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One of the very brief, simplest works of Śaṅkarācārya is perhaps what he wrote down as his thoughts from just one hour. A great deal is written by Śaṅkarācārya: the Brahma Sūtras commented on by the Śaṅkarabhāṣya, and the Bhagavad Gītā by Śaṅkarācārya, which is very, very good. There is also a book called Viveka Chūḍāmaṇi. What is that called in German? "A small place of the discrimination tree." This book is very interesting, containing much wisdom within; it is difficult to understand. But whoever can understand it finds these jewels within themselves, within their own being. True knowledge comes gladly through Gurukṛpā; otherwise, nothing comes. That I say: God, in whom my kṛpā rests, that one will understand me; others cannot understand. Śaṅkarācārya's work is rooted in Advaita, Vedānta Advaita philosophy. Advaita means non-dualism. He proves that there is no difference between Ātman, your true Self, and God. Where there is duality, there is change or an end. Where there is no dualism, there is unity. Our body, mind, soul—everything is changeable. But our true Self, the Ātman, is unchanging. Always think: who am I? I am Ātma, So'ham, Oṁ So'ham: "That am I, I am that." Śaṅkarācārya wrote in his Ātmañjñānopadeśa or Āprakaṭānubhūti, beginning with the Maṅgalācaraṇa: Śrī Hariṁ Paramānandam, Upadeṣṭāriśvaram Vyāpakaṁ Sarvalokanāṁ Kāraṇaṁ Tām Namāmyaham. Then he writes about the purpose for which this book was written, and then Sādhana—the four paths: Jñāna-Yoga, Karma, Bhakti, Rāja-Yoga. And then Ātmanātma-vivekaḥ—the path of distinguishing what is the Ātman and what is not the Ātman. Here we have the 23rd verse, which we have already covered. Now comes the form of knowledge, Jñāna-kāśa-rūpa: what is the form of knowledge? What is knowledge? What is the difference between reality and unreality? Today I will continue with only one mantra, translating it, because time flows. Brahma... It is a very beautiful answer for all of us. Everyone can decide for themselves whether we are the knower or the ignorant, whether we are white or nothing. Bibī, what did I say? This is a very good method. We do not need proof from others. Good? Very good. Brahma Samā Śānta Satī Dāna Nanda Lakṣaṇa. I am one. I am in unity with everyone. Samadvaya: there is no gap between you and me. There is no difference between me and a tiny ant. Your breath and my breath are one. Whatever we always speak about peace, Śaṅkarācārya said: there is no unrest in me. All this despair, all these thoughts, restlessness—all of it is superficial. That is not me. The ocean is not the waves. The storm and towering waves on the ocean, that is not the ocean. It is discernment. Śānta Ātman, the divine Self, your divine Self who lives within you, who sees through your eyes, who hears through your ears, who speaks through your mouth, who exists in your heart—this Ātman is within you in the form of Param Śānti, peace. And my form, my qualities (Lakṣaṇa), is Sat-Cit-Ānanda, Sat-Cit-Ānanda, Svarūpa. The form of my Self is truth, consciousness, and bliss. So the form of your divine Self is Sat-Cit-Ānanda, Svarūpa. This Sat-Cit-Ānanda cannot be disturbed and can attack these Tridaṇḍas in the void. Everything that is attacked is only your body, mind, your ego, your attachments, and all that. These then cause jealousy and everything. Nothing and no one can touch me. I am one. This is my true Self. So I am the Brahma. The Brahma, the highest Self. One. Ātman. These are just a few waves. This soul is in a bubble—bubbles. They say water bubbles or air bubbles. When you take a bottle of water out, that carbonic acid—there are so many bubbles. There are so many living beings. These are all these souls around. But that is just carbonic acid. Ātman is entirely different. I am the Supreme Self, the divine Self, the true Self. Who thinks like this? The knower. The knower thinks and thus says: he has no hunger, he has no thirst, he has no suffering, he has no pain. He is liberated; he does not need to be liberated. He is a master, he is a student. There is no birth and no death, no mother and no father, no birth and no death. Cidānanda Rūpa, Śivo'ham, Śivo'ham, Cidānanda Rūpa, Śivo'ham, Śivo'ham. I am the Cidānanda Rūpa. And that is the goal of our self-inquiry meditation, Ātma-cintan. When we reach that point, then our self-inquiry meditation ends or becomes complete: Sat-Cit-Ānanda. Who is sick? I am not sick. Kāya is sick. Everything is that. I am not that. These are the superficial dust. Sweep them away. Get rid of them. Light. Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Nirañjana. Nirañjana means spotless, immaculate, without surface. Can one say spotless? That can be said as well. That’s clear anyway. That’s how you learn the language, right? That’s good. I am not the body, nor the one who appears in this form; I am awakened in buddhi. I am nothing, this unreality of the cotton fluff. I am nothing, this Karpās. I am not this form. My Self is not that which this body is. It is said to be jñānam, in buddhi... The knowledgeable sage, the gotama Buddha, Siddhārtha—Siddhārtha was the one who attained enlightenment, and then he received the title Buddha. When he says Buddha, he means the enlightened one; his true name is not Buddha. Afterwards, everyone started using it: Buddha, Buddha... That is knowledge. I am not the body. I am only Ātman. And as long as we are bound to the body, or identify ourselves with the body, we will have all kinds of problems. No matter what problem you have, you only have this problem because you still think you are this body, you exist, these are your feelings, your relationships, your emotions, your intellect, your attachments, your possessions, your body—so everything only because you identify yourself with this body. So "know thyself" is the answer to all your questions. "Know thyself" is salvation from all the problems. And who strives that far? I always ask: please meditate, think, "I am not this body." Just think for half a second, not even a whole second. And then the other plank comes in. Or at most a few minutes, and then the bones start to hurt. "Oh God, it hurts." The Master says, "You are not the body." And the student says, "It hurts me." So this is very difficult. Such an ignorant way of thinking. And knowledge, you think. When this knowledge is present, then you can also master your body. Then your body will no longer cause you any pain. You are there, but nothing hurts you. That is how it is when you go to a doctor or a dentist; they give you an injection and then cut everything, but you don’t feel anything. You are conscious of it. But a certain part of your body, your consciousness, is rejected, regretted. And so, when you come into self-realizations, at the higher level, in time, you are not above everything. "Know thyself" is the answer to all your questions. And therefore it is said: if you know all, you know Bhagavān. If you do not know everything, you do not know God. If you know yourself, you know God. And if you don't know yourself, you don't know God. Then one only argues for religion—my religion, your religion, my faith, your faith, our faith, their faith, and no one's faith. It is all meaningless. One dies with this conflict. One engages in conflict, war, complexes, and dualism only out of ignorance. We are all that. Cidānanda Rūpa, Śivo'ham, Śivo'ham, Śivo'ham. And so this is the form or the manner in which the wise one thinks. And what else does he think? We will hear that tomorrow. Very well said. Knowledge is what the intellect seeks. Overlook the morning; the venerable Bhagavān pours forth.