Hello again.
Take a moment to quietly be aware of what is happening inside your mind.
Have you noticed there is often a quiet conversation going on?
Stream of thoughts,
Comments,
Judgments,
Questions.
An almost continuous dialogue with yourself.
Even now as you listen to these words.
There may be an inner commentary on what you are hearing.
Perhaps agreeing or disagreeing.
Most probably because these inner conversations have been with you for so long.
They're simply here,
Mostly.
Unnoticed.
But what happens when you begin to become aware of them?
When you notice this constant conversation.
An interesting question can arise.
Why is the mind always talking?
Could it be because the mind is continually trying to make sense of what is happening?
Interpreting,
Comparing.
Remembering,
Anticipating.
And telling the story of what it believes all this means.
And even more importantly,
Who is the mind talking to?
If the mind is talking to itself,
Then Who was the one talking?
And who was the one listening?
Are they two of you?
And if there appears to be two,
Which one is actually you?
The real you.
The one speaking or the one that is aware of the speaking.
This can be an intriguing question,
Because if you stay with it,
If you don't rush to find an answer.
It can begin to open to something much deeper.
You can begin to notice.
That the voice in the mind is doing far more than simply thinking.
It is telling a story about what is happening.
It is saying,
I like this.
Oh,
I don't like that.
Oh,
This is going well.
Oh,
I could have done that differently.
I wonder what will happen next.
Are they happy now?
And then there is the mind talking about the future.
What could happen?
What you should say.
What someone else might suggest.
And beneath all of this,
There is something even more subtle.
The mind is continually reminding you.
Of who you are.
What has happened to you?
What do you believe?
What you like and don't like.
He keeps telling the story of this person.
This separate someone.
The individual called me.
Now just for a moment step back from the story.
Just be aware of what is happening.
There is a sword.
And there is the awareness of the thought.
There is a voice.
And there is something that hears the voice.
And if you remain with this for a moment longer,
You may notice something else.
The one who is listening is not only aware when thoughts are present,
But also aware of the moments when the mind feels quiet.
The gap between.
When one thought is ended,
And another has yet to appear.
And in that space,
That gap.
There was a quiet,
Still silence.
Presence.
Thoughts are temporary appearances.
They arise.
They remain for a while.
And then they pass.
The mind moves.
Feelings change.
Memories appear.
Experiences come and go.
And yet.
.
.
What is silently aware of this?
Is not changed by any of the movements of the mind.
Thoughts have a history.
They carry memories,
Experiences,
Interpretations.
And the story of who you believe yourself to be.
But that which is aware of all of this.
Is not touched by the history of these thoughts.
The story changes.
The thoughts change.
The person you believe yourself to be changes.
Yet awareness itself has no story to tell.
No history to defend.
No identity to maintain.
And no experience to be lived.
It simply is,
Quietly and separably.
Behind all.
So perhaps what you have always taken yourself to be,
A constantly changing stream of thoughts.
Is not the wholeness of what you are.
Because as these thoughts come and go.
You are that which remains untouched by their movements.
You can rest as the quiet awareness.
In which they appear.
Now carry this wisdom with you.
That beneath all the movements of the mind.
There is a quietness that has remained unmoved,
Undisturbed.
Whenever the mind becomes busy.
You can quietly notice.
Whenever the story begins to arise.
You can remain aware.
And present.
And in this awareness,
There is already a quiet sense of spacious freedom.
A gentle flow and ease.
So for now.
.
.
Simply rest here.
Quietly aware.
And present.
And open yourself to recognise.
That this basis in personal presence.
The real you.
