16 lines
3.0 KiB
HTML
16 lines
3.0 KiB
HTML
<p>When all non-essential aspects are removed, what remains is the essence. By discarding the unnecessary, the true nature is revealed. The true nature cannot be removed; otherwise, nothing remains. If something can be changed, it is unnecessary. It is not the essential element. To find our essential nature, we must discard all that is unnecessary.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>All experiences change, but the experiencer remains unchanging. Therefore, the experiencer is the essence. The statement "I exist" is the most certain truth. If "I am" is the most certain truth, it must refer to something unchanging. As we have already established, the experiencer is the only constant. Thus, I am the experiencer. Realizing this is self-realization, where the ultimate truth is understood to be oneself.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Essentially, I am the existence itself. All that comes and goes is non-essential. While all experiences come and go, the experiencer remains. Anything experienced is an illusion. Existence's nature is the experiencer. The experiencer is also referred to as "I".</p>
|
|
|
|
<p> Another way to arrive at this realization is negation. By discarding what is unnecessary, we identify the essence. "I am the objects" can be denied. Many believe that "I am the body". But the body changes over time. Despite these changes, "I" remains constant. Sensations, thoughts and emotions come and go, but "I" remains. Memories change, but forgetting memories does not diminish "I". Instead, "I" is the one who forgets. By discarding all these, only the experiencer remains which is the true "I".</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Objects, including the body, are labeled as "mine" due to circumstances. However, they are impermanent and non-essential. The constructs of "me" and "mine" are survival tools. They serve a functional purpose but are not the essence. The belief in "I" stems largely from indoctrination. What we have been told about ourselves shapes this belief, but it does not define the experiencer. While experiences are part of the existence and arise within the experiencer, they are not the essential nature. Experiences are appearances, whereas the experiencer is the true essence.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Thus, there is no individual "I". The true nature is the experiencer. Everything is part of existence, but nothing specific is uniquely "I" or "mine". This realization transforms understanding, though daily life continues as usual.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Humans possess the unique ability to recognize "I am the seer". The state of knowing oneself as the experiencer is called Awareness. Most humans lack this awareness due to ignorance. Awareness naturally arises with self-knowledge, illuminating the distinction between the experiencer and the experiences. Abiding in awareness involves consistently recognizing oneself as the experiencer. By remembering this knowledge, one naturally abides in the state of presence.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>The truth is ever-present and unchanging. It requires no external rituals or practices. Dropping false identification reveals the light within. This is called enlightenment.</p>
|