What is Self-Realization?

In Satsang, we are investigating the illusory nature of the "me." You never question the truth of this person you believe to be, of this "me." You believe this person has a name and a form. But what basically is this "me"? When thoughts appear, you never question their truth or to whom these thoughts are happening. You never care about seeking the source of these thoughts, finding their source. You never, or almost never, ask yourself: "What is this inner movement of thoughts? Afterall, what does it mean? To whom does it occur?" The idea is that this "me" is the one to whom this occurs, so you refer to yourself as this "I" – this is the first pronoun you learn.

Notice that very young children do not refer themselves as "me"; they call the body by their own name. They say, for example: "Manuela likes that," "Manuela does not want that…" as if they had a clear perception they are dealing with a third person while referring to themselves. All children are like this! Then they grow up and discover – or rather, come to believe – that they are a "me," a present entity, a separate entity with a body and a name. So, they begin to refer to themselves as "me," not referring to themselves in the third person anymore. You can observe this in any child; you were also like that.

So, in fact, seeing yourself as a separate entity, as a person, as a "me," is a conditioning. After you see yourself as this "me," you learn everything that happens to it: every feeling, emotion, sadness, illness, the "good moods” and the "bad moods …" So, you always say: "I feel sad," "I feel happy," "I feel bad," "I feel good," "I am in pain," "My head aches," "My leg aches," "My heart hurts," "I am depressed," "I am happy …" Notice it is always this present "me."

If you find out to whom this happens, you discover the illusory nature of this sense of someone present in the experience. Then, you become aware of this Freedom, your Divine Nature, your Real Nature. You will never say again, "I am sad," "I am happy," "I am sick," "I am poor," "I am rich," "I am dying."

Therefore, if the illusion of this present "me" in the experience disappears, only the experience itself remains, taking place in absolute Freedom. There is no conflict in the experience! Conflict lies in the existing duality between this sense of a present "me" and the experience itself, the very own event, the incident, the accident itself, in the very emotion, the very feeling, the very own thought.

Duality is the cause of conflict, that is the cause of suffering, that is the cause of fear. Self-Realization is to acknowledge the illusory nature of an existing someone in this experience of living. Life is what happens, and Life is not happening to someone. That is Liberation! When this Liberation is present, then God, Truth, Happiness, Love, Freedom and Wisdom are present too, because there is no illusion anymore. So, find out to whom this is happening; find out if this "me" really exists. You will make a great discovery! You will discover this "me" has never existed; that you, in fact, have never existed; that there is no such thing as "you," "he" or "she." "He," "she" and "you" were never born! And since one was never been born, one cannot die!

*Online meeting transcription originally held on August 26, 2016. First published in Portuguese on March 23, 2018. For further information about our meetings, please click here.