Milarepa’s Guru Marpa Lotsawa said:
In east India near the river Ganges
I met Venerable Maitripa, and through his great kindness
I realized that the things that I normally see do not exist.
Thus, all my experiences of problems and suffering have ceased.
But remember, this is advice we need to only give ourselves. I mean, I'm giving it to you now because obviously this is a class, but you don't want to be sharing this with someone who's hot and bothered, because it may make them even more… hot and bothered.
It's not just intellectual knowledge. We can go around this evening, later, and ask this question: if you find yourself getting a bit tight and hot and bothered, you can say, well, where am I?
On week 7, The cure of wisdom, we shall go into more detail about this, but I thought I would share this with you this evening, because it's such important knowledge.
Meditation reminds us that this “I” is ultimately a label we carry, one that can be observed, questioned, and even set aside, revealing a sense of lightness and freedom we often forget exists.
Then, gently, we introduce the question: “Where is this I?” or “Where am I?” Even simply asking this question can loosen the strong sense of self, allowing us to feel lighter and more spacious within.
Eating an ice cream, for instance, might distract us for a few minutes, but it doesn’t resolve the underlying tension. Instead, questioning “Where am I?” can help us lighten this load, offering a sense of spaciousness and release.
Often, we identify so strongly with “I” that we feel weighed down, as if carrying an overpacked suitcase. The more we cling to this sense of self, the heavier our mental and emotional load becomes.
For example, consider someone stuck in traffic, feeling frustrated. If they pause and ask themselves, “Where am I?” or “Who am I?” it can start to ease the tension.
When I was growing up and later as a teenager attending college here in Sutton Coldfield, there was a song on the radio that asked similar questions: “Who am I? Where am I? Why do I feel this way?”