What is “That” and Why am I “That”?
MONTE
I read in the ancient Yoga texts “I am That”.
I know what “I” am.
But what is “That”
And why am I “That”?
BOB
Are you sure you know who you are?
You only know who you are
When you know what “That” is
Because “I am That”
Is the meaning of Yoga.
MONTE
Now I’m even more confused.
How can I understand “I am That”?
BOB
Suppose a meteor hit the earth tomorrow
And destroyed all humanity
As once happened to the dinosaurs.
What would it say about Yoga?
What would it say about our most cherished beliefs?
MONTE
It would be the end of belief
And make a mockery of Yoga
Because the sages say we are immortal.
BOB
If a meteor stuck the earth
And destroyed all humanity
Our essential Selves would remain unchanged
Because we are one with the universe.
We can identify as much with the meteor
As with our physical selves.
We can identify with the vast expanse of space
From which the meteor emerged
And with the supreme undivided cosmic consciousness
Which caused it to hurtle toward earth.
We ARE the infinite unknowable life-force of the universe
And we continue on as part of
“That” unfathomable divine consciousness
Even if all our bodies perish.
MONTE
I AM “That”!
BOB
“That” is ALL.
Yoga Demystified 
Oh, yes!!! Or should I say, OM, yes!! Beautiful prose. Purr. :)
Thank you, Breanna.
Wow am I literally the first comment to this great read!
Hi, Dana. There have been a great many readers, but I guess they’ve all been too stunned to comment! Thanks for writing. Are you following “Gita Talk” on Elephant Journal? http://bit.ly/a3oJYm
Beautiful, Bob! Thank you for sharing. There is not much to else to say for just as you so succinctly put it “THAT is all.”
The line above “I know what I am” reminded me of this Alan Watts excerpt titled “I.” Here is a YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAVM_Xk_o9E&feature=related
Thanks again,
Lindsay
Thanks Ashville. Glad you liked it. Enjoyed the Watts link, too.
We’re also the meteor itself that destroyed us… THAT works your brain a little too, and my favorite way of saying it comes from, guess who, Swami Sivananda:
Do not hate the evil-hearted, the jealous and the selfish. It is they who promote your salvation.
Or, in this case, a meteor…