From personal self to infinite impersonal self.
Welcome to this meditation.
We begin with the familiar sense of one's identity,
The roles,
Thoughts,
Stories that shape the personal self.
Together,
We'll journey inward,
Beyond the surface of identity,
Into the spacious presence of pure awareness self,
The infinite impersonal self.
One's formless being,
That which cannot be described or known.
Before we begin,
Here is a question for you to reflect on.
When you sense the personal self,
Where does it feel most active?
In the thoughts and stories?
In the emotions and moods?
In the body and physical identity?
Or all of these combined?
Now there is no right or wrong answer.
Simply notice what feels true for you in this moment.
Now I'd like you to sit comfortably either on a cushion on the floor or in a chair.
Close your eyes and rest your hands on your lap.
Keep your spine and neck straight,
Shoulders relaxed.
Now breathe in gently through your nose,
A long deep breath,
Mouth closed.
Then at the top of your breath,
Pause for a moment,
Then exhale slowly.
Pause again at the bottom of the breath before your next incoming breath.
Now let your breath find its own natural rhythm.
Importantly,
Remain relaxed,
Aware,
And here.
Begin by noticing the familiar sense of the personal self.
The I that says,
This is my body,
My mind,
These are my thoughts,
This is my life.
The roles you play,
The memories you carry,
The stories you tell,
And the hopes you hold.
See how the personal self weaves memories and experiences,
Shaping an identity out of a multitude of life's moments.
Now step back for a moment.
Are you aware of a presence which observes all of these life activities?
Become aware of that which is noticing all of this.
The thoughts,
The feelings,
The experiences,
All of which appear,
Then ultimately fade.
But the awareness that sees them remains steady,
Unchanging,
And untouched.
This awareness is one's witnessing presence.
Rest as this witness.
Be still.
Be here.
As this presence,
There is no struggle to hold on to an identity,
Beliefs,
Concepts,
Or one's narrative.
Drop all such attachments.
Become empty.
Awareness does not belong to a person.
It simply is.
Spacious,
Boundless,
Timeless,
And eternal.
Notice how open,
Expansive,
Light,
And free,
How it feels when you are not confined to the form of a me.
A me with an identity.
A me as a personality.
Try not to resist.
Remain open to the expansion.
Be still.
Be here.
Now allow all yourself to stand back further.
Beyond even the witness,
Awareness is the infinite impersonal self.
Here there is no boundary,
No center,
No dimensions.
No personal story.
No one being anything.
There is no doing.
No striving.
All is spaciously,
Still,
And ever-embracing.
Only pure being is this reality.
Limitless,
Luminous,
And formless.
The impersonal self is not touched by thought,
By impression,
Or by change.
It is the silence behind every sound.
The stillness within every moment,
Within every movement.
The infinite source in which the finite personal self dissolves.
Rest here.
No effort.
No identity.
No self-belief.
Only the infinite,
Formless,
Spacious,
Impersonal self.
One's boundless awareness.
One's eternal presence.
One is this presence of pure awareness.
Now when thoughts return,
Simply notice them as small ripples on the vast ocean of timeless awareness.
You are not the ripple.
You are the ocean.
The infinite itself.
Conclusion You have moved from the narrow sense of the personal self into the vast presence of the infinite,
Impersonal self.
Here there is no effort.
No identity.
No boundary.
Only the stillness of pure being.
Now as you return to your day,
Take this reflection,
Will you?
When resting as the impersonal self,
How does life appear?
Lighter?
More open?
Spacious and free?
Connected to all that is?
Peaceful and still?
Whichever feels the most true for you in this moment,
Let it be your reminder of what is always here.
Awareness itself.
The true essence of you.
