The True Self: Unlock the Chaos in You

By Lokesh Babu

The True Self is a timeless journey of philosophical teachings from across history and all over the world. Told through the lens of Lokesh’s own life, from his troubled teenage years in India and the heartbreaking death of his mother, to the joy of fatherhood and his resilience in the face of illness, his recent time in India during COVID pandemic, caring for his father till his last breath, he became a witness to many things. This book offers a starting point for those asking the big questions in life: Who am I? Why am I here? And what is my True Self? His is a journey we can all relate to, and the peace he has found is one we can all attain.

A spiritual guide told in an honest, intimate style The True Self is a personal journey through universal wisdom. An annotated collection of philosophical texts, from ancient teachings to modern philosophy, about the purpose and meaning of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: One Point Six Technologies Pvt Ltd
• Release date: Nov 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354587245

Lokesh Babu

Lokesh Babu was born in Nellore, South India in 1975, and educated at the University of Western Sydney. As the eldest son of a traditional Indian family, his life was scripted for him, and he was expected to follow the values and needs of the family. However, he defied expectations, began his own journey, and has embraced the best of eastern and western cultures. Lokesh now has a 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship and lives with his current partner who was born in Croatia. He is a frequent public speaker and liaison to corporates, industry groups and executives.Before he completed ‘The True Self’, Lokesh faced many challenges in his life, including inequality, separation, the death of loved ones, illness, near bankruptcy, suicide and self-harm. His recent time in India during COVID pandemic, Lokesh while caring for his father at the end of his life, he became a witness to many things. With patience and silence, he observed the thin line between life and death. It was a constant reminder to appreciate this precious life, and not to waste it on petty, egotistical selfishness. For Lokesh it feels like a natural extension of his journey of self-enquiry.The knowledge he gained through his research into ancient teachings, which forms the basis of The True Self, has helped him to overcome them.

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PREFACE: ONE TRUTH, MANY PATHS

Every journey, every path, begins with one step. I took mine in Varanasi, in 2015.

The oldest living city in the world and India’s spiritual heart, Varanasi lies on the banks of the Ganges, whose sacred waters flow down from the Himalayas. Mark Twain described the city as ‘older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together’. I was on my way out of the city, heading back to Mumbai when I paused to buy a few second-hand books from a street seller. These were: the complete works of Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet, writer, philosopher, and painter who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1913 and composed India’s national anthem; Plato’s The Republic; and The Histories by Herodotus, often referred to as the father of history.

I hadn’t gone looking for these books, I was just in the right place to find them, both in the world and in myself. I had been introduced to Rumi, 13th-century Persian poet, scholar, and Sufi mystic, in Istanbul three years earlier, and was beginning to ask the questions I seek to answer in The True Self: Who am I? What is the purpose of life? What is its meaning? But it wasn’t until I held these cheaply-bought books in my hands, and with the Himalayas at my back of my mind, that I began the practice that has led me here. I read, I underlined, and I wrote my thoughts in those books. Suddenly, nothing else seemed to matter. Time no longer existed. While seeking truth from these ancient teachings, I felt an effortless flow of energy, let go of my own limited identity and connected with the universe.

Ever since that simple-seeming choice, made on the outskirts of Varanasi, I have sought wisdom from scholars, philosophers, and yogis, from the past and the present, belonging to a myriad of cultures from across the world, all to understand my True Self. As I did so, I made notes and began to incorporate what I had learned in my day-to-day life.

Most of the commentary in this book was written in my home country of Australia, on the train journey I took every weekend to visit my daughter. Far from Varanasi, no Himalayas as my backdrop, instead I have rough beauty of the Australian bush on one side, the ocean sparkling and deep on the other, and the clear blue sky above. Sitting in contented silence in the carriage, staring out at the Australian landscape, I let go of the stresses of work, ignore the presence of other passengers around me, and be utterly absorbed by my reading, and my notes. So much so that I often came close to missing my stop.

This travel time became the perfect place to capture my thoughts on the knowledge and teachings I was discovering. It has been, I want to stress, an entirely natural and spontaneous process. From the moment I picked up those second-hand books, I have never searched for a particular text, knowledge, or doctrine. Rather, I allowed the path to guide me.

The writings I have collected and annotated in The True Self is where that path has led me. I believe that everything we need to answer the questions that drive us – who am I? What is my purpose? What meaning is there to my life? – has been answered and explored by our ancestors. When reading their words and gathering my notes, I felt energy beyond my body guiding me, freeing me from the feeling of being ‘one’ to becoming ‘whole’.

I wish I had come across this knowledge earlier, and used my energies with greater purpose. I know that I am not alone in this.

Modern technology means that life, right now, is easier and more convenient than at any other time in human history. For many of us, not only are all our basic needs met, but the world itself is at our doorstep and fingertips. And yet, we are in the grip of a mental health crisis. Tossed by the winds of anxiety, frustration and worry, humanity struggles to find contentment in our relationships, fulfilment at work, and to understand our very identity. Our purpose.

The chaos we see in society today reflects this chaos within us. If we wish to heal society, we need to heal ourselves. Our society and the people within it operate on a worldview that is based on separation. From childhood, we are taught that the world is divided into sides, into likes and dislikes, into good and bad, into self and other. This influences the way we see the world. But separation is an illusion. The Sahara and the Amazon appear to us so distant, so different, that they might as well inhabit separate worlds. And yet they are connected: every year, millions of tons of nutrient-rich Saharan dust cross the Atlantic Ocean, bringing vital phosphorus and other fertilizers to depleted Amazon soils. So it is with humanity. We are far more connected to everything in the cosmos than we could possibly imagine. And there is hope in that connection.

The solution for the ills that plague humanity is self-transformation. Self-transformation can be achieved not by morals, ethics, attitudes or behavioural changes, but by experiencing the limitless nature of Who We Are. Self-transformation means nothing of the old self remains. It is a dimensional shift in the way we perceive and experience life. Because life is more than a list of favourite TV shows – or movies, or sports teams, or even people – shared on social media. Its meaning is even deeper than our children, our family, our friends or our career; it is beyond everything we think of as ‘real’.

I am fortunate in where I am today, but I have had my share of loss and hardship. My intent in writing The True Self is to share the knowledge I have gathered and that has helped me, so it might help others change their thinking and come to a truer understanding. This book is my commentary, rather than a work of original thought. It is my vision, my understanding, the consolidated notes I have drawn up over the years, as I tried to answer the most fundamental questions of life:

Who am I? Why am I here?

What is my True Self?

What is consciousness? What is awareness?

What is the meaning of existence? What is life?

The True Self is a timeless journey that begins 3000 to 5000 years ago, with ancient teachings like Vedas and Upanishads, then moves from Greek philosophers to gurus and saints, yogis, and modern philosophy.

It is divided into five chapters, each exploring the teachings and knowledge of various authors and experts:

Chapter One: Separation, Inequality, and the Drive to Search for Truth

Ancient knowledge and teachings that were shared over and around 2000 years ago.

The Vedas & Upanishads are a collection of Indian philosophical texts that date back to the 8th Century BC

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali date back to India in the 2nd Century BC

Greek Philosophy from the 7th and 6th Century BC

The Tao Te Ching by Chinese philosopher and writer Lao Tzu (601 - 531 BC)

Chapter Two: Finding Clarity, and the Strength to Follow your Heart

A reflection on knowledge and teachings by authors from around 100 years ago

The Prophet by Lebanese American writer Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

Siddhartha by German Swiss Author Hermann Hesse (1877 -1962)

Book of Mirdad by Lebanese Author Mikhail Naimy (1889 - 1988)

As a Man Thinketh by British writer James Allen (1864 - 1912)

The Strangest Secret by American radio speaker Earl Nightingale (1921 - 1989)

Chapter Three: From Separation to Union

A reflection on knowledge and teachings by authors since 2015

Lagom by Swedish Author Lola Akinmade Akerstrom

The book of Hygge by Danish English Author Louisa Thomsen Brits

Ikigai by Japanese writer Kenichiro ‘Ken’ Mogi

The Yogi Code by Yogi Cameron Alborzian

Inner Engineering: A Yogi’s Guide to Joy by Indian Author Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Chapter Four: Acceptance, Silence and Inner Peace

A deep dive into understanding the True Self

Be As You Are and Who Am I: The teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi by Indian sage Ramana Maharshi (1879 - 1950)

Chapter Five: Witnessing

A witness to both life and death

International travel during the pandemic to take care of my father till his last breath & finding peace in chaos (2020 – 2021)

This is the knowledge that helped me differentiate between my Self, my Mind, and my Body, and liberated me from day-to-day pain and suffering. In all human affairs, there are efforts and there are results, and the strength of the effort is measured by the result. The calmness of mind is the result of a long and patient effort in self-control. A calm person has learned how to govern themselves, and the more tranquil that person becomes, the greater their positive influence on the world. My reading and my notetaking have helped me to control my mind, rather than allow it to control me. The anxiety, stress and frustration of the outside world are no longer reflected in my life. With an inclusive, universal perspective, I can find the pleasantness in life, no matter what it might throw at me.

As I write this preface, most of humanity is struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. So many of the assumptions we made about our lives are being challenged, so many of the things we thought were so important have been taken away. We are shut out of our temples, churches, mosques, and synagogues. Pubs, sports clubs, theatres, and restaurants are banned. At this moment, it has become paramount to stay connected with oneself and contribute towards family, friends, and the vulnerable people in our community. The pandemic has forced us to find a different perspective on the value of life. For many people, it may be the first time they think about its true meaning. We will all experience a wide range of thoughts, feelings, and reactions in this time, including stress, anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, frustration, disconnection, restlessness and helplessness. But this is also a great opportunity for humanity. We can use this time to reflect on what is truly valuable in our lives, and how best to contribute to the world around us with empathy.

The True Self provides a path for honest seekers of the truth. Approach it openly, and it will guide you, a way to understand and take control of your life. I hope you will see this as an opportunity to open your mind, to discover new directions from ancient wisdom, and most of all, to enjoy reading and finding your own True Self.

Truth is one; Paths are many.

My travel to Varanasi in year 2019, sitting near river Ganges experiencing the energy of Varanasi.

CHAPTER 1

SEPARATION, INEQUALITY, AND THE DRIVE TO SEARCH FOR TRUTH

Ancient knowledge and teachings shared over and around 2000 years ago

In 1999, when I was in my early twenties, I went missing. I had just completed a Bachelor’s Degree, and returned to my father’s house after years away, at boarding school and then college. It was the first time I had lived with my family since