Not This, Not This
That Self is 'not this, not this.' Ungraspable, for it is never grasped.
Do I nail myself to one label — job, role, reputation — and so cage the larger me?
📝Reflection
'Not this, not this (neti neti)' is the Upanishad's famous way of defining the Self: the moment you fix it as something, that is no longer all of the Self. Am I my job? More than that. My reputation? More than that. My failure or success? Not that either. This path of negation is not nihilism but liberation. We keep nailing ourselves to a single label — 'I am a failure,' 'I am this kind of person.' Neti neti pulls out that nail, saying you are larger than any label you have pinned on yourself. When we release ourselves from definition, at last there is room to breathe.
🌱Apply It Today
When a negative label about yourself arises, add once, 'Not that either — I am larger than that.'
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
