ego I is nothing more than a bundle of thoughts

[Guest guest]

THE ESSENCE OF RIBHU GITAThe following verses constitute the teachings of Siva to Ribhu,who in turn transmits those teachings to his disciple Nidhaga Rishi.The treatise goes by the name Ribhu Gita.`Sahaja Nishta' or The Natural State76. One should relentlessly pursue Self-enquiry until allconceptual forms of creature, world and creator merge anddisappear in the pure thought-free, alert Awareness-Self,enabling one to abide in that bhavana of the experience, `I amthe Brahman-Self '. (Ch.32, v.27)77. It is only the mind which appears as the world and bondage;there is no world other than the mind. On enquiry this mind turnsout to be nothing more than a group of ripples (thoughts) in thestill ocean of pure Awareness-Siva-Self. I am that Siva-Self onlyand there is nothing apart from me, one should ever abide in theconviction born of this experience. (Ch.32, v.33)78. There is no world apart from the mind. What appearsas the world is only the mind. If this mind is investigated, itturns out to be nothing more than a bundle of thoughts basedon the primary thought of `I am the body' called the ego. If thisego — I is enquired into and its identity searched, it getsswallowed up without a trace in the pure Awareness-Being-Siva-Self. One should maintain this firm bhavana `I am Self-Siva'until that state of being the Siva-Self — becomes the spontaneousexperience free from the effort of bhavana. (Ch.32, v.34)79. In me, the pure Awareness-Self, the universe isborn, maintained and dissolved as the mind. Therefore, thereare no mind and thought forms of objects apart from methe Self. In this firm experience one should ever abide.(Ch.32, v.35)* In all

the 13 verses of Chapter 32, the term bhavana is to be understoodas

faith or firm belief in `Aham Brahmam' (I am the Self ).