June 2026: I AM THAT

YS 1.2 योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
Yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
When you stop identifying with your thoughts, fluctuations of mind, then there is Yoga,
identity with Self, which is samadhi, happiness, bliss and ecstasy.

॥तत् त्वम् असि
Tat Twam Asi
That Thou Art or You Are That
- from Chandogya Upanishad
The non-dual teachings of Advaita Vedanta suggest that your true nature is not the body or mind, but Brahman, the limitless consciousness that is one with all existence.

The following excerpt is from I AM THAT, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, (always on sale in our boutique). One would be hard pressed to find a passage that is so succinct and embodies the deepest understanding of the reality of who we are and how to obtain it. I read it almost everyday. Not only do I feel immediately soothed, but often I find something new that creates relief in whatever particular life condition that has ensnared me. It always seems to right my path. I am happy to share this with you and use this month to explore how our sadhana (practice) at Satsang resonates with this passage at every level. Enjoy!
In Yoga we dwell,
Jeffrey
June 2026

Watch your thoughts as you watch the street traffic. People come and go; you register without response. It may not be easy in the beginning, but with some practice you will find that your mind can function on many levels at the same time and you can be aware of them all. It is only when you have a vested interest in any particular level, that your attention gets caught in it and you block out on other levels. Even then the work on the blocked out levels goes on, outside the field of consciousness. Do not struggle with your memories and thoughts; try only to include in your field of attention the other, more important questions, like 'Who am I?' 'How did I happen to be born?' Whence this universe around me?'. 'What is real and what is momentary?' No memory will persist, if you lose interest in it; it is the emotional link that perpetuates the bondage. You are always seeking pleasure, avoiding pain, always after happiness and peace. Don't you see that it is your very search for happiness that makes you feel miserable? Try the other way: indifferent to pain and pleasure, neither asking, nor refusing, give all your attention to the level on which 'I am' is timelessly present. Soon you will realize that peace and happiness are in your very nature and it is only seeking them through some particular channels, that disturbs. Avoid the disturbance, that is all. To seek there is no need; you would not seek what you already have. You yourself are God, the Supreme Reality.

To begin with, trust me, trust the Teacher. It enables you to make the first step - and then your trust is justified by your own experience. In every walk of life initial trust is essential; without it little can be done. Every undertaking is an act of faith. Even your daily bread you eat on trust! By remembering what I told you you will achieve everything. I am telling you again: You are the all-pervading, all transcending reality. Behave accordingly: think, feel and act in harmony with the whole and the actual experience of what I say will dawn upon you in no time. No effort is needed. Have faith and act on it. Please see that I want nothing from you. It is in your own interest that I speak, because above all you love yourself, you want yourself secure and happy. Don't be ashamed of it, don't deny it. It is natural and good to love oneself. Only you should know what exactly do you love. It is not the body that you love, it is Life - perceiving, feeling, thinking, doing, loving, striving, creating. It is that Life you love, which is you, which is all. Realize it in its totality, beyond all divisions and limitations, and all your desires will merge in it, for the greater contains the smaller. Therefore find yourself, for in finding that you find all.

Everybody is glad to be. But few know the fulness of it. You come to know by dwelling in your mind on 'I am', 'I know', 'I love’ — with the will of reaching the deepest meaning of these words.

- I AM THAT, Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj pp. 240-241