Identifying with the experience is why you suffer | Non-duality

I wanted to speak about the sense of eye, the sense of being, because there seems to be a point in self inquiry where a lot of confusion arises. There seems to be an oscillation or an exchange between the identification with the content of experience and the body mind and then no identification. What happens is when there is no identification, there's a sense of freedom, a sense of liberation, and then you might fall back into identification. And it kind of creates this turbulence. You feel that you are stuck in this cycle and because of this cycle, you kind of struggle to figure out what to do at times. So there's the identification with pain, fear or whatever it’s felt. But there’s this identification of what is felt at the moment. And there is no identification but at the very least, there is an awareness of the process of identification.

Identification to No Identification

I actually uploaded a zoom call I had with someone. And what was happening is very similar to what I described earlier. There seems to be an oscillation, a change from identification to no identification. And then an attachment is developed to the time that is now a memory of when there was no identification, the time of insights, the time of liberation, the time of freedom. But it's very much like you are tested in a way. The saying of the mind is your own enemy. Well isn't your enemy. The mind can be your enemy. And if it is, it can be the worst possible enemy because it displays you the things, it will give rise to the things or will shift the focus and attention to the things that really hit the nerve. And so usually what happens is when this becomes extremely overwhelming, you fall back into the turbulence and you identify once more with the contents of the experience.

So in that video I asked one particular question, which was what's the difference between the eye in the moments of insight and liberation and the eye in the moments of pain and fear. And so whenever the answer leans towards the situation that's taking place in the moment of the fear, and I feel the pain so intensely and so on, that indicates and suggests that there is still the identification with the content of the experience. Well, eventually, if you look at it closely, you should be able to see that actually there is no difference between the eye that is experiencing this bit and the eye that is free from this bit. It's all just one. It all just is, in a way.

This is really a beautiful recognition that can be made because once that is anchored or realised, then you'll be able to see how the mind is actually displaying all these moments and all these situations that really hit a nerve that bring out the deepest sense of fear or bring out the deepest sense of previous trauma or the deeper sense of anxiety of what might or may not happen. The script kind of flips. Now you look forward to moments where the mind tries to play this game because you can now see through the game. You can see through what the mind is trying to do and then you're okay with it. In fact, when you look forward to it because you recognise that this is an area that can be shined upon with the light of awareness. This is an area that you can reflect on. It's an area, or a knot if you like, that you can finally pull apart and release. So I just wanted this to be a reminder of the recognition of the unchanging eyes, the unchanging sense of being, regardless of the experience.

And people might say, the fear just isn't going, the pain just isn't going. That's okay. Be in a place where it's okay to experience fear for however long it may be to be for eternity. But be in the sense or rest in the sense of eye, in that sense of being. As soon as you recognise that the fear cannot be touched, it cannot touch the eye or the sense of being. It’s all just falling away.

The Takeaway:

Don’t anticipate moments where if all the parts don't anticipate moments of absolute freedom, don't try to anticipate them. Be here now, what's happening now. Because the mind will try to plan things and analyse things and just get yourself stuck in. These cycles and really the planning and analysing it, they are all modes of identification in some way.

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