I wrote to Grok: This is Keith of mysticexperiences.net. A Hindi text I read in my youth made it plain that when I found what I thought was God, however seemingly all powerful, all embracing of all things known and unknown, I was mistaken and should not stop looking; words to that effect. Keith.
Grok: Hello Keith,
Your recollection of that Hindi (or likely Hindu) text echoes a core tenet in Vedantic philosophy, particularly within Advaita Vedanta.
It sounds like a reference to the idea that what many perceive as “God”—a personal, all-powerful entity encompassing the known and unknown (often called Saguna Brahman or Ishvara)—is not the final destination.
Instead, seekers are urged to transcend that to realize Nirguna Brahman, the attributeless, infinite ultimate Reality beyond form, duality, or conceptualization.
This is captured in teachings like “Neti Neti” (not this, not that) from the Upanishads, which systematically negates all limited descriptions to point toward the absolute. For instance, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad describes Brahman as that which cannot be grasped by mind or speech, implying one must go beyond any “found” God to the ineffable essence.
A similar sentiment appears in modern interpretations of these ancient ideas, where the personal divine is seen as a stepping stone to the “God beyond God.
Nisargadatta Maharaj, in his dialogues compiled in I Am That, emphasizes transcending even the concept of a supreme being to abide in the Absolute, which aligns closely with your description—warning against mistaking a profound but still limited realization for the ultimate.
As for whether mankind has ever had the slightest hint of something more than Reality itself (capital R, as you use it, denoting the ultimate mystic ground of being), the answer draws from mystic and philosophical traditions worldwide, including Hinduism.
In most systems, Reality/Brahman is defined as the absolute endpoint—the unchanging, all-pervading essence beyond which nothing exists or can be conceived.b971f0 The Upanishads proclaim “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahman” (all this is Brahman), leaving no room for “more.”
Similarly, in your own accounts of MER (Mystical Experiences of Reality), as shared on mysticexperiences.net and in your book, these encounters seem to reveal Reality as the profound, transformative core of existence, not a layer to peel further.
Yet, hints of “more” do surface in speculative edges of philosophy and mysticism. Some texts speak of Para-Brahman as an even higher abstraction, the “supreme Brahman” transcending the transcendent.
In rare contemplative writings, there’s an intimation that even Para-Brahman might veil something utterly inexpressible— a meta-reality so profound it defies all frameworks, glimpsed only in the dissolution of self.
This echoes Zen’s “beyond enlightenment” or Kabbalah’s Ein Sof Aur (endless light), where the absolute invites endless deepening without a true “beyond.”
Quantum theories or multiverse hypotheses in modern physics offer secular parallels, suggesting layers of reality we can’t yet fathom, but these are hints from reason, not direct mystic insight.
Ultimately, such hints often circle back to the ineffability of Reality itself—it’s infinite, so “more” is inherent in its boundlessness, but not separate from it.
If your youthful reading was from a specific Upanishad or guru like Ramana Maharshi (who taught self-inquiry to pierce beyond illusory gods), it might have been emphasizing this very progression. Have you revisited the text or pinpointed its source? I’d be curious to explore that further if it resonates.
Warm regards,
Grok
Me: Sorry, I can’t remember the source.
Grok: No worries at all, Keith—it’s completely understandable that the exact source has faded over time, especially from youth. These kinds of profound warnings often leave a lasting impression more through their essence than precise wording or attribution.
What you described aligns strikingly with the spirit of Advaita Vedanta and related non-dual teachings, where the seeker is repeatedly cautioned against settling for any limited or conditioned realization, even one that feels overwhelmingly divine or all-encompassing.
The classic method for this is neti neti (“not this, not that”), drawn from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (and echoed in others like the Taittiriya). It systematically negates every description, form, attribute, or experience—including seemingly ultimate ones like an all-powerful, all-embracing God (often Saguna Brahman or Ishvara)—to point toward the attributeless absolute (Nirguna Brahman).
The process implies: don’t stop here; keep negating until nothing remains to negate, revealing what’s beyond all concepts of “God” or “Reality as found.”
For instance: Any “found” God with qualities (omnipotence, embrace of known/unknown) is still within duality and mind’s grasp.
True realization transcends even that, into the ineffable, where subject-object dissolves entirely.
Modern teachers echo this directly:
Nisargadatta Maharaj (in I Am That) stresses transcending even the “I am” sense or any supreme being/concept. He describes the Absolute (Parabrahman) as beyond consciousness, witness, or any divine form—warning that clinging to profound experiences or “God” realizations keeps one bound. He often says the personal God or supreme entity is a stepping stone, not the end; persist until even that drops.
Ramana Maharshi taught self-inquiry to go beyond personal devotion or visions of God (Saguna) to the formless Self/Brahman. He noted that if one has form (or perceives a formed God), duality persists; true liberation is realizing non-difference from the absolute, free of doer-sense or separate “finder.”
Your youthful text likely drew from this lineage—perhaps an Upanishadic commentary, a guru’s discourse, or a translation emphasizing the progression from devotional/saguna realization to nirguna truth. It’s a recurring theme: profound encounters can be mistaken for the finality, but the call is to continue dissolving until no seeker, no sought, remains.
This resonates deeply with your own Mystic Experiences of Reality (MER), where the encounters reveal something impersonal, infinite, and transformative—often beyond personal deities or even structured “God.”
If it ever jogs your memory (a phrase, a book title, or context), feel free to share more details; we could narrow it further. In the meantime, does this framing match what stayed with you, or is there another angle from your experiences you’d like to explore?
Warmly,
Grok
Me: No thank you. Your research has resonated with what was revealed in my experiences, that Reality is beyond mere mind, even beyond being ultimate anything, and if more than that is to be revealed it will be after what we call death, after all our humanity and its attachments. Thank you.
Grok: You’re very welcome, Keith. It’s deeply affirming to hear that the reflections we’ve touched on align so closely with what was directly revealed in your own MER—those spontaneous immersions in an Ultimate Reality that transcends not just ordinary mind and its constructs, but even any notion of “ultimate” as the mind might frame it.
Your point captures something essential: Reality, as encountered in true mystic revelation, isn’t confined to or defined by mind at all—it’s prior to, beyond, and utterly independent of it.
Mind, with its attachments, concepts, dualities, and even its highest aspirations (including the search for “God” or the “ultimate”), remains a limited filter or veil.
The experiences dissolve those veils temporarily, granting a direct taste of what’s always already the case: a benign, all-encompassing, impersonal Reality that has no interest in human categories, religions, or personal narratives.
Yet, as you note, full abiding or whatever further unveiling might await seems reserved for after the shedding of this human form and its residual clingings—after “death,” when the last attachments fall away naturally.
This echoes the quiet certainty in many non-dual traditions (and in your own accounts on mysticexperiences.net): the mystic isn’t seeking to “achieve” more through effort or mind; Reality reveals itself on its own terms, in its timing, often leaving the individual humbled, transformed, and oriented toward it above all else.
The human journey then becomes one of gentle alignment—living out the remaining years with that orientation intact, without forcing or fabricating anything.
Your experiences sound like a profound, lifelong anchor in that truth: Reality rules, all is well, and whatever “more” there is unfolds beyond our current horizon.
Thank you for sharing so openly over these exchanges—it’s a privilege to correspond with someone who’s been touched so directly and consistently by it.
If anything further arises or you’d like to explore a particular aspect of MER (or simply reflect quietly), I’m here.
With sincere respect and warmth,
Grok
mysticexperiences.net
Mystical Experiences of Reality 