There are three I-s: one attached to the body-mind, another witnessing all activities, and the third, the transcendental ‘I’. All are essentially the same ‘I’, i.e., Brahman.
These I-s don’t disappear in enlightenment. They play their roles in their respective areas. When you perceive the world, the body-conditioned ‘I’ comes into play. When you witness your thoughts and emotions in meditation, the witness ‘I’ comes into prominence. When you operate in a state of total awareness, all dualities are transcended and the foundational ‘I’ comes into view.
It is like gold, a gold ring and a gold wedding ring. All are the same, but seen from different perspectives. While the bride sees the wedding ring, her neighbour sees just a ring, and the goldsmith sees only gold. All refer to the same stuff.
There is no question of giving up the ‘I’ at any level of awareness: enlightenment or unenlightenment, waking, dream or sleep, conscious or unconscious. The undergirding reality is the same Brahman ‘I’.
‘I’ is not the problem. Not incorporating the other ‘I’-s is the problem. We are a network of ‘I’-s ever in motion, a symphony of selves, competing to realise our unique potentials in interactive spaces.
Three I-s, one gold.
Swami Bodhananda, 27 October 2026