According to Advaita Vedanta, is there a real and everlasting you?
You are not body. You are formless. Formless you does not have a beginning or an end, as there is no concept of time. Time came along with the body which you are not. You are prior to every experience, even the experience of existence or ‘I am’. This feeling of ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’ has appeared to That which was there prior to knowing this feeling of existence or ‘I am’. This ‘I am’ has appeared to you. This is called the birth of time. Within this span of time their is the appearance of things, you are not a thing. Things appear due to this knowledge of ‘I exist’ or “I am’, which has appeared to you.
You are not body. You are formless. As this appearance of ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’ is fleeting, everything that is known that has come along with it is illusory in nature. Every thing that is known, everything that is seen, every experience that has ever been registered is absolutely illusion.
When your Presence attached with a body form the consciousness took a snapshot from the perspective of being an object in time and space and from this wrong perspective began interpreting the ‘world’. You are not in the world, the world is within you.
A similar experience occurs within the dream state, a dream world is projected with a you in it. In reality the dream is within you, not you in it. Due to the false impression of being a body form the consciousness which creates the dream world, creates the so-called waking world. Their is only one consciousness which appeared spontaneously with the feeling ‘I exist’ or ‘I am’. As this feeling ‘I am’ is illusory, everything that appeared along with it is illusory.
The one to whom the feeling ‘I exist’ and the spontaneous projections of consciousnesses appeared is the Reality, That You Are.
Where can a person get a meditation mantra for free?
Soham. Breathe in So. Exhale Ham. This is a powerful Mantra. This Mantra is now given to you by Your most Supreme highest Self in one form, to your most Supreme Highest Self in another form, to remind you of your true formless nature. Take this as Absolute Truth. Do not allow the mind to come in and distract you with thoughts of who is this? Is this real? This Mantra is not working. Etc. I the Supreme Self am conveying this Mantra to you the Supreme Self. Know yourself in a real sense. You are not body. You are formless. This Soham Mantra will remind you of your true formless nature, then there can be no separation.
Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m not the mind or the body. I know this is spiritual development, but I’m 20 years old and no one around me feels like their body is a vessel. Is this normal and where do I go next spiritually?
This ‘I’ which knows it is not the body or the mind, with what does it identify? To whom does the label ‘I’ belong? Who knows this feeling of the body being a vessel? You are the formless holder of the body, from what position is this known?
When this formless holder of the body is identified perfectly there will be no place from which to form questions, as there will be nothing to be known. The formless knowledge which knows the appearance of the seeming form based ‘reality’ spontaneous understanding That You Are.
There is no next, there is no time. Time, next, others, body, world, experience came along with the body, which are not, were not and never could be.
How do I kill my ego for once and for all?
You are not body. You are formless. Ego came along with the body, which you are not. The belief in being a body created the false appearance of separation which allowed the impression that there was an ego. You are not body. You are formless. There is nothing except formless you.
Does one find the truth, or does the truth find the one?
You are the Truth. You need only remove the false. Their are many different paths to this same end, and in the end there is no path as there was only the illusion of the false appearing true.
I am that which watches this, yet I am interested and attached to this. Why is that?
Because the concept of separation has not yet been proved in your own experience as illusion. You are not body. You are formless. There is no experience. The illusion of experience is impressed through the belief in being a body form. This one that watches with interest is watching from the wrong perspective of being a body form in a world. All of the thoughts that are based on body experience and body knowledge are believed to be ‘my thoughts’.
You are not body you are formless. Thoughts dance across the screen of mind and with your wrong identification of being a body form you buy those thoughts. Then the concept of how to get rid of all these thoughts becomes a source of struggle and distraction. Because you believe you are a body form, you desire other forms for the form you take yourself to be. This is attachment.
Attachment will dissolve the moment you realize your true formless nature. You will no longer be carried away, distracted or interested in any thing particular, as you will firmly know you are not a thing.
Even the concept of the observer will dissolve as their will be nothing ‘other’ that requires active observing. The entire form based illusory appearances are completely false and based solely on ignorance of oneself.
Identify yourself perfectly, using body while it is available. You are the formless holder of the body. All body based experience and knowledge is illusion as it appears and disappears within That You Are.
Do “you” lose all fears once you get enlightened?
You are not body. You are formless. Dissolution of the concept of separation due to belief in being a body is labeled ‘enlightenment’. As you have realized your true formless nature, their is no place for fear to rest. Their is no mind created projections that draw attention unnecessarily from passing phenomena. The objects that appear and disappear no longer seem disturbing, as it is fully realized that you are formless. Their is nothing except formless you. With the belief in separation dissolved and proved untrue, there is nothing except You. Who is to fear? What is there to fear? What can possibly effect the formlessness That You Are. Of course if you are not living the ‘enlightenment’ and it is still just an intellectual understanding than fear is certain, and will be justified by all sorts of conceptual nonsense that will need defending.
How did you find your spiritual teacher?
A sense of Presence came through the concept of seeking. A desire to surrender arose from the sense of Presence. The sense of Presence seemed to grow as more attention was paid to That than to anything else. This sense of Presence led this body to another body in which it said “You are not body.” Presence recognizing Presence using objects appearing within Presence.
Why do we say, “I have a body” and not, “I am a body”?
For the same reason you say ‘I have a car’ and not ‘I am my car’. The body is an instrument available for your use, for a limited time, it is not you. You are their prior to taking this body form, and you will be there after the body form can no longer sustain your sense of existence. You are prior to every experience, even the experience ‘I exist’.
What is a spiritual ego? Is it a by-product of more spiritual knowledge?
Ego is ‘I’ as something, rather than everything is ‘I’. The belief in being a body creates the concept of separation. The concept of separation creates the illusion of experiencing. The illusion of experiencing creates the concept of experiences. The concepts of both being a body and I am having experiences creates what we could label as ‘body knowledge’.
This ‘body knowledge’ which appeared to be gathered by the experiencer or ‘I am getting knowledge from this experience’ creates the concept of a ‘spiritual ego’.
No worries, you are not, were not and never could be a body. You are not body. You are formless. Everything that came along with the body which you are not is illusion, as you are not a body. Formless you in which forms appear and disappear has no experience as their is nothing other.
How do I control my wandering mind during meditation? I either fall asleep or my mind deviates to other unnecessary things during meditation.
It is a common misconception that a ‘wandering mind’ somehow disturbs meditation. On the contrary a wandering mind makes meditation that much easier, as you are able to discover your true position effortlessly. You are the witness to whom the wandering mind appears. You are the observer of thoughts across the screen of mind. Therefore it is known that you are outside the process of thinking.