The Answers

1. Which statement is most accurate? a. Reality is non-dual b. Reality is dualistic and/or pluralistic c. Reality is neither non-dual or dual d. All of the above e. None of the above f. Reality is how one sees things. Answer: A. Reality is non-dualalthough experientially it seems to be dualistic or pluralistic. C is also true if you understand non-dual and dual to be intellectual categories and reality to be the Awareness that reveals them. 2. The statement I am not the body means a. I am a disembodied spirit b. I am my feelings c. I am what I think I am d. I am the knower of the body/mind. Answer: D Reason: Reality is composed of two apparent categories; Awareness and Matter. Ones body, feelings and thoughts are subtle matter in motion. They are not conscious. Only the Self is conscious and because I am conscious I know the body mind. 3. The statement I am enlightened means a. I am very intelligent and know more than most people b. I am always experiencing Awareness. c. I am spiritually awake d. I operate from experience and reason e. I am always in the light of Awareness f. I am limitless non-dual Awareness Answer: F. A is not true because intelligence is determined by the nature of the Subtle Body, reflected Awareness. The Subtle Body is conditioned by many factors. I is independent of the mind, and illumines all degrees of intelligence. B is not true because everyone everywhere is always experiencing Awarenessbecause Awareness is all there isappearances to the contrary notwithstanding. Enlightenment is the knowledge that I am Awareness, a fact unknown by most people. C is untrue because what can awaken can also fall asleep. Awareness neither sleeps nor wakes; it illumines both conditions of mind. The one that experiences an awakening is the ego/mind. D is not true because the Self is not a doer. To get into Awareness you would have to move from unawareness. It is not possible to become aware because awareness is ones nature and it is limitless. Any movement requires an agent and all agents are limited because they are in the dream of duality. E is not true because it posits two Is: a limited entitymeand Awareness.

14. Surrender of my ego to the Self will not help me get enlightened because a. I am already the Self i.e. enlightened b. If I surrender my ego who will be left to get enlightened? c. Everything is the Self alone so there is nothing that belongs to me that I can surrender e. Surrender is an activity and no activity will produce limitlessness f. Enlightenment is only possible through knowledge g. All of the above h. None of the above i. B and C Answer: G

15. Enlightenment is experience of the Self. True or False? Answer: False Enlightenment is not experience of the Self because reality is non-dual Awareness i.e. the Self and therefore all experience is the Self. If all experience is the Self each and every experience is the Self. Therefore there is no unique Self experience.

16. Enlightenment is a state of desirelessness. True or False? Answer: False Enlightenment is not a state. It is the nature of the Self. The Self is free of desire.

17. The Self is hidden behind the mind. The mind must be removed so the Self can be revealed. True or False? Answer: False.

18. Why is the above statement false? a. Because the Self is self revealing b. Because there is no mind c. Because the mind cannot be removed d. Only knowledge, not action, can reveal what is already present. Answer: A and D. A is untrue because Consciousness is never covered. The fact that there is mind and a Self is only known because of Consciousness. Any covering would only be known because of Consciousness. Finally, there is nothing other than Consciousness to cover it. It is the focus on the events in Consciousness, ones experience, that obscures ones appreciation of the Self. C is not correct because the mind is the consequence of impersonal Awareness illumining the vasanas which cause the mind. No individual can remove it. D is self explanatory.

4. The truth is a. What happens b. How I see myself and the world c. What never changes d. What is Answer: C and D Truth is Awareness. Awareness never changes. It is being, what is. How you see yourself is conditioned by many factors and subject to change. If at all it is truth it is relative truth, what is called my truth these days.

19. Which is true? a. Enlightenment is the experience of the Self b. Enlightenment is knowledge of the Self c. Enlightenment is the knowledge I am the Self. Answer: C. B is not true because it implies that the Self is an object, something to be known as one knows any object.

5. What statement is not true? a. The world is an object of Awareness. b. The world is me c. The world is an apparent reality d. The world is not real Answer: D. The world enjoys a peculiar ontological status: it is neither real nor is it unreal. It is not real because it has a beginning and an end. It is not unreal because it is experienced. If you did not choose D because you

20. Why is Enlightenment for the mind alone? a. Because the mind is ignorant of its nature b. Because the Self is already enlightened

understand that the world is impermanent or you understand that the world is actually the Self in form give yourself credit for a right answer. C is the most truthful statement about the nature of the world. It seems to be, but in reality is doesnt exist, like a snake perceived in a coiled rope at twilight.

c. Both of the above d. None of the above Answer: C

6. The meaning of the statement the world is me is a. The world is what is created by my thoughts. b. Because reality is non-dual Awareness, the world is not separate from It and because I am Awareness the world is me. c. I experience the world in Awareness and there is no separation between what I experience and myself d. None of the above Answer: B or C. A is true but it is a psychological statement. As such it does not indicate the identity of the mind and the Self, the knowledge of which is enlightenment.

21. Ones activities are caused by ones past karmas in the form of ones likes and dislikes. True or False? Answer: Apparently true, but actually false. Ones activities are motivated by ones identification with the likes and dislikes arising in the mind.

22. Why can you not be killed? a. You are meant to die peacefully in your bed in old age. b. Because you are immortal c. Only objects can be destroyed d. You are protected by attack dogs, body guards, an electronic security system and body armor Answer: B. The Self is non-dual. It was never born and therefore it cannot suffer death. If you answered C you it is correct if you also chose B and you understand than the Self cannot be objectified. If you chose D you should probably consider visiting another website.

7. Ego loss is a. The goal of spiritual life b. A precondition for enlightenment c. Impossible, because there is no ego in reality d. Possible through surrender e. Enlightenment Answer: C. In non-dual reality there are not two principles, a Self and an ego. There is only one Self with apparent knowledge and apparent ignorance. A is not true because Self realization is the goal of spiritual life and it is the ego that needs to realize that it is the Self. The Self illumines both the presence and absence of the ego. B is untrue for the same reason that A is untrue; enlightenment is for the ego. D is untrue because the ego will not do anything to threaten its existence. E is a myth because the Self, Awareness, is not in opposition to the presence or absence of anything; enlightenment is Self knowledge, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt I am limitless Awareness.

23. Enlightenment can be transmitted from an enlightened person to an unenlightened person. True or false? Answer: False. Enlightenment cannot be transmitted because every being is already enlightened. Enlightenment is simply the destruction of ones ignorance concerning the nature of the Self. The Self is already enlightened and there is only one Self.

24. A guru can give enlightenment by destroying your ignorance. True or false? Answer: False. A guru can only give the knowledge that reveals the Self. It is up to the person seeking enlightenment to grasp the knowledge and remove his or his or her ignorance by applying it.

8. Enlightenment is a. Being in the now b. A mind with no thoughts c. The fourth state of Consciousnesss d. The nature of the Self e. The knowledge I am limitless Awareness and not this body/mind. Answer: D or E. A is not true because you cant be in the now. The now is in you, Awareness. How can you be in yourself? You are yourself. B is not true because the Self is always free of the mind and enlightenment is Self knowledge. Additionally, everyone has experienced the absence of thoughts in deep sleep but remains unenlightened when awake. C is not true because there are only three states of consciousness: waking dream and deep sleep. The Self is not a state. It is the Awareness because of which the states are known.

25. Enlightenment is the destruction of all concepts. True or False? Answer: False. Concepts are not opposed to ignorance. Nor is the Self opposed to concepts. Concepts are the Self but the Self is free of concepts. Enlightenment is the destruction of ones identification with the concept that the Self is limited and incomplete.

26. If enlightenment is the destruction of all concepts an enlightened person could not function in this world. True or False? Ans: True. Action cannot take place without a thought preceding it.

9. Nothing ever happened a. is a clever spiritual cliche b. means I wasnt paying attention so I missed what happened c. means the world doesnt exist d. means reality is uncreated e. is the statement of a person in nirvikalpa Samadhi Answer: D. It is not possible for time and creation to exist in a non-dual reality except as a projection, like a dream. Things seem to be born and die because the Self is not known for what it is. C is not true because the world enjoys a temporary existence. E is untrue because nirvikalpa Samadhi is a state in which there is no person to know or experience nothingness. 27. An enlightened person is free of suffering because a. He or she is protected by God b. He or she knows the difference between what is apparent and what is real. c. He or she has special healing powers d. He or she is a vegetarian and takes lots of vitamins Answer: B. Suffering is caused by confusing what is real with what isnt. When you dont know the difference you often take what is unreal to be real.

28. There are no enlightened beings because 10. The Self is a. made of many parts b. the forth state of consciousness c. a void, a nothingness d. a partless whole e. the person indicated on my drivers license f. my body, feelings and emotions g. my soul Ans: D. A is not true. Only the body and mind are made of parts. B is not a. Mankind is too materialistic these days b. The few there were, like Buddha and Jesus, are all dead. c. They leave the earth because it is too low for their vibrations d. The Self, Being, is a partless whole and cannot be split into individual units e. God is waiting for the right time to send them to earth so they can save us Answer: D. Enlightenment is the discovery that there is only one Self and I am it. A person who realizes this loses his or her limited identity.

true because there are only three states of consciousness: waking, dream, and deep sleep. The Self, is not a state. It is the invariable Awareness because of which the three states are known. C is not true because to say that something does not exist requires a self i.e. Consciousness. F is not true because the body and subjective events are not conscious; the Self is Consciousness or Awareness. G is not true because the soul is a limited entity, one that transmigrates. The Self is limitless and does not transmigrate. How can it move if it is everything?

Enlightened being is just a concept.

29. The experience of enlightenment can be made permanent a. with enough practice b. is impossible because enlightenment is not an experience and if it was it could not be made permanent because no experience is permanent. c. by the grace of the guru Answer: B. The Self is beyond time and experience. It cannot be made permanent because it is permanent. 30. Self inquiry a. is a technique that produces experience of the Self b. is a method of analysis that reveals that the doer is nothing but consciousness, the Self. c. is asking who am I? Answer. B. A is not true because the self is self existent and cannot be produced by any action. C is superficially true but is ineffective as a practice because the one who asks the question has no way to objective way evaluate the answer should it arise in Consciousness. Additionally, there is no need to ask the question because the answer is already known; scripture and the testimony of the enlightened makes it clear that the Self is Awareness. Self inquiry is actually moment to moment application of the knowledge I am limitless Awareness to the I thought as it appears in Awareness.

11. The body is me but I am not the body means a. I am beyond the body b. The I is sentient; the body isnt c. I am my personality d. Im schizophrenic Answer: B. The Self, Awareness, appears as the insentient body without becoming unaware. A is not true because if reality is non-dual and there is such a thing as the body it cannot be away from the Self and therefore cannot be transcended. A is acceptable if the word beyond is understood to mean apparently other than.

12. I am not the doer means a. I have no arms and legs b. I am lazy c. There is nothing you can do to get enlightened d. I am actionless Awareness e. I am an enjoyer Answer: D

31. When you see yourself as a doer you cannot escape the results of your actions because the results of actions accrue to the karmic account of the doer. True or False? Answer. True

13. What happens a. is created by my thoughts b. is a statement about who I am c. is caused by the world in which I live d. is the result of my past actions e. has nothing to do with me at all Ans: E. The Self is always free of karma. A is not true because what happens depends on many factors. Also many things happen that I have never thought of and many things that I think dont happen. B is not true because the Self does not require anything to validate it. It is self evident, self revealing and self validating. Things that happen have no effect on the Self and do not define it in any way. C is not true because it takes an agent and a field of experience to cause things to happen, not just a field. D is true if you take yourself to be a doer. If you are enlightened the doer has been negated by the knowledge I am actionless Awareness and therefore there are no actions and their results for you.

32. Why is this statement true? I am neither enlightened nor unenlightened. a. Because you can only be one or the other. b. Because enlightenment and ignorance are only concepts and the Self is free of both knowledge and ignorance c. Because only Buddha and other great beings were enlightened. Answer: B

33. Why is the Self beyond both the individual and the Creator? a. Because reality is non-dual. In a non-dual reality there is no creator, creation or individuals. b. It is the consciousness because of which both the individual and the creator exist. Answer: A and B.

34. When you see yourself as the Self your karmas are nullified because your karmic account is closed with the renunciation of the doer through Self knowledge. True or False? Answer: True. The karma appears but it is like burnt rope. It no longer binds.