Atman is a Sanskrit word, defined in simple terms as an individual’s inner self, spirit or soul. The concept of Atman as the true self is considered to be the first principle of Hindu philosophy, particularly according to the Vedanta tradition.
Dualistic schools such as Dvaita Vedanta believe that Atman is distinct from Brahman (universal principle), whereas non-dualistic schools such as Advaita Vedanta teach that Atman and Brahman are one and the same, contained within one another. In such traditions, liberation from suffering can only be attained when an individual realizes that Atman and Brahman are identical.
The Maharshi
“Who am I?” the Maharshi pressed me to inquire within. The Maharshi lingers in my consciousness all the time now.
Who is the witness? Who thinks the thought? Keep following the thread all the way back to its origin until it dissolves into itself; then and only then will you be liberated, he tells me.
“Can you be the body?” he asks. “Or the mind for that matter?”
“What remains when the body and the mind cease to exist?” he presses.
“Who is the Witnessing Consciousness?” His inquiry is relentlessly unrelenting; paradoxically so.
It’s perplexing to ponder. When one voice in the mind speaks and another is there to listen, I wonder, can there be two? Can the mind speak to us in one voice and then listen to itself speak? How could this be so? How can the mind speak and listen to itself? Or…is there only one voice? How can there be a voice of fear and another of hope and promise? How can both exist within the same mind? How can duality exist within the same mind?
“The mind is only the instrument which allows Atman to guide the vessel. The mind is the personality, the body the means by which the personality can express itself. Atman is your true nature,” the Maharshi offers. “Atman is knowing you are the Universe and the Universe is you.”
How can I not be the body and the mind? What am I then? Who am I then, I wonder?
“Follow that ‘one voice’ back to its Source,” the Maharshi instructs. “This is Atman and Brahman coming together as One. This is the Creation Vibration.”
The Maharshi’s words confuse me. I try to follow that “voice” back to its Source, but I get lost in the other voices telling me that this is silly.
“There are many voices,” I tell the Maharshi. “How do I know which one is real?”
“That which appears and disappears is not real. Follow the ‘I’ until it dissolves into Itself. Only then will you be liberated.”
I try; I don’t succeed. Frustrated I say, “I give up. I can’t do this.”
“This is good. This is the first step. Knowing that you are powerless will lead to you becoming powerful,” the Maharshi tells me.
His presence is sublime. Peaceful. Complete. Whole. I want that which he exhibits in every interaction—but yet, it alludes me. Illusion has its hold on me. Although intellectually I know that everything is a reflection of my consciousness, I still perceive the outer world as something outside of myself.
“The prism through which the world is reflected back to you is simply the expression of your innermost thoughts. Allow that prism to guide you back home. It will show you where you are aligning with Universal Consciousness and where you are unaligned with Universal Consciousness. Everything is a clue to lead you back home,” the Maharshi explained.
“If you see something you don’t like, change your thoughts and the reflection will change.”
I stared back at the Maharshi. He remained silent. His gaze turned upward, and he moved into a space that seemed foreign to me. He was neither in this world nor out of it. He was in the space in between and for a moment, I felt it—I sensed his grace. I felt his serenity. I felt his calm.
My true self (Atman) calls out to me to be remembered, but The Voice is clouded by a thousand others that drown out the Truth. I am One with Divine Creation, the Maharshi tells me. I want to believe him, because I can clearly see he has remembered this Truth; this Truth that has alluded me for so long.
I bathe in the Maharshi’s presence hoping that through osmosis I can transcend to a higher state of consciousness, yet I know that I must do the work; I must make the journey back to Self; the Maharshi can only guide me; in the end, I must ask and answer the question: Who am I?