Everything of our world revolves around sensory perceptions which gives rise to the activity of mind. Anything else is mere speculation, something reserved for the mystics. Nothing of ethereal nature, such as a permanent state of clear consciousness, has any use for us living in this world. You may know about your own true nature - but this knowledge remains circumscribed by the walls of concepts if it is not directly integrated into a dynamic self-sustaining state of being.
You can know all about ego and how to bring about detached awareness without necessarily devoting your whole life to such practice. We would rather talk about it and amuse ourselves with philosophical discourse than actually remain the quiet witness to everything that appears on the screen of consciousness. This is because the mind is still operating from deeply ingrained conditioning which exerts a very strong hold on one's attention. You can know everything about the world, about consciousness and the fundamental drive of the universal - but if you do not master your own mind you will be compelled to abide by the rules of ego and remain a slave to circumstance, to the law of cause and effect which is engaged when the mind unconsciously gives life to any single thought. Mastering your mind is not just a matter of knowing yourself, but of actually embodying the faculty of constant awareness.
Every time a single thought draws the attention of the mind, that center of energy acquires a life on its own which remains directly connected to its creator. Its creator is the mind operating under the spell of ego. What you put out comes back, as the thought-forms you generate interact with the world of matter and influence the flow of events; this is as inevitable as the exhalation that must follow every inhalation. Therefore, when a single thought has taken the mind's attention, one has animated a thought-form that not only subsists on its own, but follows the mind like an infant follows its mother. This is why our lives alternate between states of unconsciousness and consciousness. These thought-forms radiate from consciousness and return of their own accord, only to take possession of the mind. In the same way, every time you manifest the attention that illuminates any single thought or feeling, you increase the level of awareness and thereby generate an energy force that will reflect back to you and nurture the endeavor of self-inquiry.
The essential problem we
The essential problem we encounter with dualistic consciousness is one of false identification. We believe that we are ego. This is like being an actor who has been playing the same role for a very long time and at some point he becomes afflicted with a mental disorder which causes him to believe that he is that role; he forgets that he is the actor and completely identifies with the role. Now let’s say that you, Desthein, have been called in to treat this person. How do you manage to treat his delusion, to shift his identification from the false identification with the role to identification with his true self?
I can only point to the
I can only point to the process by which one person's state of being (and not the person himself) may be of assistance for another, so-called, person.
Whoever the actor is, regardless of his/her state of insanity, the essential problem is identification with the mind, which is the source of the shadow of ego. This identification with mind presents a path that may lead to mental illness and disorder and may also have harmful effects on the body. We must understand that what we call ego is but a mere illusion. This is the reason why we call it the false self. For it does not really exist anywhere else than in your own imagination as a thought-form imposed over the reality of infinite being that you essentially are.
At the moment you pay attention to your mind, you can observe that you are holding on to memories about your little life - your past, your projections into the future - and so you may come to a place of detached observation which reveals the reality of what is. Therefore, the only thing I would suggest in regard to providing assistance for someone who foolishly identifies with the false self, would simply be to bring his attention to the activities of his mind in that particular moment - to point out what is actually going on in that moment. It would be inadvisable to attempt to change this particular person into something else, nor to bring this person into another world or reality, nor to attempt to have this person follow anybody else’s ideas about how to be, how to think, or how to behave. The sanest thing to do would be to simply point out what is going on in the person’s mind in the actuality of the present moment, and by this means, the deluded individual can observe the essential activity of his/her mind. Detached observation alone will bring in the realization of a sense of being which is independent of the mind and will thereby act as a neutralizing factor, an effective means of subduing the mind's activity. This reduction of mental activity may serve as a preliminary to healing and profound transformation of consciousness. In this individual’s deluded state, attentiveness to the mind’s activity in the present moment is a practical course.
To become aware of mind's activity is the first step. If that can be done, the rest will naturally take care of itself. What happens with one’s mind is ultimately determined by one’s state of being. There is nothing to change with the mind; one merely brings in one's attention and keeps it there till the mind comes to a place of peace. At that particular place of silence, the true nature of one's being, which is of the purest sanity, is revealed - and as it surfaces, the mind is entirely left aside, along with all its useless and detrimental activities and preoccupations, which fade away as if they never existed... and then all that remains is the truth. This is the awareness that nothing ever existed other than that pure being which remains permanent and constant, regardless of the superficial activities of the mind.
Nobody can change anybody else; one can only change oneself. Nobody can help you to be present if you are not present yourself. By being present yourself, you may be of assistance to someone who has difficulty in dealing with his/her mental activity. You neither follow that person’s activity, nor judge it - you simply remain conscious of the present moment without any movement away from it. Any such movement away from the present would be the product of thinking, and this is a basically reactive state of consciousness. Therefore, you can only remain a witness to what is actually taking place no matter what, no matter who may be around you. You remain yourself, and as you remain a mere witness, you become a mirror for the other person.
In simply being yourself you teach by example. You cannot really actively teach anyone else, but people can learn from you by who you are - and not by what you do or don’t do, and especially not from what you might say. This is irrelevant. Your own state of true being will take care of the situation and may spontaneously speak through you when this is required, or at times provide some form of guidance or assistance for others. In that moment, it is not you that is doing the assistance, but it is that state of being which is universal; it will reverberate within the hearts of those who are receptive to it.
In that place of true being in which you may reside, there is no longer another - there is only that which is all-encompassing and speaking from the very center of life itself. There is no you, as there is no doing, nor any other being to help or change. The Self speaks out of silence and the truth is heard from the heart.
The practice of mindfulness
The practice of mindfulness can be an arduous task. One can be totally dedicated and totally immersed in practice for a long time, and there may come a point where one feels, on a gut level, that one must simply drop it all for awhile. That is to say, one feels a need to put aside mindfulness and simply fall back into the old habits of unconsciousness - at least for a while. What do you recommend when such a calling arises?
You can't always remain on
You can't always remain on the peak of the mountain without having to go down once in a while! Besides, why would there be any problem involved in that? Is it not part of life to go through challenges so as to face what lies within the depths of consciousness? Is it not necessary to go through alternate states of consciousness so that one may learn to increase one's ability to remain aware? Without these challenging times, the mind would not need to work on itself and this is why we are thrown into the rapids of existence. And it is in bringing awareness to these challenging moments that one can be assured of assuming the right conduct. It is too easy to retire in a monastery, away from the craziness of civilization, and comfortably sit in meditation. It is not enough to watch the river passing by, you need to jump into it and learn to swim with the current. You must jump into the rapids of existence and learn to stabilize your awareness and deepen your understanding of life's true purpose.
One must be totally immersed in the intricate dynamics of worldly existence in order to master the art of living in the material world. The same applies to the work you do with unconsciousness. Let it just come out and do not try to avoid this direct confrontation by struggling with it or by distracting yourself from it or by trying to escape uncomfortable situations that stir up inner conflict. Learn to surf the waves. Know that you can consciously jump right into the chaos with the profound conviction that your faith and courage will carry you through and sustain you on the path to becoming the master of your own mind.
We must understand that the practice of mindfulness is merely about watching the flow of thoughts, and we must understand that thoughts have no consciousness on their own. When the mind is simply silent, the idea itself of observing the thought flow does not even occur! This practice does not really involve making an effort to watch the flow of thoughts, but is simply a matter of witnessing whatever is passing over the screen of consciousness. In fact, whatever the state of mind may be, one should only remain a mere witness at all times. It is not a difficulty in itself. The difficulty only arises from an unconscious mind which creates unsolvable problems. The mind is incessantly thinking about things without being aware of the unconscious habitual nature of this process, and thus it scatters its energy. The mind can only exhaust itself when pursuing fragments of existence.
The thought of being aware is itself a thought and one cannot merely hang on to that thought, for one thought merely leads to another, and this becomes just another trap for the mind. At the very moment a thought arises, other thoughts pop up to fill the void of pure consciousness; this is the nature of thinking.
The practice of mindfulness is not about pursuing any particular thought, for that will only lead to the increase of thought flow. Because the mind has such a deeply ingrained tendency to be active, passive observation of the thought process may appear as a difficult procedure. But there is nothing that may hinder that observation unless one holds on to thinking. This tendency to hold on to thinking is the very thing that should be observed. It is futile to pursue the thought of being aware; this pursuit will only exhaust the mind and produce a conflicted state of consciousness. What happens in this case is that when we hold on to a particular thought, we suppress other thoughts, and at some point, sure enough, the mind is found to be in the middle of an onslaught of endless opposing thoughts.
A thought cannot be removed from other thoughts without creating a resistance within the very structure of thinking. This is but a movement of thoughts that only exist because of their inherent and intricate interconnectedness. No thought exists on its own. This is why the practice of awareness appears to be so difficult, for in our attempts to control the thinking process, we are not actually practicing awareness, but pursuing a thought which can only lead to another thought. The mind thereby becomes overwhelmed by the momentum of all this mental energy. Therefore, at some point, the mind feels compelled to give up the one thought that has taxed all its psychic energy: the thought of practicing mindfulness.
Sure enough, when the mind is really agitated, it requires some effort to counter-balance that agitation with steadfast awareness - but this is only due to the agitated energy that is itself intense. So it is not so much that the mind must exert greater effort in this context. It is merely incorporating the same energy to revert itself back to the universal. Whether there is a state of consciousness or unconsciousness is irrelevant at this point, for the mind cannot strive to become aware; the state of awareness is not about striving. However it may require some initial effort to subdue particular states of mental agitation with an equal intensity of focus of awareness. It is awareness alone that will urge you to strengthen that focus and not the other way around!
One can only be aware of what is going on by the actuality of practice, and this necessarily slows down the thought process and renders unconscious material conscious. This is how unconscious material is brought into the light for purification. The purification of the unconscious happens on its own as one simply remains conscious. One cannot tire of this practice, for no effort is required when there is no thinking!
We think too much and thus, the practice of mindfulness becomes another thing to think about, which contributes to the other unnecessary thoughts. This is not going to work and the mind will have no choice but to abandon such pursuit, for it is not leading anywhere. However, just because there is an agitation of the mind, there is no need to worry about it. It is the nature of thought to fluctuate between agitation and calm. It is just like the weather. However, at some point, as awareness becomes a true state of being, the thinking process stabilizes and a state of genuine presence in silence takes over. It's important to keep in mind that one should not seek that state, for it can only come on its own when consciousness has sufficiently purified itself from unconsciousness.
There are times when it is easy to remain aware and there are other times when it is not. To watch that cycle is part of the practice. By doing so, one will come to the realization that it is of the nature of mind to go through states of extreme lucidity and extreme unconsciousness, while an aspect of being remains a detached observer of all that transpires. As long as one remains the witness to whatever is happening in the mind, that is enough, for eventually that aware presence will strengthen the innate capacity to remain connected with one's true nature regardless of the movement on the surface. When there is a high, one shouldn't get overwhelmed or give it too much energy, for a high leads to a low. Therefore, if one remains detached when experiencing exalted states of consciousness, it becomes easier to remain high when disturbances manifest in consciousness. The true state of awareness is a state of sublime balance, a state of equanimity in which the extremes of emotional turbulence have minimal influence.
It is important to remember that even if we are not consciously tuned in to the presence of being, even if our conduct would appear entirely unconscious and mindless, there is always an aspect of mind that witnesses everything, from the moment of birth to the moment of death. Nothing can be added to that inner presence. The practice of detached awareness is to tune in to this presence. This puts us in alignment with the true purpose of existence, which is to facilitate the spirit's ascendancy, the process of reconnection with its innate state of union with the totality of being.
The ego's game is basically
The ego's game is basically a grand deception. At a certain point on the path of self-realization, one can clearly comprehend the nature of that deception; one becomes completely aware of the fact that one's true identity is not ego. The Buddha within is quite evident, this is undeniably the true self, and there can be no going back to the belief that one is this limited personal identity. But even when this truth is abundantly clear, the ego still has a tendency to hold on; it will not release its grip. Why does the mind persist in holding on to this false identity, even when it knows better, even when ego has quite clearly outlived its usefulness?
Ego only arises as a
Ego only arises as a consequence of unconsciousness which is a lack of presence. And if there is no presence, what remains? Can we then ascertain the existence of ego? For ego is but a mere passing cloud over the absolute reality of infinite being that you truly are.
Even though ego is unreal, we give it apparent substance by believing in it, by assigning reality to that unreality. We identify with ego due to our ingrained assumption that it does in fact exist. This is all that we are conscious of, this finite dualistic realm, which is really nothing more than the activity of mind. We still hold on to the mind to comprehend that which lies beyond mind, and this does not work. Whatever is known eventually dies, and so this realm of the known is not real. Self-realization is not about knowing nor gaining anything, it is about remaining truly alive, in being; it is about shining like the sun!
We wonder why the ego keeps returning to consciousness, while at the same time, we do not actually devote ourselves to the practice of bringing awareness into every single moment of existence. We take for granted the thinking process, as if the projection of thought has no consequence whatsoever. This is obviously a great obstacle to the achievement of a state of permanent awareness. We wonder how to achieve such a state of detached observation, while abandoning ourselves to the momentum of the thought process, which can only result in the accumulation of more unconsciousness.
The practice of detached observation may appear as a very simple practice, especially when understood on a mere mental, conceptual level. But when it comes time to actually practice it from the moment you get up till the moment you go to sleep, then it is not such a simple thing. This practice is undertaken so that consciousness may become a light onto itself - a light which burns away any traces of unconsciousness, so that consciousness itself may remain an empty and pure channel. This is the condition for the ascension of universal consciousness; this is liberation from the world of causation.
The mind's natural tendency is to be dormant, while unconsciously indulging the thinking process. It thereby expends its energy and dulls itself. And still we wonder why the ego sticks around like a gum on the sole of a shoe.
There is no point in trying to observe the reflection of the moon on the surface of a lake when that surface is disturbed by the wind. When the lake is calm and there is no breeze to affect its surface, the moon shines forth with total clarity. Thus, in order to see the permanency of light, one has to cast out all activity on the surface of consciousness. The practice of self-awareness will calm down that surface and so let the light shine through naturally. When such a state of clear perception prevails, the ego is seen as merely a passing wind; its lack of real substance will be quite apparent. The only thing that is real is that which has not been created, that which neither comes nor goes.
Know that you abide in the permanency of true being. Thus, you do not need to reach that state but to discard the limitation of mind over the silence of eternal being which is your true self. You can rest in peace for you are already there. As a matter of fact, nothing but that pure being of universal consciousness has always prevailed. Anything else is just passing by like the wind over the surface of a lake.
To see the mind as it is, is to step out of ego's grip. One shouldn't even bother thinking about ego or even consciousness, but simply face the light where no shadows may appear.