Understanding the journey called Shūnyaivāham
There comes a time in the life of every seeker where the old ways start to feel like clothes that are ill-fitting. The identities, beliefs, and thoughts we carry, the roles we play – everything starts feeling overwhelmed. And, slowly, they start cracking. Through these cracks, a voice starts whispering to us, pulling us into a space that we knew existed but never tapped into. That whisper is the soul awakening, and that space, (for lack of better words), the Shūnyaivāham
What Is Shūnyaivāham?
Even when I refer to it as a space or a journey, Shūnyaivāham is much beyond all these. A union of two Sanskrit words - Shūnya (Void) and Aham (I) - it reveals a profound truth: “The Void is I” or I am the Void.
It is not a phrase, not a concept – but the absolute truth, a state of being that is beyond all names, identities, forms, labels, and perceptions that we carry.
Shunya is the Void – emptiness, where nothing exists, yet everything exists.
But it is not the emptiness that you commonly understand. It is a space of pure abundance – a source of all that is untouched by emotions, thoughts and conditions. It is that space – that presence where we will experience silence without suppression. It is the most effortless experience of stillness. There is non-attached awareness of everything.
To embody Shūnyaivāham is to no longer seek identity in what we do, how we are seen, or what you have been through. It is to allow the complete dissolution of the weight of labels, achievements, pain stories, even spiritual striving, and rest in the simplicity of being.
It is the intuitive guidance that says:
I am not this name, this pain, this past.
I am the field beyond form.
I am the presence that remains when everything else falls away.
When we begin to live from this space - even for a few moments - the shift from I (ego) to I begins. And once this soul awakening begins, it cannot be undone. Only deepened.
The Little "i": Living in Separation
The ego or the “i” is something that we all are aware of. It lies deeply rooted in the identities and labels we carry – the body, roles we play, career, story, pain, and even the spiritual journey we are in. It attaches itself through comparisons – competes and seeks validation – all out of the need to feel safe. A need to be visible. It is afraid of nothing, because that is how it grows up.
We all go through this, defending the “i,” without realizing that we are, unintentionally, trying to control every aspect of our life to feel that security and certainty we are seeking. And, in turn, this little “i” makes trust and surrender feel unsafe as both rests in uncertainty and unknown.
The Big "I": The Soul Awakening
When we start “waking up” from this deep sleep, we expect the life to get easier, don’t we? But that even when we face and traverse the path of uncertainty from that moment, we feel the intuitive guidance of our soul. This is when Shūnyaivāham begins.
What Changes When You Shift from i to I?
Initially, we start questioning everything – the beliefs, the ideas, the thoughts – every single aspect we have lived until now. We feel as if we were wronged. We will start blaming and holding others responsible for the “aches and pains and troubles” we went through, or perhaps, we are experiencing even now.
It goes on for a whole, and then, we stop chasing. We realize, slowly, over time, that everything we see and experience is somewhere deep within us.
We start remembering that there is nothing to prove.
We start trusting the intuitive guidance than external advices.
We slowly let go of the masks, roles, and identities.
We become okay with how we are.
We stop trying to fix ourselves because we know there is nothing wrong.
This is the soul awakening. This is Shūnyaivāham.
A Gentle Beginning: How to Walk the Path
There are no hard and fast rules. This is not a methodology. This is not yet another modality. It is the absolute truth. So, begin where you are:
We know the way; our souls remember the path and the truth. All we need to do is to allow ourselves listen.
Start logically – talk to your conscious mind. Tell it -it is okay. How you feel is valid. Nothing is wrong.
Breathe consciously. Let your breath remind you of the now.
Allow the questions to come – don’t force to suppress them. You can answer those, if you feel like.
In the initial days, it is good to spend time alone in silence. Let that become your teacher, your guide, your mentor. Start with just 5 to 10 mins a day.
Write down what your soul longs for, not what the world expects.
Listen to your body. Let the intuitive guidance from the body lead you.
And if you forget, which is quite natural, simply return. Again and again and again.
This is not about becoming someone new. It is about becoming who you truly are, without the noise of the world or the weight of the past.
This does sound enticing, isn’t it? It is not a linear journey, or a path. We will be able to see the glimpses of Shūnyaivāham every now and then. There will be ups and downs. The pendulum will keep swinging, but embracing that paradox and duality will become curious and easier for us. And, eventually, we will completely embody Shūnyaivāham – where we will just BE – nothing, yet everything. Nobody, yet everybody.