Mind IV

Continuing on our question of: “What is the Mind?”, perhaps that is a question that leads us into the deeper question: What is our essential nature?

We usually think of our ‘mind’ as the continuous and ever-present flow of thoughts and images; or perhaps the experience of feelings and sensations; or our perceptions of the ‘outside’ world through our senses. However, when we practice letting go of our external experiences, and even release our tendency to cling to our internal thoughts and feelings, we come to a new realization. We find an awareness more fundamental than all of our objective experiences.

From Rupert Spira’s book You Are the Happiness You Seek:

We are not essentially our thoughts, images, memories, and stories about our life;

we are that which knows them.

We are not essentially our feelings and sensations;

we are that which is aware of them.

We are not the sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells that constitute our experience of the world;

we are that which perceives them.

We are nothing that is experienced; we are that which experiences.

We are essentially the awareness that experiences the mind. The experience of awareness itself is more fundamental than any experience the mind can have, and it is direction to which all spiritual practice is pointing.

Meditation is becoming familiar with the awareness that knows our experience.