Q 4) Is the “I” a sensation, a thought, a memory, or something continuous?

For the “I” to truly be something, it must remain that forever. If it keeps changing, then it cannot be the real “I.” Let us understand this step by step:

a) When we feel sensations like “I am excited,” “I am happy,” “I am exhausted,” or “I am angry,” we notice that these feelings do not remain the same. Anger changes, excitement fades, happiness fluctuates. Since the “I” must remain constant, and feelings constantly change, we cannot say that any particular feeling is the “I.”

b) When we have thoughts like “I am good at maths,” “I am smart,” or “I am intelligent,” these thoughts also keep changing. Right now I am writing; after this, I will be doing something else. Thoughts arise and pass. Therefore, the “I” cannot be thought either.

c) We have memories of childhood, friends, and school. But are we those memories? When we sleep deeply, memory is not functioning, yet upon waking we say, “I slept well.” Even people with memory-related conditions like amnesia continue to exist. This shows that the “I” is not memory.

d) At this moment, I am writing and understanding every word I write. I clearly know that I am writing. This knowing — this awareness of writing — is present. My feelings, sensations, thoughts, and memories keep changing, but the principle by which I am aware of all of them remains the same and continuous.

e) A classic example often used is that of the sky. Clouds move, sunshine changes, rain comes, storms happen — but all of this occurs in the sky. The sky itself remains unchanged. Similarly, thoughts and emotions change, but awareness remains.

f) In conclusion, I am not a sensation, thought, or memory. The brain creates different stories, and I often identify with those stories. But the awareness that observes every story of the brain — that is what I truly am.

g) The psychological “I” may be constructed, but the awareness in which this “I” and everything else appears is continuous.

h) Our body changes over time. At five years old, we were different. At twenty, we are different again. Yet the awareness that knows these different phases does not seem to age. We never say, “My awareness is five years old” or “My awareness is twenty years old.” Awareness itself does not appear to grow old.

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