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“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEEING AND THINKING”

There is a significant difference between observing oneself as awareness and having “the ‘I’” think about oneself.

Yet, many of us remain unaware of this distinction, laboring under the illusion that “‘I’ am looking at myself.”

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When we observe ourselves as awareness—seeing things exactly as they are—no judgments of “good” or “bad” arise whatsoever.

On the other hand, when we believe that “I” am looking at myself, the following elements tend to accompany the process:

・Comparison
・Interpretation (e.g., “‘I’ was betrayed,” “‘I’ was treated unfairly”)
・A “victim mentality” born from such interpretations
・Judgment
・Emotions triggered by judgment (anger, resentment, sadness, etc.)
・Reflections on past events, such as “what ‘I’ should have done,” and so on

When observing oneself as awareness, none of these things will never be born; stillness remains simply stillness, and awareness clearly and simply witnesses the experience exactly as it is.

Consequently, there is no falling into despair over facts revealed through self-observation, nor is there any turning away from facts ‘I’ would rather not see.

However, as long as the distinction between awareness and “the ‘I’” is not fully grasped by the awareness, a common scenario arises: immediately after observing as awareness—even though there was no judgment until then—‘I’ gets swept up by familiar thought patterns into various judgments, reflections, and the accompanying emotions.

Yet, the clearer the distinction becomes between awareness and the ‘I’ narrative, thoughts of “the ‘I’,” the less frequently this occurs. It becomes easier to simply abide as the awareness that witnesses—whether it be an emotion or a judgment—as merely a passing phenomenon that arises and fades away.

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Be patient with yourself as you are right now. This is because what you perceive as “I” or “other” is merely a construct of thought.

To directly and immediately know the “pure existence,” or “oneness” that is ever-present, there is no other way but to carefully dismantle—layer by layer—our inevitable identification with the narrative of “I.”

In truth, life is an experiment in awakening to the true Self—the capital-S Self—while exploring every possibility.

Ultimately, there is not a single moment—not even for a split second—when any of us is anything other than The Self. (OM 🙏)