Guest Article by Akilesh Ayyar:
At heart, what you seek in life is your own self, or Self, in its typical spiritual capitalization.
The Self is bliss, peace, happiness, meaning and truth, though not quite in the way in which you understand these terms. The Self will resolve the most cutting of your existential worries, with assuage your fears of death, will console you for your losses, and your disappointments, will reassure you always.
And – it – is – what – you – are – right – now.
You just don’t know it. Or you sort of know it, but not quite in the right way.
Something like that.
Still, be assured that it is what you have been seeking, and what you already are. Is it a paradox to seek what you already are? If so, it is one of many paradoxes to come (as you study the subject).
We will call this clear experience of the Self-enlightenment. It could also be called self-realization, moksha, nirvana or liberation.
Now there is good reason to believe that there is a way to see this truth clearly, not just intellectually (though the intellect is very important), but in your own experience. When you do, you will understand why all the benefits promised above are in essence true, even if they are somewhat imprecise when worded that way.
Belief in God is not required to proceed, though neither is it disregarded. In essence, the question of God is an individual one, and belief either way is compatible with the route to the Self.
The Self, it is true, is not something in the physical world. It is something special, something which will quite literally blow your mind. But it is also true that it is not the conventional concept of God. It is in truth beyond words. It can only be experienced.
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[Akilesh Ayyar is a spiritual teacher and writer who has practised Hindu mysticism for over 20 years. He has written on it, as well as on other areas of philosophy, psychology, and literature. He has graduate degrees from Harvard Law School, the City University of New York, and Carnegie-Mellon University. He currently maintains a website at Sifting to the Truth (siftingtothetruth.com).]
