One
Reality
When it is seen clearly that there is no subject or “I”-
that it is only a thought - then it will seem as if there
are only objects in awareness. Following that, it
spontaneously becomes clear there are no separate objects
as such – only one Reality knowing itself.
In fact, the self-sense is derived from the empty
witnessing which perpetually witnesses. The presence of
awareness that you are is mistaken as a thing - you refer
to that thing as 'I'. It is the basis for even the 'I'
concept to arise – without awareness could you be aware of
any sense of self? This very simply demonstrates that
awareness is the condition for even the idea of separation
to arise. Empty witnessing or awareness is prior to the
sense of ‘I’ or any thoughts.
The person you take yourself to be is arising in awareness,
as an idea. It comes and goes at various times. Perhaps
when you are concentrating deeply, or sleeping or having
good sex. Psychological suffering is directly correlated to
the sense of that 'I' image arising strongly. For instance,
when you are insulted – then the ‘I’ concept flares up
strongly, along with many memories and stories, past shames
and fears. This is because the stronger the ‘I’ thought is
mistaken to be what you are, the more strongly the subject
object duality is accepted by the mind. That separation, or
duality, is inherently painful - like being frightened in a
dream. This duality, literally, is an imaginary construct.
It’s not Real. Reality is prior to thought and imagination;
it’s also there during thought and imagination.
Reality is continuous and whole as it is – concepts divide
it up in order it for us, as organisms, to make sense and
discriminate between things. This is in fact a useful
functioning of the mind – but not a complete understanding
of the whole picture.
So this examination can take a very practical form, as an
investigation in to the witnessing that we are. What is
witnessing? If you look at this you might find that you
cannot find anything at all. For instance, if you look at a
pencil you will only see a pencil, and with that you might
have thoughts about a pencil. But if you try to see what is
aware of those thoughts and seeing the pencil, you cant
pinpoint it at all. Your mind might automatically fill the
uncertainty with the thought “I am aware of the pencil”,
but that is just a thought. You surely cant be a thought
can you? Thoughts keep changing all the time. No, you are
the awareness of the thought – that is always here.
If presence-awareness is always here then what is it? Look
at that for a moment, other than allowing thoughts to fill
the blank for you – you might notice that there is a
slippery sense of nothingness. Its like looking at a mirror
– you can see the reflections on the surface of the mirror,
but can you really see the mirror surface itself? No, it’s
like blank potentiality for reflection. All you have to go
on are the reflections themselves. The reflection changes
all the time as the mirror moves, but the mirror surface is
always perfectly still. It is untouched by the reflections
whatsoever. If we were to show a mirror something hideous
to reflect, could we harm it? Could it become dirty, if we
show it a dirty sock?
While the mirror is a useful metaphor for this, it only
loosely suggests what is being discussed. In the case of
this luminous empty witnessing it is also alive, and has a
tangible sense of immediacy or nowness. It precedes
thought, yet, it very intimately is the fabric of our
existence. We know it as ourselves and we label it
(mistakenly) as ‘I’ – and we carry all these thoughts and
images with us about that ‘I’ and what we believe it to be.
But the fact is, when we examine it in this moment its just
an open nothingness, like the surface of a mirror. This
sense of nothingness makes some people nervous when they
intuit it, and they immediately rationalise it away.
When it is encountered fully beyond conceptual thinking and
we realize that we in fact, are, that
mysterious-shining-nothingness, it reveals a deep quality
of immediate peace within the heart of Reality. It is a
peace that is available here right now. It is the uncaused
peace that we are when we aren’t bound to the incessant and
exhausting story forever changing in the mind.
One cannot manufacture this by attempting to stop thinking,
or suppress thought – try not thinking and see what
happens. Its not possible, you’re not in control. Instead,
try to notice what you are is simply this
witnessing-living-nowness, and it is empty of any self or
'I'. When you clearly see, first hand, what you
are,
then what you’re
not
will lose its sting – changing experiences, reflections in
the mirror, which cannot possibly harm what you are in
actuality.
It’s as if reality self-illuminated – the Real is seeing
itself as pencil, as a thought, as a sound, as feelings in
your body. These objects change continually but what you
are is steadfast like rock.
You are This Reality knowing itself.