There's a teaching in the Bhagavad Gita called "The Knower and the Field". It talks about what many of us have experienced in our meditation practice: the I Am. The I Am-ness is referred to as the Knower. The Field is everything the Knower observes. Many of us have made the distinction between the two. But let's look into this more deeply.
The Knower is your True Self, the Atma. The Field is not you. The Knower is beyond sensations, but knowing the Knower makes you naturally happy. True happiness is a sensation of being connected to the Atma, the Soul. Suffering is a sensation of falsely identifying with the Field. This false identification is understood as ignorance. Any identification (such as "I am Sopurkh") with the Field (or mind and body) is incorrect, or ignorant. Truth is I Am.
I Am-ness has nothing to do with the mind and body or Field. I Am-ness is distinct from the Field. I Am-ness (the true you) exists beyond the mind and body. I Am is infinite; never born, never dies. Picture this: a clear glass cup. It's empty. There is space inside the cup, and there is space outside the cup. The tendency is to identify space inside the cup as "space inside" and as separate from space outside the cup. (Forget about identifying with the cup!) But the truth is, there is only space - one space.
Our ignorance says that I Am only exists within the mind and body. But I Am exists everywhere - beyond the mind and body, and actually has nothing to do with the mind and body. No attachment. The nature of I Am observes everything in a detached manner.
The teaching below is from Yogi Bhajan on happiness and infused with my commentary in italics about this teaching of the Knower and the Field and how I Am is naturally happy & truly happy. Enjoy!
1. Commitment
In every life you are meant to commit. That is why the word is commit-meant.
Commit to being the best friend to your Self. Commit to being the Knower.
This commitment will give you character.
2. Character
Character is when all your characteristics – all facets, flaws and facts – are under your control.
This means you are steadfastly seated in the Knower, and you are exercising your greatest strength, your ability to not react but to simply observe.
Yin and yang meet there, totally balanced. This kind of character gives you dignity.
3. Dignity
People start trusting you, liking you, respecting you.
This is because you are relating to the other person's Soul by coming from your Soul. You are consistently being your higher Self.
This dignity will give you divinity.
4. Divinity
Divinity is when people have no duality about you. They trust you right away. They have no fear about you.
Again, this is because you are consciously being your higher Self. The other person knows you will relate to them Soul-to-Soul and this feels good.
Divinity gives you grace.
5. Grace
Where there is grace, there is no interference, no gap between two people, no hidden agenda.
This is the blessing given by Guru. You've put in your effort to elevate your self to the highest by being the Knower.
Grace gives you the power to sacrifice.
6. Sacrifice
You can stand in any pain for that person.
Because you don't react and your True Self is the Knower. This is also compassion.
That sacrifice gives you happiness.
7. Happiness
"You should make yourself so happy, that by looking at you, other people become happy." ~ Yogi Bhajan
This is where the win-win happens. You are serving others by being your True Self, which is naturally happy. This happiness is Infinite in nature, and has no attachment to the field.
“Commitment—the power to succeed when you are powerless. Character—you cannot be shaken. Dignity—do not hesitate to do what you have to do for somebody. Divinity— nothing can touch you. Grace— stand any disgrace with grace. Power to sacrifice—know you own nothing, that everything is of God, and give to whomsoever has the need. Happiness —do something for no self-gain. A few breaths of life through you can uplift something for a moment. “I” has only one meaning—that you can do something for somebody. When “I” is for yourself you have wasted your life.” ~ Yogi Bhajan, 1/29/01
May all beings everywhere know their True Self and be happy! This is Guru's blessing!
Sat Naam,
Sopurkh