Seekers from across the world have asked Magdi various questions. Here are some of them along with his replies.
‘What is’ is extraordinarily ordinary
February 3, 2015
Friend: : "Magdi, What is, is ordinary. You have never been in absence of your ability to cognate. Whatever you point to as consciousness is arising from a process of cognition. That cognition is informed by many things, your brain chemistry and neural…
A conversation about awakening to our true nature
November 8, 2014
Friend: Magdi you are such a nice guy. But I really do not get your message. At times, your message seems as truth but sometimes not. Reply: Follow the path that speaks to you. Follow your heart. Follow what resonates. It has nothing to do with what I say.…
A dream without a dreamer
September 5, 2018
If there is no separate self, doesn’t it then all become a dream without a dreamer? Magdi: All is consciousness... One could say that there is a dream (night dream and/or waking dream) without a separate self dreamer, and one could say that consciousness is…
A glimpse in the Self is the beginning of the path: A conversation
July 7, 2015
It is a great fortune to see the Queen or king. And a greater one to be admitted to the king's court. A simple glimpse into the Self is the beginning of the path and not the end. A sip of water does not fulfill your thirst. There is no higher dissolution than…
A letter and a reply
November 30, 2014
Hello Magdi, My name is Katy ---recently a profound experience has happened to me. I am eager to inquire about the event so that I might learn from it, and in doing so direct my learning in a way most effective. A few nights ago when I was at work, a sudden…
A letter to a dying man
October 7, 2014
A LETTER TO A DYING MAN Bassui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about to die: “The essence of your mind is not born, so it will never die. It is not an existance, which is perishable. It is not an emptiness, which is a mere void. It…
A question about judgment.
October 6, 2014
A question about judgment of stingy behavior. ~~~ Dear Magdi, I feel that I judge people who seem to only take, people who expect others to do things for them. They are not appreciative and don't offer to help or to pay. They attend functions and don't…
A sensation of discomfort
February 28, 2015
Hi dear Magdi, I would like to ask your input please. These days there is a mix between relaxation and confidence and seeing the magic unfolding, and then in the same day, something different happens that the mind classifies as "not nice" and for a little…
About acceptance
December 22, 2014
A conversation with a friend: About acceptance Friend: Magdi, I wanted to talk with you about accepting the present moment. Does it mean to totally accept everything? To be ok with problems, suffering... Reply: Ultimately, acceptance means to realize that…
About being ‘no-one’
November 3, 2014
Question: I heard someone saying: 'Things are simply happening. They are happening to nobody. And that there is nothing to do.' Can you comment on this? Reply: I, consciousness, am not 'nobody' nor am I 'somebody'. Consciousness, what I am, is not defined by…
About discomfort
December 20, 2014
Question from a friend: Magdi, could you please talk about resting in discomfort when there is an opening. I struggle sometimes with resting in it. Tips? Reply: Well, you are aware of the discomfort and therefore you are not the discomfort. Awareness is…
About fear of losing my identity
February 23, 2015
A conversation about fear of losing my identity Friend: I'd like to ask you about an experience i've had. I was contemplating yesterday before sleep and i was so focused on the awareness or space. i disregarded all thoughts no thought appeared but i felt a…
About free will. A conversation
October 21, 2014
About Free will Friend: Sounds like you believe that there is no free will. I get the whole determinist logic, if that's where you're coming from. I just don't buy into it. I can allow my body/mind to run on autopilot, I can follow external inspiration…
About memory
December 20, 2014
About memory Friend: How is memory recognized or brought into the Now? Just now as I woke up, it seems that I didn’t remember the address of the place where I live? But then all of sudden a thought arose without me thinking about it with the correct address.…
About mind control
February 28, 2015
Hi dear Magdi, Thanks for having Satsang. loved the analogy of the shepherd. This is the thing: when I was younger I used to "program" the mind, I learned this Silva Mind Control technique and I was good at it, things I programmed, usually materialized. So…
About teachers and teaching
August 19, 2015
Friend: Hello Magdi; two considerations: One with respect to the teacher. I do not think a teacher has to have an answer for all questions or have to pretend he knows everything, and second, does not a teacher have to deal with a question according to the…
About the Meaning of Life
October 3, 2014
About the meaning of life. Questioner: Hi Magdi...I am having trouble finding meaning in this life. Why am I here? Can we actually awaken to truth in this life? Reply: Yes. Awakening to the reality of consciousness, awakening to truth is a divine gift that…
About the meaning of life.
October 4, 2014
A conversation with a friend: About the meaning of life. ~~~ Questioner: Hi Magdi...I am having trouble finding meaning in this life. Why am I here? Can we actually awaken to truth in this life? Reply: Yes. Awakening to the reality of consciousness,…
About yogic practice and meditation
March 28, 2015
Conversation about Yogic practices Friend: Magdi, are daily meditations practices, sun salutations, as well as other yogic practices considered ritualistic attachments? Reply: Whatever you do out of love is OK. Meaning action that is not coming from personal…
About: There is nothing to attain
April 15, 2015
About: 'There is nothing to attain' ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Some people teach that there is 'Nothing to attain' I have read someone quoting the following sutra to support their point. They used the following quote: Subuhti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, when you…
Am I human, divine or both?
January 16, 2019
Q: AM I HUMAN? AM I DIVINE? OR AM I BOTH? Magdi: Does it really matter what label you use? What do these terms mean and who cares? Does a label help you to know yourself? Does any label reveal what you truly are? Is it really helpful to engage in endless…
Am I my perception?
November 7, 2014
Dear Magdi, Could you explain what it means that "I am my perception"? Does this mean I am my experience? I am everything I know, feel, see, hear, sense? This seems to be what non-dual mean. Not two things such as "me AND my perception". So, I am my…
Are you worried about Covid-19?
May 14, 2020
Hi Magdi, Are you worried or fearful of Covid-19? Are you worried or fearful if the lockdown will be extended up to January 2021?. I hope to find an alternative job/work because I am not earning now as a freelance dancer/counselor. Thank you so much and God…
August 3 2014 Meditation Talk
November 3, 2014
Welcome. Welcome to Satsang. Satsang is your true Self. It is not an activity. It is not an experience. It is not a place. It is not of the mind. It is beyond all of that, the end of all of that. It is the end of the habitual mind. So welcome to satsang,…
Awakening to the Self and mindfulness
April 17, 2018
Question: With the shift that happened for you, or awakening, whatever word you want to use, after that happened for you, how do you experience yourself now? I know you don't experience yourself as a self. What is the experience? Reply: Awakening to the Self…
Be still and know that I am God
October 30, 2019
‘Be still and know that I am God’ does not refer to a separate I and a separate God. It is an expression of the wholeness of being/awareness. In this statement, ‘I am’ refers to impersonal universal beingness. ‘God’ refers to impersonal universal……
BEING AWARENESS: A SIMPLE RECOGNITION
July 25, 2018
Question: Why do we get upset? Magdi: So often we get upset. But what is it we are defending, what is it that gets upset? What is it that is so vulnerable? Obviously there is something we are defending. What is it? Does it really matter? So often the…
Beyond time and space
September 5, 2018
BEYOND TIME AND SPACE Friend: What does it mean to be beyond time and space? Reply: Thoughts create time. The senses, in particular sight, creates space. The 'now and then' is a product of thought and the 'here and there' is the product of the senses.…
Body mind & consciousness: Are they ultimately one?
September 30, 2019
Given the body appears to I Given the body disappears while I remains (such as in deep sleep, anesthesia or between two bodily sensations) Then the body and I are not on equal footing. Given, whenever the body appears, it appears at zero distance from I…
Brahman
July 16, 2019
As the view of Brahman becomes clearer, does it get less articulative? How and when does the "i" dissolves into or merge with Brahman ? Reply: I am not certain about the view of Brahman becoming less articulate. I would say the inner stillness comes to…
By Ted Thompson: God is all pervading
March 6, 2015
By Ted Thompson: "Mainstream religion speaks of the Immanence and Transcendence of the Divine. God is All-Pervading, present everywhere. God is also trancendent, existing beyond all names and forms, beyond all thoughts and perceptions, beyond body, mind and…
Can there be experience without an experiencer?
February 23, 2015
Friend: There is no experiencer, but is there still an experience. Is it possible to have an experience without an experiencer? Reply: No. As long as there is an experience there is an experiencer. As long as there is an experience you are still in the mind.…
Comment by Ted Thompson
February 21, 2015
Comment by Ted Thompson: There is a world of difference between parokshanubhuti, or indirect verbal knowledge, (even backed by intuition, insight and understanding) and aparokshanubhuti, or direct experience of the Self. The Self is what it is, nothing new…
Concerning Awareness and being aware
June 1, 2018
Hi Magdi, About your recent post on awareness, I find that I am sometimes aware of things only in hindsight, especially about motivations or acting out unconsciously. I don't realize that until i realize I am suffering! I don't follow that I am always aware.…
Consciousness does not die: A follow up
October 7, 2014
Consciousness does not die. What we truly are is not mortal. It is identification with the mortal body mind that gets in the way of our celebration of the full splendor of peace, love and happiness of our true nature. Questioner: Magdi, can you say more about…
Consciousness is not affected by appearances and disappearances
March 3, 2015
Consciousness is not affected by appearances and disappearances. The wide open sky is not stained by the clouds that appear no matter whether they have the shape of an angel or a dragon. The dreamer is not devoured by the lion that devours the dream…
Consciousness is the reality of the mind
October 3, 2014
Question: You say that consciousness is the reality of the mind. What makes consciousness the reality of the mind? ~~~ Magdi: First of all, let us be clear about what we mean by reality. By reality we refer to THAT that does not come and go, that is…
Contemplating the divine
January 21, 2015
Contemplating the divine, opens your heart to the infinite, to the eternal. If you single heartedly contemplate what am I? What is the reality of this experience?... Without accepting any second hand answer from the mind, your path home will be paved with…
Deep ache in the heart
February 6, 2019
Question: The formless beingness we are seems to emanate from the heart. Correct? So if we are that why do we have a deep ache in our hearts if that is what we are? To me it feels like I am separate to the pure energy of my heart and that is my biggest…
Dementia and Awareness
April 7, 2018
Question: If a person has dementia are they aware of it or is the capacity for awareness diminished? Reply: One of the definitions of dementia is: "Dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to…
Do I have control?
May 3, 2018
Dear Magdi, Reckless drivers get in accidents. Often, mishaps cause the drivers to reconsider. The heater came on last night inadvertently, waking me, and I resolved to check it before bedtime. Dedicating myself to music is getting better results. Finally, in…
Do I make good and bad decisions?
May 29, 2018
Bill: Hi Magdi, When your kids were growing up, didn't you teach them the ways of the world? To be lawful and civil, to study and learn, get good grades, be honest and find good work? Does the person, the individual have control of these things? Do I, Bill,…
Do not be focused on future results
November 1, 2014
Friend: Hello Magdi, I am still trying to notice awareness/staying as I am. But when will I continually be in that state. Without effort I mean. Reply: When your love for the path is absolute. But when your love for a state overcomes your love for the path,…
Do things pass away?
August 4, 2019
Things are content of mind, meaning they are the process of perceiving. The reality of things is eternal and cannot pass away.On the other hand, the appearance of things is not their reality. Given it is not their reality, it also cannot pass away since that…
Do you find yourself as a limited form?
September 26, 2018
Friend: You speak all the time that the sense of being a person is false. For me, it is self evident that I am me, this person. For me, self evidence is a good evidence. Why should I refute it? Reply: You do not need to refute it. You need to probe and…
Does awareness include the personable self?
February 21, 2015
Awareness seems to 'self' as long as truth is not fully revealed, as long as the me-identity remains. The revelation of the Self reveals that Awareness does not 'self', does not do any 'selfing'. The mind seems to. 'Selfing' is a mind impression and not…
Does consciousness have levels and does perception imply separation?
October 6, 2014
Magdi: For the one who know how to look, everything reveals the eternity and infinity of consciousness. For, what is not consciousness? What can be known if not via consciousness? Aren't all forms, all sensations, all experiences ... forms of consciousness?…
Does consciousness need the body to know itself?
May 28, 2018
Does consciousness need the body to know itself? Reply: It depends what you mean by consciousness. By consciousness I am referring to one reality, the ultimate reality. The one and only reality that is the reality of all experiences and the reality that IS…
Does identification cease with the death of the body?
October 5, 2015
We all know that before long, this 'me-the body-impression' will dissolve with the death of this body. This could be simply a temporary dissolution of the identification. Does the identification really cease with the death of this body? What leads you to…
Does non duality belittle silent sitting practices?
December 9, 2018
Bill Reinecke: In the non dual community it seems that only rarely, such as here, that sitting meditation is mentioned. It is even scorned and belittled by some who seem to believe this is a philosopher’s sport. Why is this? Don’t you recommend it?…
Does suffering ever end?
May 15, 2019
Q: Does suffering ever end?~~~Magdi: Yes, it does. But not for Santa Claus. For Santa, getting ready every year for Christmas, reading everyone's wish list, overseeing the creation of various gifts, catering to the elfs, making sure the reindeer are well kept…
Does the body manage itself?
July 17, 2018
DOES THE BODY MANAGE ITSELF? Friend: It is my impression that the body manages itself. Reply: What is your relationship to the body? Friend: I don't know! Reply: You perceive the body, don't you? You perceive the bodily sensations, the images... Don't you?…
Dying before the body dies
April 7, 2018
Question: In one of your videos, you speak about karma and you mentioned 'dying while the body is still alive'. What do you mean by that? Can you speak to your experience of this death and what happens to karma? Also science is speaking of the brain…
Everyone is given their dream
November 30, 2014
Everyone is given their dream. All dreams are meant to bring you to God. Very few, whether they are in Third World or European nations, whether they are born in prosperity or poverty , whether they are educated or illiterate... very few recognize the message…
Forgiveness
November 29, 2018
I would like to know what is your understanding of forgiveness. My understanding is that nothing happened, there is nothing to forgive, as the ‘separation’ from God/Love was ‘corrected’ in the same instant that it was ‘thought of’. Yet the practice of…
Happiness
October 30, 2019
If happiness is on your own behalf, only for yourself, it will not satisfy you. You need to realize that happiness includes everybody and everything and requires you to abandon your conditions about life, about yourself and all your conditions about others.…
Happiness and the mind
October 14, 2018
Hi Magdi, Here seems to be a commonly held experience: I'm happy because I'm having a happy experience. Though on reflection it seems the reverse is truer: I'm enjoying a happy experience because I'm happy. And that happiness seems to have no discernible…
Happiness tomorrow anyone?
October 23, 2014
There is this habit of doing things in order to be happy later, sometimes in the future. Do you think this works? Maintaining the pursuit of happiness tomorrow maintains the me in time and space. Unhappiness now with a promise of happiness tomorrow does not…
Higher Reasoning and Contemplation
January 24, 2015
Conversation with a friend Friend: How can thinking about what you are not change your mentality of who you think yourself to be? Reply: No thought or idea can reveal the truth. No thought can reveal the Self eternal. The use of Higher Reasoning can only…
Holiness is in the source
February 21, 2015
Holiness is not in the scene but in the source. It is not the scene that gives meaning. It is the source that is the meaning, the only meaning and it is the source that gives meaning to the scene. A holy scene is one that reveals the source and emanates the…
How can emptiness know itself?
January 14, 2015
Question: How can that which is empty know itself unless there is some intelligence behind it? Even the knowing of who we are cannot be understood unless we think of it? If one is in silence, awareness is there but I see that thought. Who am I? Unknowingly,…
How can sex be experienced without attachment
June 3, 2015
Dear Magdi, I Came across this quote from Nisargadatta: "Sex is an acquired habit. Go beyond. As long as your focus is on the body, you will remain in the clutches of food and sex, fear and death. Find yourself and be free." This is true, yet sexual relations…
How can the dream character be aware that he is not the movie?
June 16, 2015
Question: My true dilemma is: How can the dreamt character be aware that he is not the movie being run on celluloid? Magdi: Awareness belongs to the one and only real 'awarer', to the one and only reality: Universal consciousness/awareness. Awareness is not…
How can we achieve or be silence?
August 29, 2018
Friend: Dear Magdi. How can we achieve silence or how can we be silent? Reply: Silence is our true nature and not something we achieve. It is not the silence of the body nor the silence of the mind. It is the return of the mind to the source. When the mind…
How come my clarity does not last?
February 17, 2016
Friend: I have been contemplating a lot lately, and I have discovered (again) that I am not what I think or believe. The 'me' that I take myself to be doesn't really exists. It's just that every thoughts that arises, the 'me' attaches itself to it…
How come the Self separates itself?
May 3, 2018
HOW COME THE SELF SEPARATES ITSELF? Friend: How come I imagine myself to be other than what I am, other than the Self? How come I imagine myself to be so separate? You speak over and over that we are wholeness and yet, we all experience being separate. Can…
How do I reconnect?
November 27, 2018
HOW DO I RECONNECT? REMAINING FREE FROM EXPECTATIONS. Dear Magdi, I have another question for you. When I went through a very difficult time, personally and professionally (a huge personal inquiry) I took distance and felt resentment and judgmental of almost…
How do we know awareness does not die when we die?
July 6, 2019
You ask: ”How do we know awareness does not die when we die?” Contemplate what is it that dies? You do not die. The body dies. Therefore the correct question is: “How do we know awareness does not die when the body dies?” Contemplate that if ‘you’ know the…
How do you know that awareness is always here?
May 31, 2018
Friend: How do you know that awareness is always here? Reply: You are aware, are you not? Friend: Yes, but not always. Reply: How do you know that? If you know that there are times that you are not aware, this means that there are times where you are aware of…
How does one forget the Self?
July 16, 2018
A CONVERSATION WITH A FRIEND: Friend: How does one forget one's "self"? Reply: By believing and feeling that 'I' refers to a mortal body mind, the Self is overlooked. Yet, a more interesting question is what is the path to awaken from this belief and feeling…
How is consciousness related to the physical universe?
July 23, 2019
How is consciousness related to the physical universe? ~~ consciousness and the physical universe are on two different levels. The first is reality, the other dream. One could say they are virtually related. Like your relationship with the pink flying…
How to approach a retreat
July 17, 2019
Friend: Would you consider writing something about how to best approach a retreat, well specifically your retreat. I resonate with “innocence and a sense of wonder and curiosity that refuses to be satisfied except by that which is true”(from your latest…
How to deal with depression?
January 20, 2015
An edited conversation with a friend: Question from a friend: I wanted to ask you, on how to deal with depression, my brother is abroad and i'm here alone, and i feel depression for no reason at all !! Reply: What do you mean by depression? Emotions are…
How to fix attention in awareness?
August 13, 2019
A conversation with a friend Friend: How to fix attention in Awareness? Reply: Feel your presence, your aliveness without any effort. Gently sink in that feeling of alive beingness. And as much as possible, stay there without judgment or any measure of…
How to live from openness?
January 12, 2015
Dear Magdi, Could you speak about the process of ones life becoming harmonious as one lives more from openness and less from ignorance? I no longer wish to go down the path of fear and worries, but to live from love and wisdom. This path of living from peace…
I am confused
January 4, 2016
Question from a friend: I have this new job and they are expecting a lot from me. I was hired as a marketer to get referral business for them. And I am confused about this self inquiry while I am trying to be a marketer. If you would be so kind and give me…
I can’t seem to shake off the feeling that I am a person
October 21, 2014
Magdi, I am having trouble not feeling like the "self" from a logical standpoint. 1. I feel that I am this person, this mind-body, which has developed over time from childhood with new inputs and experiences. I am a result of all of that today, and so if I am…
I feel out of touch with divinity
March 27, 2015
A question from a friend Dear Magdi I feel out of tough with divinity. I feel like i have lost connection with myself and I long for this deep connection. I just know my daily life events but there is not a happiness or aliveness. it feels more like a……
I feel that I am here and you are there
August 22, 2019
I FEEL I AM HERE AND YOU ARE THERE Friend: How do you explain the feeling that I have that I am me and not you? The feeling arises to awareness. One could say that the feeling is an appearance in awareness, an object, of sort. There is what is perceived and…
I lose awareness whenever I perceive a challenge
September 4, 2018
Friend: I think this contemplation of relaxed being/awareness state works beautifully for me, but I lose it when I get big challenges as personal problems like with my close relationships with my children or grandson... Then it takes me a while to get back to…
I seem to lose Awareness in situations
October 1, 2015
I am sensing this present-moment awareness more and more as I contemplate regularly and sit in silence watching thoughts appear and disappear. However, in my work setting, I find that my body is very contracted most of the day and that I am identified with…
I understand, but it is not my experience.
January 4, 2016
A conversation: Friend: I know that I am present always, perceiving the world through this window. But this knowledge is just a concept for me. It is not my real experience. How can I realize my true nature, which I am already? Reply: The revelation of true…
If all is one, why isn’t that my experience?
May 17, 2018
Friend: Are we not all different? Each one of us is unique and not any of us are the same. You speak of truth as one and my experience is so different. I don't experience this one but all different things. Indeed, the images on the screen are different, but…
Ignorance is the belief that there is someone that believes
February 21, 2015
Magdi: Ignorance is the belief that there is someone that believes. MC: Ignorance is also the belief that no one believes. Magdi: Indeed, it is not enough to believe that the separate self is not real, it has to be your direct experience. It is important to…
In what way does the body help realization?
April 25, 2018
Bill Reinecke: In what way does the body help realization? Magdi: The body is an appearance. As all appearances refer to their ultimate perceiver, the body (as well) refers to its ultimate perceiver. Also, the body being the most common appearance with which…
In wisdom, I am unmoved
November 2, 2014
Like a leaf blowing in the wind of fear and desire, in ignorance I go from place to place seeking happiness. In wisdom I am unmoved. Friend: Nothing moves in fact. Reply: Nothing moves in fact only when that fact is realized as your experience. Until then,…
Is attention directed?
December 19, 2018
Bill Reinecke: Is there any such thing as attention? Is it directed? Or is there just a succession of objects arising on their own? If it is directed then who does that? Magdi: As a separate imaginary self, there is no doership and no directing. Thus from…
Is awareness aware without objects?
August 13, 2019
Is awareness aware without objects?~~~ In order to be aware of an object awareness has to be present. The question is whether awareness is present in the absence of an object? There are two options:The co-arising of awareness with the arising of the object…
Is consciousness a mind state?
October 6, 2014
A conversation with a friend: About consciousness and mind states. ~~~ Questioner: Is breathing an act of consciousness? Who breathes? What is living? Who is living? What is energy? Who is energy? If we did not have knowledge of the physical self how would we…
Is contraction a bodiliy thing?
October 13, 2014
As a result of ignorance (the belief that I am a mortal body mind), specific contractions are embedded, stored in the body mind. These contractions are those of fear, worry, anger, jealousy, envy, regret, shame, pity, coveting and other negative emotions.…
Is everything I perceive a projection of the mind?
December 27, 2014
Via thought, the world, body mind is downloaded and the impression of time and space is perceived. The me impression is thus born and the exhausting pursuit of external happiness follows. The entire display is a dream impression. Like the diffraction of white…
Is experience all there is?
May 11, 2018
Friend: Is experience all there is? What is an experience that is a non experience? Reply: All there is is consciousness and it cannot be spoken of since it is what speaks and yet it does not speak. Experience refers to manifestation and mentation which is…
Is it about direct experience?
October 8, 2019
Friend: Ultimately, is it about direct experience? Ultimately, it is about the dissolution of ignorance, awakening to truth. Awakening to truth is being truth. Self knowing that establishes you as your true nature, which is eternal, universal and…
Is it good to keep learning more concepts
February 17, 2016
Friend: I have a question. Is it a good idea to keep on learning more concept about the truth, self inquiry, freewill, ego?.. I found myself thinking more about these things than actually doing the practice itself.. I found myself also thinking about business…
Is it the mind that makes sense of it all?
December 22, 2014
Conversation with a friend. Friend: Hi Magdi. So as i was learning more about the universe, i saw how small we actually are...It's like our bodies are nothing compared to existence. Reply: The mind speaks of small and large. Truth is beyond such treatise.…
Is Joy personal?
December 20, 2014
A question from a friend. I experience joy and expansion. I know it is not 'my' expansion and yet it is felt in this body. Can you comment on this? Reply: The expansion is the result of consciousness revealing itself and not that of the body mind. Given that…
Is Self Knowing necessary?
May 3, 2018
IS SELF KNOWING UNNECESSARY? Friend: What is all this talk about knowing myself? It sounds unnecessary. For me just to be open to experience as it occurs is enough. I don't make any story about it or about finding myself. I simply am whatever I am. I don't…
Is Self knowingness unnecessary?
May 8, 2018
IS SELF KNOWING UNNECESSARY? Friend: What is all this talk about knowing myself? It sounds unnecessary. For me just to be open to experience as it occurs is enough. I don't make any story about it or about finding myself. I simply am whatever I am. I don't…
Is the body necessary to know I exist?
September 28, 2018
IS THE BODY NECESSARY TO KNOW I EXIST? Friend: Hi Dear Magdi, I was walking and contemplating today and the thought came to me "Is the body necessary to know I exist?" And then as I sit in silence and do your meditations the body as I know it disappears...and…
Is the pain in my chest a natural process?
October 15, 2014
Friend: Hello Magdi, since i'm contemplating my experience, the belief to be a separate self seems to weaken with time. However, at the body level, the more i offer my bodily sensations to awareness, the more i feel a big knot at the center of my chest.…
Is the understanding ‘there is no one’ enough?
October 5, 2014
A conversation with a friend: Is the understanding 'there is no one' enough? Neo advaita. ~~~ Friend: Being a teacher is not easy. Magdi: When you love music and have the talent to play and perform, you do not tire of playing music. When you are doing what…
Just be
July 12, 2019
What does 'Just be' mean? When I say: 'Just be', it is an invitation to notice. To notice the tendency to interfere, the tendency to defend, blame, the tendency towards fixing things, the tendency to evade into thought... It is an invitation to rest…
Keep the mind uncluttered
October 4, 2014
An edited conversation with a friend: ~~~ Reply to a shared video I was recommended: Reply: It is best to keep the mind uncluttered and unburdened by academic knowledge. A teacher teaches the various stages of the path and guides her students as based upon…
Leaving the source
May 14, 2020
Hi Magdi. In the text from Nisargadatta below, would you please talk more about his affirmation about: “... and you, the Absolute, will know that you are also not the consciousness...” From Prior to Consciousness: Questioner: In the old days, it says in the…
Letter from a friend: A testimonial
February 28, 2015
Hi dear Magdi, Here some thoughts that came out, There is a smell in the surroundings, a delicious smell. The sorrows of the past are gone, the worries about what will come are far behind. Peace abides. Music is dancing inside, yet nothing has changed. My…
Listening
September 12, 2019
Question: Jean Klein says that listening is not a function and that it should be without intention, free from concentration and without any direction as in pure listening there is no objective that we want to achieve. How would this be different from a…
Live your understanding.
October 7, 2014
Questioner: Hi Magdi, thank you very much for your talk. What resonated the most was what you said that once you realize that you are not the body-mind, you said to live up to that discovery... How to do that? I have a belief that that would only be possible…
Looking deeply into the imagined character
October 7, 2018
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LOOK DEEPLY INTO THE IMAGINED CHARACTER? Friend: Hi Magdi, Really resonate with your recent posts. Can you expound on what it means or how to "look deeply into the imagined character you take yourself to be."? Reply: We are all subject…
Losing the bliss
February 17, 2016
Question: "Why would God create a mind that can be manipulated and controlled to trap and corrupt our God created spirit? I had an experience of complete and total bliss...I saw gold glitter, my head felt like electrical circuitry going crazy, and my arms…
Magdi, do you believe your experience is the truth?
February 23, 2019
Friend: Magdi, do you believe your experience is the Truth, whatever that experience you have is? How can you transmit that belief? Do you believe any one can reach the Truth and transmit it? So why do you try to share your experience with others knowing it…
Meditation November 9, 2014
November 11, 2014
Nothing divides the indivisible. The indivisible is the reality, the divided is the imagined. Living in division, is living in imagination Mistaking the imaginary to be real. These mind impressions of separation and division are what we refer to as suffering…
Memory does not affect presence
March 1, 2015
Memory does not affect presence. Memory may be a useful tool for navigation purposes. It is an appearance in the wide open sky of presence and does not stain it. It is the belief that I am a mortal appearance, a mortal body mind rather than the presence…
Neo-happiness does not cut it
February 8, 2019
WHAT IS IT TO AWAKEN? IS IT SIMPLY STOPPING THE SEARCH? NEO-HAPPINESS DOES NOT CUT IT Question: Someone who has been on the path for many years just wrote: "The moment you stop searching and searching means something better than now, you awake!" Can you…
Nothing exists outside of its knowingness
September 11, 2018
Friend: Is breathing and act of consciousness? Who breathes? Who is living? What is living? What is energy? Who is energy? If we didn't have any knowledge of the physical self how would we know who we were? Just as in deep sleep no one is conscious of the one…
Noticing awareness
November 1, 2014
Friend: Hi Magdi, Some time ago you gave me the advice to just notice awareness, as I have a tendency to overcomplicate things a little bit in searching for That. Is noticing awareness the same as "staying in the I am" or am I doing it again now (complicating…
Noticing awareness
September 4, 2019
Question: I am pivoting in seeing ZEN as drinking tea or scratching the head and sometimes I see that objects are also it. But then doubt arises that says: ´how can seeing , hearing, smelling and touching be ZEN (truth)´. Then I ask myself ´Is seeing and…
On relationship
November 5, 2014
Question: on Facebook you were quoting somebody. It was about relationship. You said something about there is no other person and that you are just in relationship with yourself. And it was like “duh”. I unconsciously had been holding the other as a separate…
One Consciousness
September 20, 2018
Friend: I have watched on YouTube where you say there is one consciousness. How do I know that there is one perceiver and that what I perceive and what my neighbor perceives is the same consciousness? Can this be proven? And why is this so important? Reply:…
Only transparent aware presence IS without an experiencer.
December 11, 2018
R: Hi Magdi, You say "The belief in good and bad is imaginary". Is that because all beliefs are imaginary? I understand that good/bad are conditioned points of view, but aren't some expressions of consciousness clearer than others? Love, R Dear R: All…
Ordinary mind
January 30, 2015
A response to a friend's comment/Question: Friend: : "Magdi, What is, is ordinary. You have never been in absence of your ability to cognate. Whatever you point to as consciousness is arising from a process of cognition. That cognition is informed by many…
Our true nature is peace
June 3, 2015
Friend: Thank you very much for your writtings which gives inner calmness. May i know where are you from? Magdi: Our true nature is peace. Friend: Agreed. How can we achieve silence or how can we be silent ? Magdi: When the mind returns to the source, then…
Premature enlightenment and comments
October 7, 2014
Some folks say: 'As long as you are seeking, ignorance perpetuates itself.'They recommend: 'Stop seeking and grace will fill your heart.' Surely sounds good, but one should be careful not to stop seeking prematurely until we are established in freedom, peace…
Prior to consciousness
February 4, 2019
Hi Magdi. In the text from Nisargadata below, would you please talk more about his affirmation about: “... and you, the Absolute, will know that you are also not the consciousness...” From Prior to Consciousness : "Questioner: Q : In the old days, it says in…
Q & A: The reality of being/awareness
June 26, 2019
I Am is faceless, formless. The reality of being/awareness. The face that appears to you is not what you are. It is an appearance like the appearance of the weather. The thoughts that appear to you do not know you. They are inert objects of perception. Taking…
Question about self judgment and worthlessness
April 29, 2015
A question about self judgment and worthlessness. ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Dear Magdi, Could you say something about thoughts of unworthiness? I continue to have judgmental thoughts about myself. According to my own self judgement, I am not good enough, attractive…
Questions about awakening
July 16, 2019
I have some questions about the awakening process... After I first found Robert Adams my life turned upside down and I guess a big storm Of karma entered my life .... life has been hard so far with a lot of pain and suffering ( 7 years) but right now at this…
Remain with the openness
October 3, 2014
A conversation with a friend: ~~~ Questioner: Magdi...When I open to love, tears come and sometimes it is almost painful in my chest. It is not based on loss or abandonment, in fact I do not feel sad. Have you any idea why? Reply: The body mind is…
Reply to a friend: About intuition
January 22, 2015
Hi dear Magdi, I would like to ask your input please. These days there is a mix between relaxation and confidence and seeing the magic unfolding, and then in the same day, something different happens that the mind classifies as "not nice" and for a little…
Right contemplation – Conversation
March 27, 2015
A conversation with a friend Friend: Magdi, I would like to ask you about how to do contemplation right! I spent 3 hours yesterday contemplating but i felt as i did nothing there was great peace however and i forgot that i do live in this world but thoughts…
Satsang Q&A, Part 1 – August 17, 2014
October 3, 2014
Magdi: If there is anything you would like to discuss, any questions, anything you are looking at that you would like to explore? Question: On Facebook you were quoting somebody. You spoke about relationship. You said that you are in relationship with…
Satsang Q&A, Part 2 – August 17, 2014
October 3, 2014
Question: I wonder about the following: As the energy begins to flow, I get this strange notion of needing to sort things out and needing to figure out what is peace and what is not peace. I wonder: What is the cause of conflict? And then as we sit here I…
Self realization… Is it that important?
December 13, 2018
SELF REALIZATION... IS IT THAT IMPORTANT? Friend: Ramana Maharshi said that the greatest service we can render the world is to become Self-realized. Is this because my whole world is within me? I don't understand why- other than our own suffering- it is so…
Sept 28 2014
November 3, 2014
As long as you remain focused on the form, As long as you remain focused on the appearances, Meaning, as long as you remain focused on the feelings, the sensations and the perceptions, You perceive multiplicity. This multiplicity that you perceive, is unified…
Setting an intention
October 22, 2019
About setting an intention: Question: "Set your intention" - does that apply in nonduality? I wonder how other things might be different when we have set an intention, if this does not perpetuate a feeling of separate self."~~~ Reply: Yes, setting an…
Should I heal the past?
January 18, 2015
Dear Magdi, I had an unpleasant interaction with someone and it bothers me. Should I try to heal or harmonize such a past event, even if i don't se that person again? Is it good to heal the past? How can this be done? The past is memory and, usually, it has a…
Should we only be aware of experience without identification?
May 25, 2015
Sevgi: Should we only be aware of the thoughts feelings sensations without getting identifying with them?should we witness them as a detached observer? Magdi: Yes Sevgi Notice the aware presence, the openness out of which and in which everything appears.…
Since there is no separate self, what is it that maintains an open mind?
May 28, 2018
Since there is no separate self, what is it that maintains an open mind? After all there is nobody. Reply: The open mind is maintained by the Self. The Self is borderless openness. The Self dreams a separate identity and the Self dreams its return to the…
So what if I realize there is no chooser?
November 5, 2014
Question: I realize that there is no chooser. I look at my experience and I don't find anybody making a choice. It is just a thought. But this does not seem to change anything in my life. So what if there is no chooser? Where does this understanding lead?…
Suffering and guilt about my mom
October 15, 2014
A conversation with a friend Just a few moments ago I was aware of some dis-ease in the chest area, thoughts started to arise about my mom who recently passed and I started to cry. Then the thoughts went into a story about how If I only knew that I had one…
Suffering and the path
February 5, 2015
Friend: In suffering you will become either a) heartless robot ignoring human emotions and devoid of compassion, b) broken down scared victim, or c) true human with heart and soul, able to face reality with honor and sincerity. Magdi: d) you are drawn to the…
Surrender the one who surrenders
April 7, 2018
Question: Magdi, You said something that has stuck with me for awhile - Surrender the one who surrenders. I think I get that if surrender is a strategy or even a practice, that something is being sought in return. For me it feels like a self desire to avoid…
The agitation of thought and the danger of freedom.
December 4, 2014
Friend: Hi Magdi, I wanted to tell you that i was contemplating yesterday and for the first time i had an awareness of my thoughts. I realized they do not hold any truth and i wasn't identifying the I with the thoughts. I felt that all the thoughts are…
The belief in good and bad
December 13, 2018
Hi Magdi, You say "The belief in good and bad is imaginary". Is that because all beliefs are imaginary? I understand that good/bad are conditioned points of view, but aren't some expressions of consciousness clearer than others? Love, R Dear R All beliefs…
The body and the realization of the Self
April 30, 2018
THE BODY AND THE REALIZATION OF THE SELF Friend: In what way does the body help realization? Reply: The body is an appearance. All appearances, such as the body refer to their ultimate perceiver. Contemplation of the body reveals that it is not different from…
The completion of the contemplation
January 5, 2015
Question: Is there a completion to this contemplation or is it an ever ending process of realization? ~~~ The revelation of the magnificence, eternity and infinity of consciousness completes itself when the body mind is purged from the mental residues that…
The current of ignorance
April 7, 2018
Magdi Badawy· March 19 at 9:05am THE CURRENT OF IGNORANCE Question: I feel that the current of ignorance is very strong and I cannot stop the thoughts and the feeling of being miserable. What tools are available that I can use to end this? I just can't stop…
The dream of separation
October 4, 2014
A conversation with a friend: ~~~ Magdi: In the dream, the sense of separation is very prevalent... ignorance is the most popular religion today. Friend: Yes, the dream character is seen as a real separate entity Magdi: And is felt to be real... felt to be…
The eternity, infinity and universality of the Self
March 1, 2015
NDEs (Near Death Experiences) can provide a glimpse in the eternity, infinity and universality of the Self. The realization of the Self is the establishment of this glimpse as your one and only reality. The revelation that you are this reality, that you are…
The five senses
March 11, 2019
Rashmi Mueller: A sage said that the 5 senses are a hoax. Is it because they lead (trick) us to believe in form? Magdi: Rashmi, the five senses are neutral, They are windows of sort, that allow the perception of the world, body mind. The hoax is believing…
The illusion appears as real
April 28, 2015
As long as you consider yourself a body mind event, your house and bank account will haunt you both in your waking and dream state. The illusion appears as real. It is only upon the realization of the Self that the roller coaster ride comes to a real end.…
The illusion of separation
October 21, 2014
Most, if not all of us, think and feel that we are a separate person, a mortal body mind. We think and we feel that we are this body, that we are contained inside this body and that others are contained inside their bodies. The belief is that each of us,…
The Infinite cannot know the finite
May 16, 2018
THE INFINITE CANNOT KNOW THE FINITE Friend: A teacher has stated that the infinite cannot know the finite. I have tried to understand that but I still get confused by that statement. How could the infinite not know the finite? After all consciousness knows…
The interim Advaitic understanding and the goal of Advaita.
February 3, 2015
In advaita, there is an interim understanding where a half point is reached. At that interim point, the realization is that: 'all is the same Self, including misery and unhappiness.' Traces of ignorance (separation) remain but they are unseen and undissolved.…
The knowledge of the Self: An exploration
June 6, 2015
Magdi: The knowledge of the Self is the only true knowledge and defies all knowledge at the mind level. Turjuman:Why? Magdi: It's the only permanent knowledge. Mind knowledge changes with the weather. The flat earth is revealed to be round. Time and space…
The magic is the magic of awareness
February 23, 2015
Question: "What I know to be true is what is true in this moment? Is it so?" ~~~ Magdi: In this moment, I look out the window and there is a soft blanket of snow falling gently on the surrounding woods, covering the entire landscape in a white cottony…
The mind seeks confirmation – Reply
February 28, 2015
Hola Magdi, I am glad to be in touch with you who seem to be so open to communicate, after listening to some of your satsangs, I would like to share a bit, that helps me to reflect about myself and at the same time maybe if possible, to get some insights from…
The nature of awareness in deep sleep
January 4, 2019
Question: Please can you help me with this understanding of the nature of Awareness in Deep Sleep? I am not aware that I am aware in Deep Sleep, and to say that I have no memory is to admit that I am looking to thought to confirm this Awareness in Deep Sleep,…
The nature of the mind
September 13, 2018
Friend: Hi Magdi, Can you say more about the nature of the mind? When you say - monitoring the mind and its tendencies - I start thinking of the mind as a separate thing that needs monitoring(!). Which leads to the question who or what am I if I'm different…
The One dreamer of all dreams
April 4, 2015
There's but one dreamer of all dreams. The mind cannot perceive God's logic since what is dreamt cannot know its Dreamer. The only certainty is that of the infinity and eternity of consciousness where the mind find its true rest. RS: So do we call to complete…
The Paradox of Non-doing
September 29, 2018
The Paradox of Non-doing Question: Most of us are habitual doers that want to be in control, needing to get somewhere and have something to show for it. We live in a world where self-improvement is a high priority and our accomplishments are the measure of…
The presence of a guru
May 17, 2018
A conversation with a friend: Friend: Namaste Magdi Reply: Namaste my brother Friend: I have followed Eckhart for around 12 years...and Rupert since some time. There is a total overlap between your approach and Rupert's. Of course you all point to the same…
The process of mind
April 7, 2018
Question: Can you explain the following quote by JK: "To speculate the eternal without understanding the whole process of mind is child play". Thank you. Magid: The Eternal, Consciousness, God, the Absolute can be a concept. When it is a concept, we are…
The sense of purpose
April 15, 2019
Question: "In your own life, do you desire nothing worldly at all? Do you have a goal or vision for what you would like to achieve in the world? Do you think it is wrong to have a sense of purpose? " Answer: In ignorance, our desires are worldly. We hope that…
The sense of self is maintained via the feeling state
October 7, 2014
The sense of self is maintained via the feeling state, via bodily sensations. That is where the me-identification roots itself. That is where we get entangled, in the feelings. Then the I-thought sticks to the feeling and relies on the feeling as its evidence…
The simplicity of being: Aware Presence
September 28, 2014
Engrossed in the belief in separation and the me-feeling, we fail to appreciate and celebrate the fullness and wholeness of Being. As a separate limited identity, we think and feel something is missing. This body mind identification leads to the impression of…
The span between thoughts
January 10, 2015
What spans between two thoughts? What spans between two events? What spans between two thoughts? Is it not consciousness? From the perspective of the imagined separate me, the span between events is imagined to be a person. Me as a person. Me as a body mind.…
The tendency to seek an experience
July 29, 2019
Question: I can see the tendency for the seeking of a particular experience, or the repeat of a past one, especially if it’s considered “spiritual”. Yet this movement seems stale and repetitive and ultimately frustrating. This seems different than…
There is no external reality to Consciousness
July 10, 2018
THERE IS NO EXTERNAL REALITY TO CONSCIOUSNESS. Friend: Try running into a door.., Reply: The body running into a door and bleeding is not evidence that there is a reality external to consciousness. Of course the body running into a door is ample evidence…
Transcending the separate mind
December 9, 2018
Dear friend: One can sit for 20-30 years and not transcend the personal identification. Transcending the separate mind requires a passionate investigation, inquiry into the Self, complete surrender and grace. You have a glimpse that you are not the body mind.…
True silence
October 30, 2019
Question: When reality is best expressed by silence, and could be said to be silence itself, are not all forms of teaching a kind of dumbing down? To teach requires a certain nod to duality: there is the teacher and the taught; me and you. Magdi: Truth is…
Understanding alone is not enough, right?
January 19, 2015
Awakening goes beyond the revelation and the understanding that there is no separate self. The revelation of the universality of consciousness remains to be revealed. The understanding of what I am not is only a step along the path to the revelation of what I…
We all love and strive for peace and happiness
September 27, 2014
A conversation. (An article inspired by a request from Elena Nezhinski, co-founder of Liberation Unleashed and co-author of the acclaimed book “Gateless Gatecrashers” ~~~ We all love and strive for peace and happiness. We love the joy-full celebration of…
We are unaware of the dream
May 3, 2018
UNAWARE OF THE DREAM Most of us are dreaming. We are unaware that we are dreaming a world body mind that seems so real to us.. The human experience takes place at various levels of dream or wakefulness. The more glimpses we have, the thinner the dream…
What do you think of Einstein?
March 9, 2015
A conversation with a friend Friend: What do u think of Einstein? Reply: A scientific genius who discovered the theory of relativity. Great scientific mind. Friend: But i wanted to ask u something. .he is a genius ..but he did not grab the truth about…
What do you think of Einstein?
March 9, 2019
A conversation with a friend Friend: What do u think of Einstein? Reply: A scientific genius who discovered the theory of relativity. Great scientific mind. Friend: But i wanted to ask u something. .he is a genius ..but he did not grab the truth about…
What is falling in love?
June 1, 2018
Friend: Hi Magdi, I feel in love with someone who got scared and ran away. In moments of clarity i recognize that my expectations pushed her away, and her fears pulled her away. I find it hard to consistency be mindful and not succumb to these waves of pain.…
What is it that is here?
January 29, 2015
The mind says: I am here, you are here. But what is this I that is here? And what is here-ness? Is there anything that is separate that can be said to be here? Isn't awareness open, borderless, mysterious and wondrous? An infinite field of here-ness,…
What is really happening?
May 12, 2018
WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING? Question: When you say thought is not real, nothing is happening are you talking on the ultimate level? When the alarm rings, I have to get up and go to work, that is real, that is happening, right? What is really happening? Reply:…
What is sin?
October 10, 2014
Question: What is sin? Actually .... what is it? I came to understand sin to signify moving away from God and turning our attention to the forms... loving the world, body and mind. Instead of loving truth and recognizing the reality of God…
What is the difference between the ego and the Self?
April 7, 2018
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EGO AND THE SELF? Question: What is the difference between the ego and the self? Reply: The difference between ego (the me/personal impression) and the Self is similar to the difference between the moonlight and the…
What is the goal of consciousness?
December 4, 2014
Friend: Magdi, what is the goal of consciousness ? Why is it doing all things? Can i ask why do i exists ? Reply: Why not? It is fun after all... it is better than nothing :) Reply: Hahhhh! Yes It's much more fun than nothing. Reply: The revelation of…
What is the I that is here?
January 29, 2015
The mind says: I am here, you are here. But what is this I that is here? And what is here-ness? Is there anything that is separate that can be said to be here? Isn't awareness open, borderless, mysterious and wondrous? An infinite field of here-ness,…
What is the I that wants this or that?
November 30, 2018
What is this I that wants this or that? Either this I is real or illusion imagination. If it is real, it must be the same reality that perceives this perception. What is the reality that perceives right now? Whatever this reality is, it must be the same…
What is the relationship between the body and consciousness?
April 25, 2018
Bill Reinecke: What is the relationship between the body and consciousness? Meaning - blasphemy here - MY body. This one’s usually around. Other bodies come and go thru the door. Magdi: 'Your body' appears to you (and disappears to you, such as in deep…
What leaves the body at death?
December 1, 2018
What leaves the body at death? It can't be consciousness, right? Magdi: The body leaves every night in deep sleep. The body leaves in the absence of mind. When identification is absent, the body is experienced as the weather is experienced with the addition…
What points to beauty
December 22, 2018
Question: Would you say that the role that art plays is to point to beauty that perhaps, at least momentarily, stuns the mind into abeyance; a taste of the eternal? Is the spiritual journey one of discovery and discernment of how we sustain ignorance? I love…
Who are you pointing to?
November 9, 2019
Friend: So few are meant to disappear into the joy of this impersonal. The happening of it cannot be prompted by another. I love your pointing EmBe, but for whom do you point? We holograms in the state of remembrance of ourselves as oneness? Or do you…
Why do I feel God, the source of ALL, as external?
May 18, 2018
Hello Magdi, I am new in the "non-duality" journey. One of the things that is really confusing me is : Who’s is the Source of everything in this world ? Good and bad ? In other words if God (true Self) is internal, inside of us as per the advaita teachings,…
Why does consciousness act as if it is a person?
January 14, 2015
Question: Although consciousness is NOT a thing, it acts like one in the mere person identity. It acts as a human being? Did consciousness somehow forget that it is playing the game of hide n seek to experience itself like such? Consciousness acts and seems…
Why does Consciousness need to manifest?
November 15, 2018
Question: If consciousness is all knowing why does it need to manifest? Reply: for your awakening. Friend: What do you mean? Reply: consciousness appears as a body mind to refer you to itSelf. Friend: Why would it do that? Reply: it is the play of…
Why is my motivation for truth dropping?
December 4, 2014
Friend: Hi Magdi. I was contemplating after i woke up and then i wondered why my motivation for contemplating has dropped or why am i not interested in the truth as much as when i first read about spirituality. I remember that when i begun my journey toward…
You are already the open space of awareness
October 3, 2014
Question from a friend: ~~~ Dear Magdi, Although I have an intellectual understanding that I am Consciousness, I still wake up most mornings with a heaviness. The burden of life, work, finances, what will happen to me.... There is still fear. Thoughts…
You believe you are a person living in the world
November 7, 2014
You believe you are a person living in the world. You perceive problems in the world. You try to fix them in order to find happiness for you, you this person. It's a useless task. Happiness in the world is a pipe dream. Fixing the world is spinning and…
You say Yes to separation
February 3, 2015
The seeming continuity of the impression of the separate self and the external world require your approval and acquiescence. It is by saying Yes to: 'I am a mortal body mind', that the external world, body mind and the internal separate self are maintained.…