WHO AM I ?

THE PRECISE METHOD FOR LIBERATION

Dadashri: What is your name?

Questioner: My name is Chandulal.

Dadashri: Are you really Chandulal?

Questioner: Yes.

Dadashri: Chandulal is your name. Is Chandulal not your name? Are you yourself Chandulal or is your name Chandulal?

Questioner: It is my name.

Dadashri: Then who are you? If Chandulal is your name then who are you? Are you and your name not separate? If you are separate from your name, then who are you? Do you understand what I am trying to say? If you say, "These are my eye-glasses," then you and the glasses are separate, right? Similarly, do you not feel that you are separate from your name? In the same token there is nothing wrong with naming a shop ‘General Traders’. If we were to call out to the shop owner, "Hey! General Traders ...come here!” he would reply, "My name is Jayantilal, General Traders is the name of my shop". The owner, the shop and the merchandise inside the shop, are all separate entities. What do you think?

Questioner: That makes sense.

Dadashri: People insist, “No, I am Chandulal”. That means, ‘I am the owner of the shop and I am also the sign on the shop.’ ‘Chandulal’ is just a means for identification. From your very childhood, people kept calling you ‘Chandu’ and you have come to believe, ‘I am Chandu’. You believe this name to be you. In reality you are not that, but you insist that you are Chandulal because everyone tells you so. Since you do not know who you really are, you believe yourself to be the name that you have been given. This has had a very powerful psychological effect on you. This effect is so deeply ingrained within you, that you believe that you are Chandulal. This belief is wrong. As a result of this wrong belief, you have experienced countless lives ‘sleeping with your eyes open’.

WHO AM I?

Dadashri: Will you not have to investigate who you really are? How long can you go on being in the dark unaware of your Self? Do you not think it is ignorance to not investigate your true identity? Until you realize who you really are, everything proves to be wrong and incorrect.

Even before you purchased this watch, did you not inquire about its make, quality, price, warranty, etc.? Then, is it not ironic that you have not made inquires about your own Self yet? Who are you? You have no knowledge about your true identity, where you come from and where you are. You know none of these things and even without knowing the answer to this one vital question, Who am I?; you complicate your life further by actively participating in this relative world. In this state of ignorance you further complicate your life by getting married, having a family, etc, etc. This is how confusion and puzzles arise in the relative world.

Even when you fall asleep at night, you do so as Chandulal. All night long this wrong belief reinforces itself, becoming stronger and stronger. Only when you realize the answer to ‘Who am I?’ does your wrong belief stop. It is because of this wrong belief; that you have been wandering from one life to another. You do not know your true identity and furthermore you impress upon yourself the belief of that which you are not. You have imposed this wrong belief on your Real Self. Not only this, but you have accepted that 'I am Chandulal' and have behaved accordingly. This false accusation is a blunder. This blunder is the root cause of all suffering. This suffering is in the form of inner restlessness, misery and discontent. At the moment, you have so many worries because of your belief that ‘I am Chandulal’. This false imposition on the Self, is ignorance and brings forth suffering.