Peeling back the layers of certainty, the Upanishadic maxim neti neti (“not this, not that”) shows that true insight isn’t pinned down by neat definitions. Like trying to describe the taste of air, any label applied to ultimate Reality—or the Self—falls short. Through a process of skilled negation, every attribute is methodically set aside: not form, not thought, not emotion. What remains is an open field of awareness beyond the grip of words.

This approach feels surprisingly modern. In today’s world of AI chatbots and neuroimaging, there’s still no algorithm or scan that can capture the essence of conscious experience. Neti neti underlines exactly that gap. Instead of piling up more concepts, the Upanishads invite a kind of intellectual minimalism, urging direct encounter rather than encyclopedic cataloguing. It’s akin to tuning out the static to hear the underlying signal.

Recent mindfulness trends—whether an app pinging for a breathing break or a silent retreat in the Himalayas—echo the same wisdom: stripping away distractions to touch something unfiltered. Just as space missions peer into the cosmic unknown, neti neti turns the spotlight inward, acknowledging that whatever can be named will keep slipping through the fingers.

A pinch of paradox spices up the journey, too. By denying every positive claim, what’s left isn’t a void but the living heart of awareness itself. Language bows out gracefully, like an actor exiting stage left, leaving pure presence in the spotlight. This several-thousand-year-old technique still thrills, reminding seekers that some truths tease the mind’s boundaries—and might only be felt, not thought about.

Ultimately, neti neti isn’t a cold knife of negation but a gentle guide, showing that the path to “what is” sometimes runs backward through “what is not.” In a world hungry for answers, it boldly suggests that surrendering definitions could be the most radical knowing of all.