In the heart of existence, there is but one subtle essence—pure consciousness—that stands as all this dense world. Nothing else truly exists, for this consciousness is beyond the grasp of senses, stainless, and ever-present, untouched by the limitations of perception. This one, though singular, appears as many, for he is the inner self of all beings. He alone upholds not just our universe, but countless worlds, supporting all creation from within. The waves of the three worlds are merely the offspring of the great ocean of consciousness; just as wheels move through water because of its fluid nature, so do all beings move and act within this boundless consciousness. He cannot be seized by mind or senses—he is subtle, void, and assumes the form of space. Yet, because he is known by self-awareness, he is not truly void, but also possesses the nature of space, both empty and full. When dualistic perception arises, I become you, and you become me; thus, I am born as you, with the vast form of expanded consciousness. But when all is absorbed into the awareness that is the essence of 'I' and 'you,' then neither you nor I nor anything else remains. Nothing exists by itself; all is dissolved in pure awareness. This subtle essence, even when it seems to go, does not go; even if it traverses countless leagues, it does not move, for distance itself is but a concept within consciousness. He does not go, even when he appears to have gone, nor does he arrive, even when he seems to have come. Abiding within the space of his own being, he is untouched by place and time. When that which is to be reached resides in the body, where indeed does it go? Just as a child in the hollow of a breast is not seen apart from the mother, so too is the self inseparable from the body. When the vast region to be reached is inexhaustible, present as long as possible, within and the agent of all actions, how can it go anywhere? Just as when a pot is moved with its mouth sealed, the space inside does not move or change, so too is it with the self—unchanging amid all movements. When the awareness within abides in the experience-based self, both consciousness and inertness are present, and thus a duality arises. But when the form of consciousness is unified with the existence of sentience and stone, it is consciousness alone, like a stone possessed by a demon—seemingly inert, yet alive with awareness. In the supreme space, without beginning or end, composed of the ultimate atom of pure consciousness, this marvelous triple world is made and unmade by that alone. By that awareness, the existence of fire remains, and its fiery form is not abandoned; though it pervades all, it does not burn, yet it cooks the substances of the world. Without burning, with a radiant form purer than the sky, when consciousness alone blazes forth, from that, fire arises. From awareness emerges the beginningless, supreme illuminator; its primordial nature does not perish, even through the great cycles of time. This light is not attainable by the eyes; it is the nature of experience, the lamp within the heart’s abode. Bestower of all existence, infinite, it is called the supreme light. From it proceeds illumination, surpassing mind and the six senses, by which even the marvel of both visible and invisible things is revealed within. In creepers, shrubs, sprouts, and in those without senses, it is subtle; its form is the awareness of elevation, and its light is the nature of experience. By self-awareness of time, space, action, existence, and nature, it is master, agent, father, and enjoyer; being of the nature of space, it is nothing else. Its subtlety remains unbroken; it is the tiny jewel-case of the world, whose essence is measure, measurer, and the measurable. The world exists there, within awareness. It alone shines clearly throughout all worlds; when the world is contained within it, then it is the supreme gem. Because it is difficult to comprehend, it is called darkness; because it is pure consciousness, it is the seer of light. It exists as awareness, but, being beyond the senses, it is considered unreal. That mountain is distant, unattainable by the senses; yet, as consciousness, it is not far. Because it is experienced by all, it is both the mountain and the atom. What appears as the world is merely pure awareness; thus, there is no reality in the mountain and the like, and the greatness of Meru exists only in the atom. The appearance of a moment is called a 'moment'; likewise, the appearance of an aeon is referred to as an 'aeon'. The play of creation in an aeon appears within a moment, just as a vast city exists in the mind. Within the womb of a moment, the commencement of an aeon arises, like the construction of a great city within a spotless mirror. Within the atom are found countless mountains, oceans, cities, aeons, and moments; where everything exists in the atom, how can there be duality or unity? The thought, 'I did this before,' arises in the mind; in an instant, truth and untruth appear, as in the confusion of a dream. In suffering, time seems very long; in happiness, it always feels lighter. For Hariśchandra, a single night was said to last twelve years. Whatever conviction arises within—whether true or untrue—shines forth, like the form of a bracelet in gold, or a wave in the ocean. There is no blinking, no measure of time, no nearness, nor remoteness; in the reflection of consciousness alone do these various things appear to stand. Just as there is no real difference between light and darkness, near and far, moment and age, or between two sheaths of consciousness, so too, there is not the slightest division. What is directly perceived is so because of the senses; what is not directly perceived is beyond them. Yet, only the seer truly exists, for by the very fact of being seen, the seen arises. As long as the awareness of the bracelet persists, there is no awareness of gold; and as long as the perception of the seen arises, that very art does not exist. When the bracelet-form is destroyed in perception, only the gold remains, spread out; in the same way, when all is cleared, pure awakened Brahman alone remains. Because it is all, it is called real; because it is hard to grasp, it is called unreal; being consciousness, it is conscious; and where cognition is impossible, it is called insentient. In this very self, whose nature is the pure wonder of consciousness, in which all appears as a reflection, how can there be measurement of the world—like wind or trees—in the play of consciousness and its objects? Thus, all is but the marvelous, infinite play of pure awareness.