Quick Meditation

Here's an "exercise" in meditation:

If you close your eyes, what do you feel?

Let's start with the current beliefs - you feel the breath rising and falling with the chest. You feel the butt pressing in the chair or pillow. You "see" faint light in a background of darkness. You might feel the legs, arms, stomach, back...

Take away the words and labels - what do you feel? The same ACTUALITY but there is no label to put on any of the sensations or perceptions. There isn't even the label "my breath", "my chest", etc. It's just sensations and perceptions.

Now - what is knowing these sensations and perceptions? There is an awareness present in which these sensations and perceptions arise. These sensations and perceptions REGISTER ON or IN this awareness or knowingness.

This knowingness is not an object, it can't be identified or conceptualized, for any identification, objectification or conceptualization would be just another "thing" arising, another "thing" IN this knowingness.

If thoughts arise, they are more "stuff" arising IN this knowingness. The very body being perceived also arises in this knowing awareness.

It is only the mind which LABELS all these "things" as ME and MINE. But even the mind (thoughts/memories) arises as another "thing" or happening in this knowing awareness.

This silent witnessing knowing awareness, in which every single bit of everything arises, is your true nature. Fully present RIGHT NOW. It's not possible to know the world or this "body" without it.