Ouspensky said that consciousness and identification are opposite sides of the same coin. Did he mean we have to reverse identification? He meant that when awareness is unconscious, it is on the verge of becoming identified. And conversely, when awareness…
Does more awareness make the pain and suffering go away? It makes the identification go away, which releases the energy from pain and suffering. They remain, but they are less charged because your identity is less wrapped up in them…
THE IDEA of essence and personality in the fourth way is often presented as two separate things that are related. Essence is described as who we are as we are born, which includes our physical body, skin color, biological gender,…
It feels painful somehow to just give up problems and watch the ego dissolve. The pain of the ego dissipating is not a real pain. It is an imaginary pain of an imaginary identity. The Pure Being watching the dissipation…
Can you talk about the mind’s over-indulgence in thoughts and how this drives the ego? The ego is a result of awareness losing consciousness of itself and burying its head in the sand of thoughts, emotions, sensations, and movement. This…
The mind is a jar that contains things which we experience as thoughts, emotions, sensations, ideas, opinions, decisions, reactions, memories, doubts, fears, expectations, anxieties, suspicions, pain — the entire gamut of our interpretation of life. They are all there in the jar where lighter…
There is a slight shift inside when, during moments of suffering, you realize you are seeing the suffering without being part of it. These are important moments because normally all our attention is going toward our identity and what we are suffering. Such…
Resistance is a recoil of the four centers in response to pressure. It becomes psychologically negative only when ‘I’ gets attached to it. For example, the instinctive center feels pain, awareness identifies with it as ‘I’ feel pain, followed by a feeling…
It is more pronounced the more identified we are. For instance, when we feel proud. But it also gains intensity through negativity because our instinctive energy is then behind it full throttle. When you see yourself or someone else expressing…
Yes, although the idea of letting go needs to be understood in the right way. It is not about relinquishing possessions, achievements, relationships, or reputation. It is not even about relinquishing thoughts and negative emotions. It is about awareness letting…