from 'swarupa' (Self) is that which insists that the world is real. It begins in the primal ignorance 'I am the body', so you must develop the firm conviction 'I am not the body'

4. The thought 'I am the body' is the real original sin, it must be removed so that it does not rise again. Thus you must have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'.

5. You must have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'. After the 'I am the body' ego has vanished in those who enquire earnestly, they forever shine as the Supreme reality.

6. You must completely abandon the 'I am the body' idea, only then would you realize the unceasing, ever-present bliss of the Self. Hold onto the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'

7. The idea 'I am the body' misguided you to believe the body to be your dwelling place and its attributes your true nature. Now, know that 'I am not the body' and a finite entity does not truly exist.

8. Have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'. To believe that 'I am the body' is just a dream-like appearance through forgetfulness of your own true Self, the reality, the fullness of consciousness, which is everything and nothing.

9. By having the firm conviction 'I am not the body' through the destruction of the 'I am the body' idea you will turn into a true devotee, 'jnani' (realized one) or God.

10. Only he who has freed himself from the 'I am the body' idea by the development of the 'jnana' (knowledge) that 'I am not the body' is a true 'Brahmin' (dweller in Brahman) and a true 'sanyasin' (renunciate).

11. Everything has arisen with the 'I am the body' idea, now focus your attention on the idea 'I am not the body' and hold on firmly to it and everything will disappear.

12. When you persist with the idea 'I am not the body', after some time, it too shall vanish and you would abide as the pure expanse, the space of consciousness. Then, fear would cease completely and tranquility will prevail.

13. The thought 'I am the body' is the primary cause and basis of all other thoughts. Unless this thought occurs first, the appearance of the many external objects and the accompanying thought that they are apart from oneself will not occur.

14. In deep sleep, when the 'I am the body' idea is absent, the world does not appear nor do other thoughts appear. When one wakes up, it is the thought 'I am the body' that rises first.

15. In this thought 'I am the body' there are two components, one is 'the body', the other is the 'I' (or 'I am'). The body is something that appears and disappears. It keeps changing all the time and is dependant on outside materials such as food.

16. The characteristics of the 'I' (or 'I am') are directly opposite to the component 'the body'. The 'I am' exists all the time in all the three states of waking, dream and sleep. That which truly exists, must exist all the time, which is not so for 'the body' therefore it cannot be real.

17. Thus the 'I' (or 'I am') is real and 'the body' unreal and thus these two when joined together cannot constitute a real entity. How can day and night or light and darkness exist together? If one is there the other is not, in the same way no entity comprising of 'I' (or 'I am') and 'the body' exists. Therefore the 'I am the body' thought is itself false.

18. All that we see (the world) and do (as a body) is based on the idea 'I am the body' which is false. Thus how can all that we see (the world) and do (as the body) be true when its basis is false?

19. Only those who know the real nature of hell, the evil mistake - the idea 'I am the body'- will devise means to end it and will surely reach the state of truth.

20. The most auspicious day is when you have the conviction that 'I am not the body' and the idea 'I am the body' is destroyed and the Self shines forth.

21. Have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body' as it is the body that exists within the Self. He who thinks that he exist within the insentient body, is like someone who regards the screen which is the base for the (projection) picture as being within one of those pictures.

22. The idea 'I am the body' is 'ajnana'(ignorance) through which a person thinks that he is within the body, whereas, actually, the body is in the Self like any other perceived object. Thus have the firm dictum: 'I am not in the body, the body is in me'.

23. With the rising of 'I am not the body' conviction, in whatever body it maybe, the radiance of pure being exists forever, free of limitation, without any bondage, shining as the pure expanse.

24. The 'I am the body' ego is the only cause for alternating between elation and sorrow. When this dies, the feelings of happiness and sorrow that accompany any event will cease completely.

25. When the 'I am the body' knot snaps and you know with absolute certainty that 'I am not the body', the 'atma swarupa'(Self) whose nature is consciousness shines without division. Pure consciousness is undivided without the 'triputi' (knower, known and knowing) differences. Pure refers to freedom from attributes, the removal of names and forms that are perceived though objectification.

26. If you willingly and joyously sacrifice the 'I am the body' idea to the 'atma swarupa', or the Self, then through its grace, knowledge of reality will dawn on you.

27. After the sacrifice of the 'I am the body' idea your anxieties will end, you will attain the continuous experience of the Self, whose nature is auspicious tranquility and you will live as the ever risen sun of true 'jnana', the Self that shines uninterruptedly.

28. Because you are holding to the 'I am the body' idea you see the world around you in the waking state. There is a continuity of being ('I am') in all the three states but no continuity of the individual and the objects.

29. Through the destruction of the 'I am the body' ego the 'triputies' (seer, seen and seeing) which are based on it, fade away along with waking, dream and sleep states. The pure 'suddha' state of daylight that shines forever is the 'Sivaratri' (the night of Siva).

30. Through the conviction 'I am not the body' we are no longer caught up in space and time. Now, then and always, here, there and everywhere we are the same One. We alone exist, the 'we' in which there is neither space nor time.

31. The idea 'I am the body' cannot exist distinct from God who is all there is. The surrender of this wicked 'I am the body 'idea - the perpetrator of deception - is the hallmark of supreme devotion ('parabhakti') wherein peace shines.

32. The whole significance of surrender is nothing other the surrender of the 'I am the body' idea. Then on shine as the 'mauna' (pure silence), the state of 'atma swarupa' (Self) and remain still without the rising of the 'I am the body' idea.

33. When you have the firm conviction 'I am not the body', slander is of no consequence as you know they (the slanderers) are abusing the body which you are not.

34. Only when the mind has firmly established itself in the 'I am not the body' idea can the Self be realized. Therefore in the beginning, train the mind so that it remains clinging to a single target ('I am not the body') instead of wandering around like a bull in the waking, dream and sleep states.

35. All the things that the worthless senses bring to you due to the deluded 'I am the body' idea are an obstacle to the immaculate 'mauna'(pure silence) experience of the Self, spurn them and eradicate them forever.

36. The ones who are 'caught in birth' are those who still nurture the 'I am the body' idea, whereas the ones who have torn apart 'the net of birth' are the 'jivanmuktas' who have the firm conviction 'I am not the body' while still physically alive.

37. The feeling 'I am the body' is the powerful and deluding ignorance in you. The attainment of perfect 'jnana' is to know that even this ignorance does not exist apart from the 'atma swarupa', the reality that cannot be forsaken.

38. It is due to the 'I am the body' idea that you experience the waking, dream and sleep states. When you have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body' these would disappear and you would abide in the fourth or 'turiya' which underlies these three states.

39. You must have the firm conviction that 'I am not the body', it is due to the 'I am the body' ignorance that you believe that you exist apart from God and also have that strong 'I am the doer' feeling.

40. As long as you have the feeling 'I am the body' you are affected by the consequences of the actions you perform and you have merit and demerit. But when you know that 'I am not the body' where is the question of doing?

41. The one who still holds the 'I am the body' idea cannot judge the one who has the firm conviction that 'I am not the body'. All questions and doubts exist for the former, whereas they have totally disappeared for the latter as he is not the body but the Self of all.

42. Through 'pramada' (self-forgetfulness), the idea 'I am the body' has appeared on you and you have slipped from your true state which is all bliss and fear-free. Realize this error and know that 'I am not the body' and be free from the miseries of birth and death.

43. Nothing is ever apart from the Self, it is by the delusion 'I am the body' that we imagine the body to be the self. It is this connection (the body with the Self) that is responsible for the way in which one slips from the blissful non-dual state of immortality and gets involved in birth and death.

44. We are trapped in the body due to the 'I am the body' idea and the only way out is to realize that 'I am not the body' or in fact I never was nor will ever be the body but the 'atma swarup' or Self only.

45. Only the Self is said to be directly perceived ('pratyaksha'). Nothing else is said to be 'pratyaksha'. Although we are having 'pratyaksha' the thought 'I am the body' is veiling it. If you give up this thought, the 'Atma', which is always within the direct experience of everyone, will shine forth.

46. Having yourself firmly established in the idea 'I am not the body', be still and do not pay attention to anything at all. Then, simply through your profound attention to 'being' ('I am'), you become the reality, the unbounded space of consciousness.

47. Worship of the formless (reality) will be possible for those in whose minds the idea 'I am the body' has perished. Any worship done by holding onto this idea is the worship of form only and not the formless.

48. After negating everything as 'not I' and finally the body as well by the strength of the firm conviction 'I am not the body', the nature of the knowledge that remains is existence-consciousness-bliss ('sat-chit-ananda').

49. Like the thorn that is useful for removing a troublesome, irritating and sharp thorn that has painfully and deeply penetrated the sole of the foot, the extremely pure thought 'I am not the body' after digging out the impure thought 'I am the body' from the heart, becomes redundant.

50. 'I am not the body' is a 'suvasana' (good tendency) that must be cultivated, but after the 'kuvasana' (bad tendency) 'I am the body' is destroyed, it too shall go as they both are concomitant.

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