Name: Evelyn
Location: Manhattan, NY
Dear Francis,
Could you explain how it is possible to be established in the Self and at the same time live and act in this everyday world without an ego. I refer to the following from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. “As long as there is duality, one sees the other, one hears the other, one smells the other, one speaks to the other, one thinks of the other, one knows the other; but when for the illumined soul the all is dissolved in the Self, who is there to be seen by whom, who is there to be smelt by whom, who is there to be heard by whom, who is there to be spoken to by whom, who is there to be thought of by whom, who is there to be known by whom?” Does this not imply that as long as one sees the other, hears the other speaks to the other etc., one is still in duality, therefore not ego free? Thank you. With Love, Evelyn
Dear Evelyn,
Yes, it implies just that. However, it doesn’t imply that it is impossible to live and act in this every day world while being free from ignorance. As an exercise, try, upon meeting a so-called “other” to see in the body you are facing the same consciousness which perceives your own thoughts, feelings and sense perceptions. Speak to and interact with this consciousness, not with a material body or an imaginary human mind. Speak to the spirit, to the soul, to the child inside, for it is also YOU.
Love,
Francis
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