A student comes to me and says “I am hurt... I was hurt in
childhood, I am hurting now, I have to heal”.
It is important to be able to discriminate and see if ‘I’
can get hurt, and if “I” ever needs healing.
To be able to discriminate let’s ask the question “Do you
see that there is hurt? Is the hurt an object of your knowledge”.
“Yes”
“Then it must be different from you. After all whatever you
experience, what you know is indeed distinct from you ... being an object of
your knowledge – and you are the subject, the one who knows it, watches it,
observes it”.
What is hurt? It is a feeling ... a mind modification, a
thought modification which you can observe. Why does it occur? Is it important
to know or is it important to understand what is this “I”, does it ever get
hurt? We can use many different ways of understanding hurt, maybe karma, maybe
psychology.... but should we really expend our energy in understanding the
processes behind hurt or could we first try to understand the nature of “I” ...
is it really subject to hurt and guilt?
Because you identify with the hurt as yourself and put it in the same locus as your ‘I’, you
confuse yourself by saying “I am hurt” .... or even “I am guilty” for that
matter.
If you can discover that what shines here as “I” is
self-existent, independent,
self-revealing consciousness, in whose mere
presence the mind and its processes are illumined, in whose presence the body
is enlivened, and from whom the body-and mind do not enjoy an independent
existence, you will find you have been free all along
How strong is your desire to be free? Is your desire strong
enough to break through your attachment to your identity as an individual?
Yes it is?
Then study Vedanta – the knowledge of the free self.
Om Tat Sat