So many want a path, a method, steps they can take to realize the Self. There is no need to realize or find the Self, as the Self was never lost. Steps seem to imply that there is a goal - this sets up the intention which is just more mind, just more overlay to the already-present, impersonal seeing/knowing in which the personal and individual seem to arise.
So without any attachment to outcomes, with the "trust" that what you seek you already are, we can attempt to look at the "facets" of the illusion:
1. See that time is an illusion - the past, when recalled, is only recalled NOW. The future, when anticipated or imagined, only happens NOW. The sense of time moving is really only the mind's inability to sit still, the drifting from past to future in the attempt to get out of NOW - but this can never be done. Really see this.
2. See that the word is never the thing - What is a computer? If you go into the mind, you will pull out all sorts of definitions, the monitor, the keyboard, the hard drive, the case... but if you go further, to the ACTUALITY of what is, it is seen that it's nothing more than what comes to the senses, the visual perception, the sounds, the sensations of the keys under the fingers. The ACTUALITY is the real, NOT the word "computer." Do you see this?
3. So what is the "body"? The mind immediately goes into definition-mode, trying to describe the body in terms of language. But stop this for a moment and see the actuality of the "body" - what comes to the senses? There is the sensation of breathing, the feeling of the heart beating, you can "feel" the arms, legs, shoulders... there may be tension arising in a part of it.... this is the ACTUALITY, not the word or concept or image. Is the "body" really anything more than what is known in awareness?
4. And what are "thoughts"? Once again, the mind races in and tries to define thoughts... but the word is never the thing. What is the actuality of thoughts? How are thoughts known? By what do you know a thought? This is the actuality.
5. See that all these arisings, all these "happenings" of sensations and perceptions, actually arise in awareness. See that this awareness never changes and is never touched by any of the arisings. See that this simple, ordinary, every-day awareness which has always been identified as "MY" awareness is actually PRIOR TO any of the personal characteristics which are applied.
6. In this "state" of seeing/knowing that is always present even during thought, see that the concept or idea or belief in this ME, in this person, is really just a presently-arising thought.
When there is no desire to be fulfilled or fear to be avoided, there is a simple looking, a lack of attachment to results or outcomes. The "I"-thought is in abeyance. But when the mind seeks to get out of the "boredom" of this moment, seeks to fulfill a desire, avoid a fear, or finds a lacking in this present moment, it creates this "I" who wants or doesn't want. Then there is "I" see "that" or "I" am "this". The subject/object duality comes into play.
Prior to this, this silent awareness is still there, witnessing these arisings. When we get pulled into or identify with the concepts the mind has created, then we believe we are suffering.
When we just rest in the already-present silent witnessing consciousness, we notice that these arisings are just thought and never touch what we really are.
This pure consciousness has no attributes, has no personality, has no capacity for thinking or acting or judging... this fully-present pure witnessing consciousness knows all that arises without holding on to anything, without storing any knowledge, without the capacity to care one way or the other.
This pure consciousness is fully-present NOW - there are no paths or steps needed to realize what you really are. But if you believe you are the person with a life story and problems which make YOU suffer, the illusions created by the mind seem to need to be transcended.
What you are seeking, you already are, 100% - no need to search, no need for paths or steps. Simply rest in that ever-present beingness which is PRIOR to the concept of being a person and having a life.
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