Atman is in all of us; it is behind the mind stuff, behind the ego. The ego identifies with the mind stuff, with whatever there is: ‘I am this, I am that.’ When you silence the mind stuff, the ego becomes flat — then, what are you going to identify with?
Children have no ego. Children move according to their
whims, there is nothing definite about them — now this, the next moment that.
As they grow they develop an ego; otherwise, in the early stages there is
nothing. We become like that in the end. As children, out of ignorance, we
don’t identify [with objects]; then, out of wisdom, experience, [again] we
don’t identify. We have to reach a state of non identification, we have to
obtain detachment. This is called yoga.
‘Yoga is the control of the urges that arise out of the mind
stuff.’ If you control them, everything is
perfect. The entire raja yoga is based on the control of all [instinctual]
tendencies. The mind stuff must be free of all desires — if even a little is
left, it blocks the passage of the real Self through the mind to illumine the
entire being. Just as a small patch of cloud can hide the sun from us, can keep
us in darkness, so also the mind can block the Self.
The mind may also be compared to a pinhole camera — a small
sand particle can block its aperture,
preventing the image from passing through. Likewise, so fine is the mind that
it can be blocked. There should be nothing obstructing, the mind must be
absolutely pure.
When consciousness is absolutely pure, in that pure
consciousness you get the pure Light. You
identify yourself fully, ‘I am the embodiment of that loving Consciousness.’
That comes only when
you purify the mind.