नेति नेति - Neti Neti: A journey into the question you truly are

Neti Neti. Because the self can never be described, only revealed

I should begin with a simple admission. I am not a particularly religious person. I come from a strong Christian background, and I was born and raised in Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country. Faith, in many forms, has always been around me.

But today, I find myself on a different path. I am trying to understand what it means to be spiritual. I am learning, questioning, and in many ways, starting again.

This is not a conclusion. It is a search.

Along the way, I came across a phrase from ancient Indian philosophy that stayed with me. It is simple, almost disarming.

Neti Neti. It means, not this, not that.

At first, it sounds like rejection. But it is not. It is a method of discovery. Instead of defining truth directly, it removes everything that is not true.

In a world like ours, this feels unusual. We are constantly encouraged to define ourselves. Our identity, our beliefs, our positions. We are asked to choose sides, to be certain, to belong.

But what if clarity does not come from adding more, but from removing what is not essential?

The thinkers behind this idea were part of what is now called the Vedic tradition, one of the oldest streams of human thought, found in texts like the Rigveda. This existed long before the concept of organised religion as we understand it today.

They spoke about something called Atman, which simply means the inner self, and Brahman, which can be understood as the ultimate reality or universal consciousness. Their insight was bold. Atman is Brahman. The self is not separate from the universe.

This is also expressed in phrases like Aham Brahmasmi, meaning I am part of that ultimate reality, and Tat Tvam Asi, meaning you are too.

These are not easy ideas. I am still trying to make sense of them myself. But at a basic level, they suggest something powerful. What we are searching for may not be outside us.

It may already be within.

Interestingly, around similar periods in history, Greek philosophers were also exploring questions about existence. But while much of Western thought developed through logic and external observation, these Eastern traditions turned inward.

Even the idea of God was different. It was not always about something distant or separate. It was something closer. Something within.

What we now call Hinduism actually comes from the word Sindhu, a name used by outsiders to describe people living beyond a river. The original tradition, often called Sanatana Dharma, was less about belief and more about inquiry. Less about doctrine and more about experience.

Across regions, similar questions were being asked in different ways. In the Indo-Iranian tradition, for example, Zoroastrianism spoke about Ahura Mazda, a representation of truth and order. A central idea there was Asha, meaning truth. Life was seen as a journey shaped by choices, leading toward what they described as the House of Song or the House of Lies.

Different languages. Different symbols. But a shared concern for truth.

Over time, like in many traditions, structures formed. Authority gathered around priests and rulers. This is not unique to any one religion. It is a pattern in human history.

And that brings me to the present.

We live in a time of information overload, strong opinions, and constant noise. Everyone seems certain. Everyone seems to know.

But very few are willing to say, "I do not know".

For me, that is where spirituality begins.

Not in certainty, but in humility. Not in having answers, but in being open to the search. Truth, then, is not something we own. It is something we align with.

There is a thought that often stays with me. When a library burns, we see knowledge disappear. It is visible. But when a person dies, an entire world of memories and understanding disappears quietly. There is no visible loss, only an absence that we notice later.

So what is this “self” that holds everything we are?

The honest answer might be that we cannot fully describe it.

Neti Neti.

Not this. Not that.

And maybe that is the point.

In a time where we are pushed to define everything, perhaps there is value in stepping back. In letting go of what we think we know. In allowing space for something deeper to emerge.

I am still learning. Still searching.

Not this. Not that.

But moving, slowly, closer.

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