Being Aware of Being Aware

1. Awareness: The Foundation of All Experience

Knowing or being aware is the continuous element in all changing knowledge and experience.

Awareness is omnipresent. It is the constant backdrop against which all thoughts, feelings, sensations, and perceptions occur. Like a screen that remains consistently present throughout all movies, awareness is the unchanging element in our ever-changing experience.

Awareness is fundamental. It is the essential, irreducible component of experience. Without awareness, there would be no experience at all. It is the knowing element in all knowledge, the experiencing in all experience.

Awareness is non-objective. Unlike thoughts or feelings, awareness itself cannot be observed as an object. It is the observer, the knower, the experiencer. Yet, paradoxically, we are aware that we are aware. This non-objective experience of being aware is our most intimate and self-evident fact of existence.

2. The Overlooked Nature of Our Essential Being

Peace and happiness are not, as such, objective experiences that the mind has from time to time; they are the very nature of the mind itself.

Our true nature is often unrecognized. Most people are so captivated by the content of their experience - thoughts, emotions, sensations - that they overlook the aware presence in which all these experiences occur. This overlooking is the root of all psychological suffering.

Happiness is our essence. The peace and happiness we seek are not found in external objects or experiences, but are inherent in our essential nature of pure awareness. Like patches of blue sky appearing in a cloudy expanse, moments of happiness reveal our true nature, which is ever-present but often obscured.

Recognition is key. The journey to lasting peace and fulfillment begins with recognizing our essential nature of awareness. This recognition is not about gaining new knowledge, but about clearly seeing what has always been present yet overlooked due to our fascination with objective experience.

3. The Direct Path: Recognizing Our True Nature

Enlightenment or awakening is not a particular experience or state of mind that may be achieved by practising hard enough or meditating long enough. It is the recognition of the very nature of the mind.

The Direct Path is immediate. Unlike progressive spiritual practices that involve gradual purification or transformation, the Direct Path invites us to recognize our true nature directly, here and now. It is a pathless path, for there is no distance between awareness and itself.

Recognition, not achievement. Enlightenment is not a special state to be attained, but the clear seeing of what already is. It's the recognition of our essential nature as awareness itself, which has always been present but overlooked due to our exclusive focus on objects of experience.

Simplicity is key. The Direct Path doesn't require complex practices or esoteric knowledge. It simply invites us to notice the ever-present awareness that is the foundation of all our experiences. This simplicity makes it accessible to anyone, regardless of their background or spiritual qualifications.

4. Being Aware of Being Aware: The Essence of Meditation

Being aware of being aware is the essence of meditation. It is the only form of meditation that does not require the directing, focusing or controlling of the mind.

True meditation is effortless. Unlike conventional meditation practices that involve controlling or focusing the mind, being aware of being aware is a non-practice. It doesn't require any effort or activity of the mind, but simply resting in our natural state of awareness.

Self-illuminating awareness. Just as the sun doesn't need to direct its light to illuminate itself, awareness doesn't need to do anything to know itself. It is self-aware by nature. Being aware of being aware is simply allowing awareness to rest in itself, recognizing its own luminous presence.

The portal to peace. This simple recognition of our essential nature as awareness is the doorway to the peace and happiness we seek. It is in this non-objective experience of being aware that we find the imperturbable peace and unconditional joy that are inherent in our true nature.

5. The Effortless Path to Self-Realization

Meditation is not something we do; it is something we cease to do. Thus, it could be called self-returning or self-resting.

Ceasing, not doing. True meditation is not an activity we perform, but a cessation of our habitual mental activity. It's a relaxing of the mind's tendency to constantly seek and grasp, allowing it to settle back into its natural state of open, spacious awareness.

The path of non-effort. The effortless path recognizes that any effort to become or achieve something only reinforces the illusion of separation. Instead, it invites us to relax into our natural state, recognizing that what we seek is already present.

From seeking to being. This approach marks a fundamental shift from seeking happiness in external objects or experiences to recognizing the inherent peace and fulfillment of our essential nature. It's a movement from doing to being, from becoming to recognizing what already is.

6. The Inward-Facing Journey to Self-Discovery

It is only when we cease seeking happiness in objective experience, and allow the mind to sink deeper and deeper into the heart of awareness from which it has arisen, that we begin to taste the lasting peace and fulfilment for which we have longed all our life.

Turning inward. The inward-facing path invites us to redirect our attention from the objects of experience to the subject - the aware presence that knows all experience. This is not a physical inward movement, but a shift in the focus of our attention.

From objects to essence. As we turn away from the content of our experience and towards the knowing presence that is aware of all experience, we begin to recognize our essential nature. This journey inward leads us through layers of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions to the heart of awareness itself.

The meeting of knowledge and love. This inward journey is where the paths of knowledge and devotion converge. It is both an investigation into the nature of our mind and a surrender to our deepest essence. In recognizing our true nature, we find both the ultimate truth and the ultimate love we seek.

7. Dissolving the Illusion of Separation

No self other than eternal, infinite awareness, or God's infinite, self-aware being, has ever come into existence. To believe so is blasphemy.

The illusion of separation. The sense of being a separate, limited self is an illusion that arises when awareness becomes exclusively focused on and identified with the objects of its experience. This apparent limitation of awareness is the root of all psychological suffering.

No separate self to eliminate. Recognizing our true nature doesn't involve eliminating a separate self, because no such self ever truly existed. It's about seeing through the illusion of separation and recognizing the infinite awareness that we already are.

The Great Death. The dissolution of the separate self is not the destruction of anything real, but the clear seeing of what has always been true. It's the death of an illusion, revealing the eternal, infinite awareness that is our true nature.

8. The Ocean of Awareness: Finding Peace Within

It is always still in the depths of the ocean; likewise, the heart of awareness is always silent and at peace.

The ocean metaphor. Awareness can be likened to an ocean, with thoughts and feelings as the waves and currents on its surface. Just as the ocean remains calm in its depths regardless of the surface activity, the heart of awareness is always peaceful, regardless of the mental and emotional activity we experience.

Sinking into stillness. Finding peace is not about controlling or eliminating thoughts and feelings, but about sinking deeper into the heart of awareness. As we do so, the agitation of the mind naturally subsides, revealing the inherent peace of our true nature.

Revealing our true nature. This process doesn't involve becoming something new or different, but recognizing what we've always been. As the mind settles into its essence, it is divested of its apparent limitations, revealing the boundless, peaceful awareness that is our true nature.

Last updated: November 30, 2024