Science of Self-Realisation - Jñāna Yoga & Neti-Neti Psychology

Who am I? It is the most fundamental question of human existence. Our typical answers are labels, a collection of data points: a name, a profession, a nationality, a personality type, a tangle of memories, roles, and relationships. We build our identity upon this shifting edifice of thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. But what if all of these labels, however useful, are merely costumes worn by a deeper, truer Self? What if there were an ancient, rigorous science designed to peel back these layers, to dismantle the assumed identity, and to reveal the luminous reality beneath?

This is the audacious project of Jñāna Yoga (ज्ञान योग), the "Path of Knowledge," one of the primary paths to liberation within the Dharmic (धार्मिक) traditions of India. Its core methodology, a profound form of analytical meditation known as Neti-Neti (नेति नेति), functions as a kind of "spiritual cognitive science." It is a systematic process of inquiry that deconstructs our false self to arrive at the irreducible truth of our being.

Jñāna Yoga: The Path of Inquisitive Wisdom

Jñāna Yoga is the path of knowledge, but not the accumulation of mere information. Its aim is Mokṣa (मोक्ष - liberation) from suffering, which it posits can be achieved by dispelling the root ignorance (Avidyā - अविद्या) of our true nature through direct, experiential wisdom (Jñāna - ज्ञान). The central object of its inquiry is the Self, the ultimate nature of the "I" that perceives, feels, and thinks.

This is traditionally considered a steep path, requiring a prepared and purified mind. The classical tradition of Advaita Vedānta (अद्वैत वेदान्त) outlines the Sādhana Catuṣṭaya (साधन चतुष्टय), or fourfold qualifications for a seeker of this knowledge:

1. Viveka (विवेक): The sharp discrimination between the real/eternal (Sat - सत्) and the unreal/transient (Asat - असत्).

2. Vairāgya (वैराग्य): A profound sense of dispassion or detachment from the fleeting pleasures of this world and the next.

3. Ṣaṭsampat (षट्सम्पत्): The sixfold virtues – mental quietude (śama), sense control (dama), cessation of craving (uparati), forbearance (titikṣā), faith (śraddhā), and perfect concentration (samādhāna).

4. Mumukṣutva (मुमुक्षुत्व): An intense, burning desire for liberation.

   
   

These prerequisites highlight that Jñāna Yoga is not a casual intellectual pursuit but a dedicated, disciplined science of inner transformation.

Neti-Neti (नेति नेति): The Sacred Scalpel of Self-Inquiry

The core technique of this science is Neti-Neti, a phrase that famously appears in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्). Literally translating to "not this, not this" or "neither this, nor that," it is a profound method of inquiry that operates via negation. The sage Yājñavalkya (याज्ञवल्क्य), when asked to describe the ultimate reality (Brahman - ब्रह्मन् or Ātman - आत्मन्), resorts to this method. Since the ultimate reality is transcendent, beyond all attributes, words, and concepts of the mind, it cannot be positively defined by pointing to anything in the phenomenal world. It cannot be described by what it is, only by what it is not.

This is the via negativa, the apophatic path. The logic is one of elimination (pariśeṣa nyāya - परिशेष न्याय). It’s akin to a sculptor finding a magnificent statue within a block of marble, not by adding anything, but by meticulously chipping away every last piece of stone that is not the statue.

The Introspective Laboratory: Deconstructing the False Self with Neti-Neti

The practice of Neti-Neti is a deep, meditative self-inquiry, a systematic dismantling of all our false identifications. The Jñāna yogi turns the sharp edge of their discerning intellect (buddhi - बुद्धि) upon their own experience:

• "Am I this physical body (Annamaya Kośa - अन्नमय कोश)?" The inquiry begins: "I say 'my body.' The possessor is different from the possessed. This body was born, it grows, it changes, it sickens, it will die. I, however, am the witness of all these changes. The body is an object of my perception; I am the perceiving subject. Therefore, I cannot be this body." Neti – not this.

  
  

• "Am I the vital energy or breath (Prāṇamaya Kośa - प्राणमय कोश)?" "I can observe my breath. I can feel my energy levels rise and fall. That which is observed cannot be the ultimate observer. The awareness that knows 'I am breathing' is prior to the breath itself." Neti – not this.

  
  

• "Am I the mind (Manomaya Kośa - मनोमय कोश)?" "I can witness my thoughts, feelings, and emotions. They arise in my awareness like clouds in the sky. One moment there is anger, the next, joy. They are transient, ever-changing. I am the silent, unchanging screen upon which these mental images appear and disappear. Therefore, I cannot be the thoughts." Neti – not this.

  
  

• "Am I the intellect or personality (Vijñānamaya Kośa - विज्ञानमय कोश)?" "I can witness my beliefs, my ideas, my concepts, even my ingrained personality traits. I can observe my own reasoning process. I am aware of my sense of being an individual 'I' (the ego - ahaṃkāra - अहंकार). This awareness must be separate from the intellect and ego it illuminates." Neti – not this.

  
  

• "Am I the state of blissful ignorance in deep sleep (Ānandamaya Kośa - आनन्दमय कोश)?" "In deep, dreamless sleep, the ego and thoughts dissolve into a state of undifferentiated peace. Yet, upon waking, I know 'I slept well' or 'I knew nothing.' There must have been a consciousness present to witness even this state of blissful absence. Therefore, I am not this causal state of bliss." Net.i – not this.

What Remains? The Luminous Witness (Sākṣī - साक्षी)

After this rigorous process of negating everything that can be objectified – the body, the breath, the mind, the intellect, the ego, even the state of deep sleep – what remains cannot be negated, for it is the very negator itself. It is the irreducible subject, the ultimate witness, the pure, content-less awareness that was present through all states. This is the Sākṣī-Caitanya (साक्षी-चैतन्य – Witness-Consciousness). This is the Ātman (आत्मन्), the true Self. It is not an object to be known, but the very nature of knowing itself.

The Grand Equation: Tat Tvam Asi (तत् त्वम् असि)

Jñāna Yoga, particularly in its Advaitic formulation, does not stop with the realization of the individual witness-consciousness. It takes one final, monumental step, guided by the Mahāvākyas ("Great Sayings") of the Upaniṣads. It guides the seeker to realize that this very Ātman, this pure, unblemished consciousness within, is non-different from Brahman (ब्रह्मन्), the singular, universal, ultimate reality that is the substratum of all existence.

The famous declaration Tat Tvam Asi ("That Thou Art") encapsulates this truth. The final realization is Ahaṃ Brahmāsmi (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि - "I am Brahman"). The illusion of a separate, individual self, created by the deluding power of Māyā (माया), dissolves in the direct knowledge of this non-dual reality.

A Dialogue with Modern Psychology

How does this ancient "science of the Self" speak to modern cognitive models?

• Shared Ground: Both traditions are deeply interested in deconstructing the self. Modern neuroscience and cognitive psychology increasingly view the "self" not as a single, solid entity in the brain, but as a complex narrative, a bundle of processes, a dynamic pattern of activity. Both systems recognize "cognitive errors" (viparyaya - विपर्यय) as a source of suffering.

  
  

• The Great Divergence: The fundamental difference lies in their view of consciousness.

  • Modern cognitive science largely assumes consciousness to be a product or an emergent property of the complex physical brain. It has no established category for a transcendent Witness that is independent of neural processes.

  • Jñāna Yoga posits Consciousness (Puruṣa - पुरुष / Ātman) as fundamental, primary, and not a product of matter (Prakṛti - प्रकृति). The brain is an instrument within consciousness, not the creator ofconsciousness.

    
    

• Different Therapeutic Goals: Cognitive therapy might help one develop a healthier, more functional ego or self-narrative. Jñāna Yoga's "therapy" aims for the ultimate "cure": the realization that the entire egoic self-narrative is fundamentally illusory, and abiding as the consciousness that lies beyond it. The goal is metaphysical liberation, not merely psychological adjustment. One might jest that cognitive therapy helps you fix the bugs in your personal software, while Jñāna Yoga invites you to realize you are not the software, the computer, or even the user – you are the electricity that makes the entire display possible.

The Path of the Jñānī: A Razor's Edge

Jñāna Yoga is traditionally considered the most direct, yet most demanding, path. It requires a sharp and purified intellect, profound dispassion, and unwavering focus. In practice, it is often supported by the other yogas: Karma Yoga (कर्म योग) purifies the mind through selfless action, Bhakti Yoga (भक्ति योग) opens the heart and dissolves the ego in love, and Rāja Yoga (राज योग) provides the meditative stability (samādhi - समाधि) essential for such subtle self-inquiry. The path typically involves śravaṇa (श्रवण - listening) to the teachings from a qualified Guru, manana (मनन - deep rational contemplation) on those teachings, and nididhyāsana (निदिध्यासन - profound, sustained meditation) on the truth until it becomes a direct, unshakable realization.

The Freedom of "Not This, Not This"

Jñāna Yoga, with its core methodology of Neti-Neti, represents one of the most audacious and profound "sciences of the Self" ever conceived by humanity. It is a courageous, systematic, introspective journey that dismantles our most cherished notions of identity, not to leave us adrift in a nihilistic void, but to reveal the luminous, boundless, and ever-peaceful reality of our true nature.

This ancient "psychology of liberation" offers a powerful and timeless path for those who seek to answer life's ultimate question. It teaches that our true identity is not to be found in any worldly label, role, or experience, but in the silent, ever-present awareness that remains when all that can be objectified has been lovingly and wisely acknowledged as, "not this, not this." The greatest "inner transformation" is not becoming something better, but realizing the freedom of what you have always been.