“Every living being longs to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to the fact that happiness is his real nature. Hence, in order to realize that inherent and untainted happiness, which indeed he daily experiences when the mind is subdued in deep sleep, it is essential that he should know himself. For obtaining such knowledge the enquiry, ‘Who am I?’ in quest of the Self is the best means.”
-RamanaMaharshi
From the Isha Upanashad – Verse 16
तेजो यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ॥१६॥
Tejo yat te rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tat te paśyāmi yo ‘sāv [asau puruṣaḥ] so’ham asmi
“The light which is thy fairest form, I see it. I am what He is”
Simplified Mantra: (pronounced so-hum) So Ham (or Inversed) Ham Sa…
Since the human body is a micro-universe, While contemplating “Who am I”, the practitioner begins to see that the whole cosmos and he/she are one in the same and begin to experience ultimate union (yoke, yug, yoga) with the absolute (singularity of existence of all).
In my own practice of meditation, the realizations and lessons learned often transcend dialogue. They often come in feelings, imagery and emotion. The effort on meditation generally resides within the choice to sit and move into the subtle space of inner silence. The practice itself can be as gentle or rigorous as the aspirant chooses. The beauty of “So Ham” meditation is in it’s effortless grace. By coming back to know the source of our own existence, we begin to move into sitting ‘with’ the absolute, and this is the place where we all long to be in some form.
