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IdentityEmotionCenteringVerse 98advanced

Every Thought as the Self

When a desire or a thought arises, meet it knowing "this too is the Self"; undistracted, you see reality in it.

Source verse · Verse 98
इच्छायामथवा ज्ञाने जाते चित्तं निवेशयेत्। आत्मबुद्ध्यानन्यचेतास्ततस्तत्त्वार्थदर्शनम्॥
icchāyām athavā jñāne jāte cittaṃ niveśayet | ātmabuddhyānanyacetās tatas tattvārthadarśanam
When a desire or a thought arises, meet it knowing "this too is the Self"; undistracted, you see reality in it.
▶ Practice this technique10 / 20 min · eyes either

How to practice

  1. 1As a desire or a thought arises, do not reject it.
  2. 2Place attention right on it, holding the clear sense: "this arising is itself the Self".
  3. 3Stay undistracted (ananya-cetas) — not analysing the thought, but seeing it as awareness in motion.
  4. 4In that seeing, the truth of reality (tattvārtha) reveals itself within the very thought.
Practice note. The opposite of fighting thoughts: each arising becomes a window onto the Self, if met with the recognition that it is not other than awareness.

Terms in this technique

aham
The sense of "I"; the self that is inquired into.
ātman
The true self; awareness as one’s own being.
cit
Consciousness itself, the aware principle.
sākṣin
The witness; awareness that observes without being touched.

Sources consulted

  • Jaideva Singh, Vijñānabhairava: The Manual for Self-Realization (Motilal Banarsidass, 1979)
  • Swami Lakshmanjoo, Vijnana Bhairava: The Manual for Self Realization (Universal Shaiva Fellowship, 2007)
  • Bettina Bäumer, Vijñâna Bhairava: The Practice of Centering Awareness (Indica Books, 2011)
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