Who Am I?

Today’s episode promises intrigue and reflection as we delve into the profound question, “Who Am I?” 

Though it may appear straightforward, this inquiry reveals layers far deeper than first glance. Together, we’ll unravel the misconceptions about our identity—examining what we are not—before turning our gaze to who and what we truly are.

We look forward to your questions and feedback. 

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Science Meets Vedanta - a space where we explore the fundamental principles of Vedanta and unravel the profound intersections between scientific inquiry and ancient wisdom. I'm Jayant Kapatker, the author of the book - Science Meets Vedanta.

Drawing from the insights in this book, each week we’ll explore a variety of topics designed to help you understand the essential teachings of - Vedanta. Along the way, we’ll highlight valuable lessons that science can gain from Vedantic wisdom, so stay tuned! 

Today’s episode promises intrigue and reflection as we delve into the profound question, “Who Am I?” Though it may appear straightforward, this inquiry reveals layers far deeper than first glance. Together, we’ll unravel the misconceptions about our identity—examining what we are not—before turning our gaze to who and what we truly are.

Who am I? Many people may not ponder this question because they are very sure—they are the body–mind complex. They are born with this body, and they have grown up with this body, so the association with the body is deep-rooted. A simple question to ask is: which part of the body are you? Are you the hands, or legs, or the eyes? There is no clear-cut answer, but they may reply: we are the cumulative total of all the body parts. If so, what happens to the person if they lose a hand, a leg, or their vision in an accident? Do they feel incomplete? Do they feel only a fraction of the total? 

If you were to ask a disabled person, they would answer that despite losing a body part, they still feel complete. Their Self is not a fraction; it is always full. This goes to show that they are not the body but something else. But what is that something else?

Another way to look at it is to ask yourself the question, are you the table in the room? You will look shocked and reply—of course not! Why aren’t you the table? Because you can perceive the table; it is out there, you know it is a table; you are aware of the table. Since you are the knower, the table is known to you. Anything known to you cannot be you. It is something external, it is something separate from you. For this reason, you are not the table. This logic and reasoning will apply to all external objects in the world. It is quite simple and straightforward when you talk about objects external to yourself.

What about your body? Do you know or are you aware of your hands, legs, and all the body parts? Of course you are. So, we can apply the same logic as used for external objects. Applying the same reasoning, you will realize that your body and body parts are external to you. You are aware of your body and body parts; therefore, you cannot be the body.

Then you may say you are the mind. The mind is full of thoughts made up of perceptions, feelings, and emotions. Once again, you are aware of what is happening in your mind. You are the witness to your thoughts. There is no thought which you do not know about or of which you are not aware. This means that you are also not the mind.

As you continue your exploration, you might find yourself identifying as the ego—the inner sense of “I am” that resides within each of us. In everyday conversation, we frequently use sentences that begin with “I am,” yet we rarely pause to consider the true significance of these words. Typically, we understand such phrases simply referring to ourselves.

To this “I am,” we often attach a variety of adjectives: “I am tall,” “I am a thinker,” “I am a parent,” “I am young,” “I am happy,” “I am a scientist.” The list is virtually endless. If you reflect on it, there are countless descriptors that can be appended to “I am.” But if you were to ask anyone which of these endless adjectives truly defines who they are, it would be difficult to provide a definitive answer. Each adjective only highlights a single quality or aspect of “I am”—none can fully capture its true essence. This is the core of the dilemma: we do not truly know who we are.

Furthermore, you are aware of every attribute at which these adjectives are added. You know when you are tall, young, a parent, or a scientist, so on and so forth. You are aware of these various roles and attributes. As we have previously discussed, if you are aware of these roles or attributes of “I am” or the ego, then you are simply witnessing them. Therefore, you cannot be the ego itself.

So, what are you or who am I? As Vedanta teaches, there are only two things in this universe: the Real Self and all the external objects. The universe is that simple. This is entirely logical and not complicated. We are obviously not external objects, not the body, not the mind, nor the ego. Vedanta states that we are the Self who is aware of all the external objects.

Who is the Self? What is the nature of the Self? The Self is our innermost core; it is beyond our body, mind, and ego. Vedanta teaches us that our true self is Sat Chit Ananda.

Here, Sat means Real, Chit means Awareness and Ananda means Bliss or happiness

Let us try and understand these terms:

1. Sat:

Sat means Real. Some people also define this as existence. If you look up any dictionary, you will get a wide variety of meanings for “real”. This dictionary’s meaning is not good for understanding Sat. According to Vedanta, for anything to be Real, it must exist and be present in all the three tenses—past, present, and future. If you investigate Nature, you will not find anything which is Sat.

• This universe was born 13.7 billion years ago, and therefore it did not exist before that, so it cannot be Sat. We also know that if anything is born, it must die. This applies to all living and non-living beings in this universe. Therefore, nothing in the universe is Real. So, Sat must be unborn. And anything which is unborn must be uncreated - to make it existent forever.
• Everything which is born must have a cause. You were born because of your parents, and they were born because of their parents. Since Sat is unborn, it is also uncaused. No cause created it. It was and it will be always present.
• If anything changes in any way, either small like atoms have been displaced or big - planetary positions are different, it is not the same as it was before. Therefore, it cannot be Sat, because Sat is unchanging.

Our inner core or our Real Self is Sat and it is uncreated, uncaused, and unchanging. This Sat is present right now within each of us, it was present in the past and will always be present in the future. 

2. Chit: 

Chit means Awareness. It is the nature of Sat. Many books will also translate this as Consciousness, but I feel this does not adequately describe chit. When the mind comes into contact with Chit or Awareness, that mind becomes Conscious. The essential nature of our Real Self is Awareness. This Awareness has no edge or boundary; it is limitless. Basically, it is everywhere, and everything in the universe is Awareness or full of Awareness. There cannot be a single spot or area where Awareness is not present. To visualize this, look at the sun’s rays, which are everywhere in the solar system.

If you look at Awareness more closely, you will realize that Awareness must always have the following three elements.

1. If you are Aware, then there should be someone who is Aware. Awareness needs a subject.
2. To be Aware, there must be an object of which you are Aware. Awareness needs an object.
3. If you are Aware, the subject must know what the object is. Awareness must have intelligence

To experience Awareness, three elements are essential: subject, object, and intelligence. If anyone of them is missing, you will not have awareness. Just as water is formed from two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, Awareness arises through the interplay of these three components. As per our daily experience, the subject and object exist separately —the subject as the perceiver within, and the object as the perceived outside.

However, in the state of Chit, subject and object are not separate entities but a single, undivided whole. Chit is nondual, partless, and utterly homogenous. It is perpetually self-aware, witnessing its own Awareness. In Chit, the roles of subject and object merge seamlessly, embodying both within itself. Thus, Chit is entirely self-sufficient, complete in its unity and wholeness.

Here is an appropriate quote from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, an Indian sage who explains the difference between Awareness and Consciousness:

Awareness is primordial: it is the original state, beginningless, endless, uncaused, unsupported, without parts, without change. Consciousness is on contact, a reflection against a surface, a state of duality. There can be no consciousness without awareness, but there can be awareness without consciousness, as in deep sleep. Awareness is absolute, but consciousness is relative to its content—consciousness is always of something. Consciousness is partial and changeful; awareness is total, changeless, calm, and silent, it is the common matrix of every experience.[1]

Like the sun which glows, the Chit or Awareness also glows and is present everywhere. Anything which comes in touch with Chit becomes Conscious. Only when the objects become Conscious can the witness perceive these objects. Anything you witness in this world is because those objects became Conscious—because of the light of our true nature.

3. Ananda:

Ananda, the essence of your being, is commonly translated as Bliss. Yet, this term often leads to confusion, for in our everyday lives, we encounter fleeting moments of joy—bursts of happiness that rise and fade. These experiences do not capture the true meaning of Ananda as understood in the spiritual traditions.

At the heart of this teaching, we discern two distinct forms of Bliss:

1. Vishesha Ananda: The Bliss of Objects

This variety of happiness arises from external sources - objects, experiences, and circumstances. It is the joy we feel when desires are fulfilled, when we encounter something pleasant or satisfying. Vishesha Ananda is familiar to all; it is transient, appearing and disappearing as conditions change. 

2. Swarupa Ananda: The Bliss of Your True Nature

Swarupa Ananda refers to the inherent, undivided bliss that is the very fabric of our existence. Earlier, we reflected on Chit—the principle of Awareness—revealing that the Real Self is both the subject and object. In this realization, the Self is whole, perfect, and complete unto itself. There is no lack, no need for anything outside itself; this fullness bestows a continuous, unbroken state of Bliss.

Yet, why do we not abide by this perpetual Ananda? The answer lies in the veil of ignorance, the forgetfulness of our true identity. This ignorance creates an illusory separation - a sense of duality between subject and object - that becomes the root of our dissatisfaction. 

Thus, Ananda is not merely a fleeting happiness but the abiding joy that flows from the recognition of who we truly are. It is this realization that invites us to rediscover our completeness and experience the boundless Bliss within.

Vedanta teaches that at the core of our existence lies the timeless principle of Sat Chit Ananda - pure being, Awareness, and bliss. Picture, if you will, a resplendent bulb aglow within your heart, its radiant source, Sat, emanating light as Chit, our awareness, and Ananda, our joy. This luminous presence is not merely the foundation of our individual selves, but the primal substratum upholding all creation—the silent essence beneath every object, every living being, every phenomenon that arises.

Yet, to truly internalize this profound truth is no easy undertaking. The challenge is rooted in the intricate web of ego with which our identity is so closely intertwined. Right from our birth, conditioning steers us to believe we are nothing more than the body and mind, shaping the very contours of our self-concept.

In the episodes ahead, we will embark on a journey through the many dimensions of the true Self. Together, we will delve into the awe-inspiring powers that guide the cosmos, unraveling layer by layer the boundless depth and wonder that reside at the heart of our own essential nature.

We hope today’s episode has sparked your curiosity and offered valuable insights into our Real Self. If you’d like to dive deeper, visit our blog at Vedanta and science.com or find my book, Science Meets Vedanta, on Amazon. Be sure to subscribe so you won’t miss upcoming episodes. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with your family and friends. Thanks for joining us—see you again soon!