Every Experience Contains a Message

In the words of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj,

"To know what you are you must first investigate and know what you are not.

And to know what you are not you must watch yourself carefully, rejecting all that does not necessarily go with the basic fact: 'I am'.

The ideas: I am born at a given place, at a given time, from my parents and now I am so-and-so, living at, married to, father of, employed by, and so on, are not inherent in the sense 'I am'. Our usual attitude is 'I am this' or 'that'.

Separate consistently and perseveringly the 'I am' from 'this' or 'that', and try to feel what it means to be, just to be, without being 'this' or 'that'. All our habits go against it and the task of fighting them is long and hard sometimes, but clear understanding helps a lot. The clearer you understand that on the level of the mind you can be described in negative terms only, the quicker you will come to the end of your search and realize your limitless being."

Every experience contains a message and the message says, "I Am."

Even in the simplest stream of consciousness, there may be no words at all, but still every experience delivers this message without fail.

You are.

Alive.

Aware.

And your existence itself proves the nature of Reality.

'I am' is not a thought in the mind.

It is a fact.

It is Reality being described through direct experience; in a non-conceptual, non-thought based way.

Any other descriptions of Reality are relative and based on observing the world; on observing phenomena.

All of that kind of knowledge can be subject to doubt because it is based on thoughts and concepts in the mind.

But the fact that you are is of an entirely different nature to thought.

This fact is more solid than anything in the universe.

And it can become all that you need to pull back from the thoughts and the mind, back to truth and peace.

You may wonder, if every experience contains this message and you have known it all this life, what difference could it make?

But it does make a world of difference.

The difference comes from how the message is being received.

If you are mindful of your thoughts you'll know that many of them begin with, "I am..."

I am hot, I am cold.

I am anxious, I am excited.

I am happy, I am sad.

The first part is pointing out a fact — I Am.

And the second part always refers to a passing subjective phenomena.

But that 'I am' is taken for granted and all the attention gets hooked on the phenomena.

Now look at what that 'I am' is pointing out.

Say there is a thought, "I am confused."

The first part refers to you.

And the second part, confused, refers to the experience in that moment; the mind.

The first part is what Nonduality and wisdom teachings are pointing out.

And the second is where all the the dualities and opposites exist.

Confusion turns to clarity turns to forgetfulness.

Joy turns to despair turns to hope.

But the 'I am' remains as a solid fact, always pointing directly to you.

What you really are.

Just a Sentience.

An Awareness.

Any persona or identity is built on top of this fact.

I am a man or woman, I am from this town or that city, all this depends on the fact that I am.

The first part is true in a very different way to the memories that form the person, or the history of this body, or the states of this mind.

Anything that comes after that 'I am' is extra; additional, and refers only to the contents of consciousness.

All of that is subjective and refers only to the phenomena being perceived.

But the sense that I am refers to the Noumenon; what is truly real and changeless.

Once you're convinced of this, the search for the Self is over.

Because you know that in thoughts and concepts you must remain undefined.

And yet in direct experience you are.

And you know that you are.

Present and lucidly aware.

Every experience tells you this, over and over.

You are alive.

Aware.

Real beyond concepts and words.

Once you see that there's nothing to call 'me' in this body, you certainly cannot find any 'others' anywhere.

The myth of separate sentient entities is busted.

The idea of being something apart from Reality is dissolved.

And that same fact that you knew from the very beginning of this life, the fact that I am which gave you so much anxiety and trouble, that same fact becomes the fountain of peace and love.

Because now it does do not refer to a person.

It refers to existence itself.

Sentience itself.

You are not a sentient thing.

Sentience is what you are.

I Am.

That is the complete statement of Truth.

Every experience delivers this message.

I — meaning Sentience itself.

Am — meaning being present.

In the absolute sense.

As what is most obvious and fundamental to Reality.