'I' who thought myself to be a wave was the ocean, Who thought myself to be an ornament was nothing but the gold itself, Who thought myself to be a pot was never anything apart from the clay!

India has always been a haven for those to come looking for themselves, the seekers on the journey within. Ancient Vedanta philosophy is a deep exploration of life and self. It attempts to answer the quintessential question that challenges humanity. “Who am I?”

Aham Brahmasmi is the answer in Sanskrit, given by the Bhagwat Gita, the book of life. Roughly translated, it means ‘I am Brahman’ or pure and infinite consciousness. It has no qualities in itself except for pure limitless potential, from which all form and creation arise. Including the self. You and me. Which means at the very core, you are me, and I am you. We are everything that exists around us, every object and every experience. All of existence lives within me and you, as pure divine consciousness.

I am not limited by the body I inhabit, the house I live in, the work I do, or the car I drive. The ultimate reality of who I am is revealed only when I transcend my ego and follow a true journey of enquiry. Divine power lies within me and you, yet we spend lifetimes pursuing it outside. Only when we expand beyond all these superficial identities or definitions of ourselves that limit our ability to see the real nature of the self, can we grow into pure consciousness.

Other definitions of consciousness include the ultimate essence of all creation, the pure subject which can never be objectified, the universal ever-present energy that flows eternally. This means that you and I are already the highest, purest versions of ourselves, we simply need to become aware and channel this version of ourselves outwards. The thing that stands between us and our highest selves is the ‘me’ inside us – the ego. The ego steers us away from the highest self and nudges us outward towards the material world of acquisitions and power. When we feed our ego, it begins to drive our every thought and action, taking us further and further away from our highest selves, and also leaving us with no sense of another. It sets us off on a false pursuit of happiness, in the material world. But when we allow ourselves to expand beyond our material identities, we are able to see the real nature of the self and grow into pure consciousness. It is only through this inner experience that we become aware that the self is nothing but an extension of the universe outside us.

Jung and Freud used this philosophy to study the human mind and made breakthroughs in psychoanalysis – a scientific word for the journey within. The journey made in pursuit of joy and peace, on the path that takes us back into our deepest ourselves. It ends when we find unconditional love for ourselves, after discovering that we are nothing but pure consciousness.