Who am I, Paragraph 10

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Paragraph 10

 

The first and foremost thought that arises in the mind is the `I'-

thought. It is only after the rise or origin of the `I'-thought that

innumerable other thoughts arise. In other words, only after the

first personal pronoun, `I', has arisen, do the second and third

personal pronouns (`you, he,' etc.) occur to the mind; and they

cannot subsist without the former.

 

COMMENTS

 

All thoughts are built upon the base of just one thought, that

thought is the `I'-thought. So really, to put an end to thoughts,

you do not need to eliminate every thought you might have. You only

need to eliminate one thought (the first thought). An exercise that

we were given at a retreat was to catch a thought (any thought),

and "take that thought apart" to see how it is based on the `I'-

thought. This might be worthwhile for you to try. Ways to tell

the `I'-thought? Well, if the view is one that in any way is of an

individual, particular person, in this (or that) time and place, then

it is based on the `I'-thought.

 

This makes it easier for the seeker. One does not need to stop all

thoughts. This is a key point in Ramana's teaching. Just inquire

into the source for this `I'-thought. That is all that is needed.

 

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We are Not two,

Richard