Here, our disposition needs to be the disposition towards the end of confusion, the end of disorder, the end of conflict. Therefore, the quality of life where Reality is present is something completely outside of everything that thought envisions, everything that thought idealizes, everything that is part of its program. And that's what we're inviting you here to become aware of. What will a life free, totally and completely free of problems be like? What does a quality of life like this look like? Note that this is exactly what we are dealing with here, in these meetings. We need to discover a life without conflict and, note the importance of this, we're going to present it to you straight away.
Observe that relationships on a personal level, that is, what we have in these contacts of human relationships, in general, are relationships where we, despite seeking peace, comprehension, understanding within relationships, it ends up that it's only a matter of time before some level of conflict is established within these relationships. And why does this happen? Because internally we carry conflicts. So, when you see this kind of approach here on this channel, you have a door opening to a different life from the one we've been living, from the one we're living out there.
Here on the channel, we are working on this with you, the Truth of this awareness of your Being, this awareness of God. When Ramana Maharshi, the sage of Arunachala, was giving people who approached him the vision of Atma Vichara – and this is what we are addressing here, working with you – he was showing them that, yes, in this life, it is possible to realize the Truth. If you have come across this channel, if you are here on this channel, it is because there is something in you that has already shown you that this ordinary condition of life, of the vast majority of people, is not what you expect for your life. When you look at the world around you, you realize that human beings are unhappy. We live with dissatisfaction, we live with problems, we live with suffering.
Thus, people who sought out Ramana Maharshi to encounter Divine Reality – Ramana was that sage who lived there in the south of India, in Tiruvannamalai – when they approached Ramana with a problem, with suffering, with some level of internal disorder, He always indicated to people – and this is our subject here, within this particular video – He always recommended self-observation to people. That's exactly what we're talking about here, on this channel and also on our other channel. How to get closer to oneself and observe one's reactions in order to go beyond them?
You need to get to know yourself, become aware of how you function internally and, in fact, how you interact with others. You interact with others based on how you deal with yourself internally. Ramana indicated Atma Vichara. Atma Vichara is self-inquiry, self-investigation; I still prefer the expression self-observation, self-observing, but it's not self-observation within psychology. Here it's about discovering what it's like to look without the observer, to become aware of your reactions. This is the direct path to a life free of problems, conflicts and suffering.
Observe that conflicts arise in our relationships because there is no vision of the Truth about you. You react at that moment within action, where thought is the element that has become the main element within this project, this negotiation, this encounter. If thought is the main element in the relationship, conflict is established. We need to discover the free life of thought, since thought is a reaction in us, present, that comes from the past.
Notice how interesting it is to have an approximation of this here, now. When you talk to your wife, you're not having an encounter with her; your encounter is actually an encounter with the past in her. You see, it's not her past, it's the image you bring of her, which comes from the past. So, your encounter with her is an encounter with the past! This past is the memory, the image that stands between you and her in this encounter. This is how we sustain our relationships when thought is the element that guides these relationships. Let's understand this, we need to be very clear about it.
Here, we are showing you how to live life free of thought and therefore free of the past. Your encounter with your wife, without the idea you have of her, is a real encounter, because you are in an encounter with a human being. And this encounter is an encounter from the Truth that you are, in this encounter about who she is. An encounter without images is an encounter without conflict, without problems and therefore without suffering. We are unaware of the beauty of Love present in our relationships, because our relationships are relationships where there is a psychological need for acceptance of the other. So, they expect you to accept them, but you also expect them to accept you.
This hope, this longing, is something that the ego, the “I,” the “me,” this self-image in you is waiting for, but when she meets you, she also does exactly the same thing. See, I'm giving an example here between husband and wife, but this goes for parents and children, boss and employee, for colleagues, for friends, for enemies... Wherever there is a human relationship, this game will be present; when she meets you, she also meets the past, the image she has of who you are. So, you have an image of her and she has an image of you.
Here, on this channel, we are showing you how, in this life, to awaken, how to discover life free of the ego. That's exactly what you're hearing. We are here proposing a life without the ego and therefore without that center around which life is happening or seems to be happening. Once you are aware of the Reality of this Being that is you in your True Nature, it becomes very clear that every experience in life is an experience without the experiencer, without the thinker, without the image, without that self-image. Then, there is no fear, no desire, no conflict, because there is no divergence, there is no self-centeredness, no self-interest in the relationship. That's because thought, which comes from the past, doesn't exist.
Realize the beauty of this, looking at him or her and just recognizing their face and their mannerisms. To recognize his or her model of behavior and action, but to look at him or her without the past. So, you're always facing the new. Look, our ego contacts are not as such, we are always establishing image, we are always establishing thought as the most important factor in our relationships, and there is a reason why we do this: that element in us, which is the ego, the thinker, all it has is thought, all it knows in life is thought.
We can dispense with the thought, make use of thought only when necessary. Now I've just given you an example: remembering your wife's face requires memory. Memory is the impression of an image, it's recollection. Yes, it's something that's part of the structure of knowledge, of experience, but this is a quality of experience or a quality of thought, of image, which is a simple recognition of memory. That's not what we're talking about, we're talking about the psychological image you have of her, of someone you like or dislike, of someone of whom, over all these years, you've created a psychological impression, a psychological image of her or him. Thus, what happens in this encounter is an encounter between images, it's this psychological background in this self-centeredness.
If you have an idea of who you are, you are someone who has worries, desires, fears, problems, conflicts... You carry this like or dislike, you have an internal movement of self-defense, of self-protection, of self-support of this self-image. This causes you to feel fear, to live in this liking and disliking of those who like you, those who don't like you, those who accept you and those who reject you. This model of self-centeredness, of “I”-activity, is the activity of self-image. What is this self-image? It's that element in you that won't accept being criticized, belittled, rejected, not praised, that won't accept its opinions being dismissed, rejected. This whole model of arrogance, presumption, vanity, emotional dependence and attachment is all part of this self-image. This is the sense of being someone.
The encounter between people is a very, very delicate encounter, because the whole relationship of friendship, companionship, complicity in relationships, always depends on these contracts between images. So, there is confusion, disorder, suffering, because fear is present. To break with this is to discover something beyond all this, which is the Truth of your Being. Atma Vichara, the awareness of the “I,” shows you something beyond this, a present Reality, which is present when there is no longer this “I,” this “me,” this self-image.
This is the Nature of your Being. That's what we're sharing with you here on this channel, showing you that, yes, in this life, it is possible to realize your Divine Nature, which is the Nature of God, so that the self-image with its fear, desires, conflicts and problems is no longer present in these relationships, but the only Reality is present in these relationships, where there is the Truth of this oneness with the other. This oneness, this non-separation, this non-distance between you and him or her is the presence of Love in relationships, because it is the presence of God. You are at Peace, you no longer carry fear, problems, conflicts, therefore those who approach you do so to partake in That which you are; it is always like this.
You were born to realize this in this life. Notice that when people are jealous, for example, there comes a time when they find it unbearable. So there comes a time when they ask: “How to overcome jealousy? How to overcome insecurity? How to overcome fear in relationships?” You see, this is all present because of self-image. We are creatures in this sense of the “I”, of the ego – which is this self-image – full of fears. How to deal with changes in life? That's another question. How to deal with changes in life? How to deal with envy? How to deal with fear? All of this is because we lack a vision of the Truth about ourselves.
Thus, Atma Vichara brings you closer to the Truth of your Being through Self-Awareness, through Meditation. To become aware of your True Nature is to go beyond the ego, to go beyond “I”, and that is the answer to all these problems linked to this model of being someone. So, can we break away from all of this? The answer is yes, by becoming aware of this Love, this Freedom, this Happiness of Being, which is your Real Nature. That's when you can have an encounter with your husband, wife, child, family, the world around you, without problems, without conflicts, without suffering, because you are in your Divine Nature, in your Real Nature, in the Truth of That which is you.
And how do we attain this? We have online meetings here to work on this with you, on weekends. Saturday and Sunday we are together, investigating all this, having a direct understanding of it. So, these are online meetings at weekends where we are together, working, going deeper into these issues. You can find the WhatsApp link to take part in these meetings here in the video description. We also have face-to-face meetings and retreats. If this is something that makes sense to you, go ahead and leave your “like” here, subscribe to the channel, put “yes, it makes sense” in the comment, and take a look at our other channel called “Marcos Gualberto.” There are hundreds of videos working on these issues with you. Okay? Thanks for meeting us and see you next time.
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