Holiday Reflections: Waking Up to Your True Self through the Neti-Neti Approach
Have you ever asked yourself, who am I? Beyond the roles, thoughts, and emotions that shape your daily identity, is there a deeper, unchanging essence that defines you? For centuries, spiritual seekers have explored this question, unveiling profound truths about the nature of existence.
The search for self-realization is often regarded as the ultimate goal of human existence in many Eastern spiritual traditions. At its essence, self-realization is the recognition of our true nature beyond the transient identity of body, mind, and ego.
It is the awakening to an unchanging awareness that underlies all of existence—a state of profound peace and liberation. Buddha encapsulated this journey in his teaching of the Four Noble Truths: the truth of suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. These truths highlight the root of human dissatisfaction—our clinging to an illusory self—and the possibility of liberation through transcending this illusion.
The path to self-realization is a deeply transformative journey—one that leads to a profound recognition of our true nature beyond the limitations of the body, mind, and ego. This awakening, often referred to as Enlightenment, is the ultimate realization that our essential nature is not the transient self we identify with, but pure, unchanging awareness.
Ken Wilber, a renowned spiritual philosopher, describes this process as "waking up"—a profound shift in consciousness where we transcend the egoic-self and directly experience the unity of all things.
Waking Up: What Does It Mean to "Wake Up"?
Waking up is the core of the spiritual journey. It’s the experience of Enlightenment—the realization that the true self is not the body, mind, or ego, but the pure awareness that observes all of these things.
In Hindu scriptures waking up leads to Moksha—the realization that Atman (the individual soul) is identical with Brahman (the universal consciousness). Moksha is liberation from the illusion (Maya) of separation, the false belief that we are separate from the consciousness that pervades everything.
In Buddhism, waking up is called Nirvana—the cessation of suffering and the end of attachment to the self.
In Zen, it is Satori—a sudden, intuitive experience of awakening where the illusion of separation collapses, and the unity of all things is directly perceived.
In all these traditions, waking up refers to the direct experience of our true nature—a state of pure consciousness that transcends the ego.
The great sages of Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and other traditions emphasize that this realization is not about acquiring something new but uncovering what has always been present.
At its heart, spirituality is simply an insight—a direct realization of the truth that has always been present. While this insight is profoundly liberating, the layers of rituals, beliefs, and philosophical frameworks often obscure their simplicity.
This is where the Neti-Neti approach shines, by offering a direct and simple path to peel back the layers of illusion and reveal the true self.
By remaining with the simplicity of Neti-Neti, we bypass the distractions of dogma and complexity, allowing the light of pure awareness to shine through. For the modern, analytically-minded individual, *Neti-Neti* offers a uniquely rational approach to spiritual inquiry. Unlike mystical practices that rely on faith or transcendental experiences, this method provides a systematic, logic-driven path to self-realization. It appeals to the intellectual's desire for rigorous investigation, presenting self-discovery as a form of philosophical detective work.
The Neti-Neti Method: "Not This, Not That"
The phrase Neti-Neti comes from the ancient teachings of Vedanta, particularly the Advaita Vedanta tradition, and it means “not this, not that.” It's a method of self-inquiry designed to help us peel away the layers of illusion that conceal the true nature of our being. We begin by negating anything that we tend to identify as ourselves—our body, thoughts, emotions, and ego—until only our true essence remains.
Neti-Neti reflects the belief that the ultimate truth cannot be grasped through concepts, words, or sensory experiences. Instead, it is realized by negating all that is impermanent, limited, or bound by duality, leaving only the pure awareness of one's eternal nature.
The *Neti-Neti* approach is essentially a process of critical elimination. Much like a scientific method, it uses a systematic process of negation to strip away false identifications. Each layer of self-concept is carefully examined, tested, and ultimately discarded. This resonates with the rational mind's commitment to questioning assumptions and challenging inherited beliefs. Where traditional spiritual paths might ask for blind faith, *Neti-Neti* invites intellectual scrutiny and direct personal verification.
Moreover, this method aligns perfectly with contemporary understanding of consciousness from fields like cognitive psychology and neuroscience. It acknowledges that our sense of self is not a fixed entity, but a fluid, constructed experience.
By methodically investigating the nature of consciousness, Neti-Neti bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern scientific inquiry, offering a bridge between spiritual exploration and rational investigation.
But how can we use the Neti-Neti method to truly wake up to our true self? At its core, Neti-Neti is an experiential inquiry into the nature of the self. We start by asking the question: “Who am I?” The answer isn’t something that can be found in the mind or the senses, but in the direct experience of pure awareness. To illustrate this process:
Negating the body: Ask yourself, “Am I the body?” The body is constantly changing—it grows, ages, and eventually decays. You are aware of the body, but you are not the body itself. It’s just another object arising within awareness.
Negating the mind: Next, look at your thoughts. Are your thoughts who you are? Thoughts come and go—they are transient and impermanent. You are the witness to these thoughts, not the thoughts themselves.
Negating emotions: Emotions such as joy, anger, or sadness arise in themind. They are temporary and fluctuating. You experience them, but they do not define you.
Negating the “I-thought”: Even the sense of “I”—the ego or the “I-thought”— is not the true self. This “I” is a mental construct arising in awareness but is not fixed or permanent.
What is left after all these negations? Pure awareness, the unchanging witness to all phenomena. This is the true self—the Atman in Vedanta, the timeless consciousness that pervades everything.
Expanding Self-Inquiry: Integrating Key Teachings
To make it more engaging and practical, you can pair it with complementary teachings, experiential exercises, and contemplative practices to deepen your realization. Here, we explore a variety of approaches that enhance the journey of negation and self-discovery.
Ramana Maharshi’s Self-Inquiry: Ramana Maharshi refined self-inquiry into a laser-focused exploration of the “I-thought,” the root of all identification.
Exercise: Tracing the ‘I’ to Its Source
Whenever a thought arises, pause and ask, “Who is thinking this?”
Trace the feeling of “I” back inward. Do not stop at conceptual answers; instead, dive deeper into the silence where the “I” dissolves.
Sit in this silent awareness, recognizing it as your true self.
Ramana’s method sharpens the mind’s focus, helping you directly perceive the still, unchanging presence that is the foundation of all experience.
Douglas Harding's Headless Approach: Douglas Harding’s “headless” method is a deeply experiential complement to Neti-Neti, offering immediate glimpses of selflessness.
Exercise: Seeing Without a Head
Sit quietly and point your finger outward. Observe what you see—objects, space, colors—and describe them mentally.
Now, turn your finger inward, toward “yourself.” Notice the absence of a solid head or boundary. What is present instead?
Stay with this direct experience of being an open field of awareness—spacious, boundless, and without a center.
This simple yet profound exercise can anchor the insights of Neti-Neti in direct, lived experience. It can lead to a direct, wordless experience of reality, mirroring Satori's sudden, transcendent insight.
What Is the Satori Moment?
In spiritual traditions, a Satori moment is often described as a sudden, intuitive flash of awakening—a profound and direct experience of truth. Borrowed from Zen Buddhism, the term encapsulates a state where the veil of ego and separation lifts and the underlying unity of existence is vividly perceived.
Ken Wilber’s work expands on this by framing Satori as a glimpse of the ultimate reality—a temporary but transformative moment of waking up. In this moment, duality dissolves, and the boundaries between self and other, subject and object, fade away. It’s not an intellectual understanding or emotional high, but a direct, unmediated realization of the ground of being. Wilber distinguishes Satori as a "peak experience" in the spectrum of awakening. While it may not permanently dissolve the ego, it offers a powerful insight into the nature of consciousness and our true essence. Such moments reveal that the self we believe ourselves to be—this body, mind, and ego—is merely a surface phenomenon arising within the infinite awareness that we are.
While Satori is often temporary, its impact can be life-changing. It plants a seed of realization that, with continued practice, can grow into a more permanent state of awakening. The Neti-Neti method is especially powerful for cultivating these moments of insight, as it systematically dismantles false identifications and brings us face-to-face with the unchanging awareness at the core of our being.
By staying with the inquiry—asking “Who am I?” and peeling back each layer of illusion—you open yourself to the possibility of a Satori moment, where the truth of your existence is revealed with undeniable clarity. In this way, awakening is not something you attain but something you recognize was always here.
Resources for Deeper Exploration
If you are curious to dive deeper into these teachings, here are some valuable resources to guide you on the journey of self-realization:
Advaita Vedanta: Explore foundational teachings of non-dualism through classical texts like the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Vivekachudamani by Adi Shankaracharya. These works form the philosophical foundation for Neti-Neti.
Ken Wilber's Integral Theory: Wilber integrates various spiritual traditions into a comprehensive map of human development, including waking up to our true self. His book A Brief History of Everything provides an excellent introduction. good pointer video.
Ramana Maharshi - Self-Inquiry: Ramana Maharshi emphasized self- inquiry as the primary method for realizing the Self. His classic book Be As You Are is an excellent place to start.
Douglas Harding - Headless Way: Harding’s On Having No Head offers a unique approach to self-realization, focusing on the direct experience of being headless—the recognition that we are pure awareness, not the body.
Nisargadatta Maharaj - I Am That I am: Known for his direct and uncompromising teachings, Nisargadatta’s insights into the nature of the self and self-inquiry are profound.
BatGap.com (Buddha at the Gas Pump): A rich online resource featuring interviews with awakened individuals from various traditions, providing diverse perspectives on awakening and spiritual practice.
An Invitation to Inquire: Are You Ready to Wake Up?
The practice of Neti-Neti and its complementary approaches are an invitation to discover your true nature. They’re not about accumulating knowledge but peeling back illusions to directly experience the timeless, boundless awareness that you already are. By asking, “Am I this body, mind, or ego?” and diving into the silence within, you will encounter your true self—unchanging, eternal, and free. Will you have the courage to let go of everything you think you know and embrace the vastness of who you truly are?
Disclosure: The above content/message is prepared with the help of ChatGPT & Claude
