( The Neti, Neti Technique or the Who am I? Technique)

(Neti, Neti Technique: Dis-Identification Technique)

(One of the results of ‘Who am I’ is that it leads to self-management and thus to the ability to manage others).

This technique is very useful in restructuring your personality and even to attain realization. The technique can be used alone or along with other techniques like meditation. If it is thus combined with meditation it attains much power in transforming oneself. Be forewarned that the mere repetition of the following does not give you any results. You should understand and experience the truth yourself totally. However, even the cognitive/intellectual understanding of ‘Who am I’ gives one much insights, even though these may not be ever lasting. For the insights to last forever identify yourself with your true self. This can be done either by repeating this technique continuously or by contemplating on this twice a day.

For the first few days, read the whole mindfully and repeating twice emphatically the items in bold face. Later on you can if you are confident that you have understood the reasoning behind, you can simply avoid the text other than that in bold face and emphatically repeat the bold text twice silently. Stop to contemplate on the theme presented when *** (triple asterisks) are met. Revise it sentence by sentence and evaluating each. Move to the next theme after that only.

One of the immediate results of practice of this technique is the diminishing of worries due to the understanding that emotions and thoughts are temporary and changing.

Remember: do this technique in deep solitude and silence.

Can you see me? No. You can see my body only. Eyes cannot reach me

Can you hear me? No. You can hear my voice only. Ears cannot reach me

Can you touch me? No. You can touch my body/skin only. Skin cannot reach me

Can you smell me? No. You can smell my body only. Nose cannot reach me

Can you taste me? No. You can taste my body only. Tongue cannot reach me

Can you think about me? No. You can think about my body/behavior only.

Mind cannot reach me

***

Can weapons hurt me? No. Only my body can be hurt.

Can fire burn me? No. Only my body can be burnt.

Can water drench me? No. Only my body can be drenched.

Can air cleave me? No. Only my body can be cleaved.

Can someone kill me? No. Only my body can be killed.

Can fire burn me? No. Only my body can be hurt.

***

If I adore my body with dress and ornaments do I change? Do I become someone else?

If I remove all my clothes or wore worn out clothes do I become someone else?

If I cut my legs or hands do I become someone else?

If I fit wooden legs or hands, golden teeth, wigs, a plastic heart, do I become someone else?

It I fit someone else’s heart, kidney, eye. , do I become someone else?

If I have some one else’s blood transfused in to my body, do I become someone else?

***

If I learn science or mathematics do I become someone else?

If I learn arts or literature do I become someone else?

If I have the best thoughts a person can have do I become someone else?

If I have the best opinions about any thing or anyone do I become someone else?

If I become angry, do I become someone else?

If I become happy, do I become someone else?

***

This house is mine. But it is not me.

This shirt is mine. But it is not me.

This body is mine. But it is not me.

Because even when the body is hurt or destroyed I am not.

This mind is mine. But it is not me. Because even when in deep sleep the real I is wide awake or else how do one know that he was asleep when he wakes up?

Or how could one wake up?

Or how could one hear someone calls him loudly or when one is shaken?.

I am the center of consciousness-the core of the core, the essence of essence.

My mind is its outer cover and a tool for existence,

My body is also outer and for existence.

My belongings are outside even my body.

These belongings of mine are not constant not absolute but changing.

This body of mine is not constant; it changes every moment.

This mind of mine is also not absolute. It changes, even disappears and then reappears.

These emotions of mine are not permanent or constant; they come and go.

These pains and pleasures of mine are not permanent either; they come and go like emotions.

These are all temporary; relative; changing.

But what doesn’t change, what is absolute is myself.

***

If I identify with my body, mind, belongings, I am identifying with the changing, relative, transient and not with the constant, permanent, absolute which is my actual self.

If I identify with my body, mind, belongings, I feel that they are the real self and thus their change, destruction, loss affects me.

If I identify with my belongings/what is mine, my roles, my positions, powers, jobs, categories totally I am identifying with what is partial, duplicate, fake and not with my whole, original.

I may be a PM, General, CEO, judge, police officer, beurocrat, technocrat, artist, man of letters or so. But these are partial things, changing, temporary, artificial -before & and beyond these I am a human being, a being, pure consciousness.

***

When something is seen, who is that which sees?

When something is heard, who is that which hears?

When something is tasted, who is that which tastes?

When something is smelt, who is that which smells?

When something is touched, who is that which touches?

When something is imagined/thought of, who is that which imagines/thinks?

It is not the senses that do these because even when the senses are not functioning one can see (eg. Electrical stimulation of the brain).

It is not my mind that does these (although mind is a tool) because even when fast asleep you can hear.

***

I am not my desires, desires change.

I am not my attitudes, attitudes change

I am not my thoughts, thoughts change

I am not my emotions, emotions change

I am not the images I hold in my mind, images change

I am not the symbols I hold in my mind, symbols change

I am not the roles I play, the roles I play change

These are all categories/classifications; all these are just names-names of concepts and thus they are not the whole; what is not whole and unchanging cannot be I.

I am that which is unchangeable and permanent. If I look in to my past, I could understand that only the thoughts that I’ve changed but not I. Only my mind, my body changed. Not the real I.

I may be kind/cruel, brave/fearful but these are mere attitudes, thoughts, emotions.

Thoughts, images, symbols, archetypes, names/language are all of Space-Time.

So they arise & pass away. They’ve a birth and a death.

They change and are temporary. So that is not I.

Those who identify with their bodies get the power of their bodies

Those who identify with their thoughts/images get the power of thoughts/images

Those who identify with their roles get the power of the roles

Those who identify with their belongings get the power of the belongings

Those who identify with their emotions get the power of the emotions

Those who identify with their wealth get the power of the wealth

Those who identify with their knowledge get the power of the knowledge

Those who identify with their friends/people get the power of the friends/people

Those who identify with their true self get the power of all the above and much more

***