The wellspring of peace and happiness is inside us. To discover it, we must move beyond our notion of an outside.
The Bodily Self
Beneath the noise of thought, there is the ever-present tingling on our skin. In the mind’s eye, it appears as the nebulous shape of our body, visible even in complete darkness.
This twofold perception constitutes the bodily self. It forms the foundation of our individuality, creating the boundary between what is us and what is not. While our bodily self is intrinsic to how we engage with the world as distinct beings, it has become unnaturally heightened.
Our bodily self now stands as a barrier, splitting our reality into two. From this silent rift, inner and outer have been born—encased within our bodies, we feel separated from the rest of the world. We find ourselves in duality, a realm that knows only opposites and turmoil.
Duality reduces us to hollow shells, draining our lives of their essence. In our efforts to replenish this void within, we search the world for meaning yet find mirages instead, becoming lost in apathy and despair. A profound disquiet settles in us: we are veiled from who we truly are.
The path beyond duality leads us to the depths of our being where selfhood has no substance. We uncover the canvas upon which our lives come to be, the reality that lends all appearances their existence.
As we step onto this path and begin to see through our sense of separation, the bodily self gradually dissolves. With this dissolution, our experience of space itself changes.
The Illusion of Space
An unnaturally prominent bodily self not only affects us mentally but also warps our perception of the world.
A heightened bodily self fragments our vision, manifesting as empty space between ourselves and what we see. Objects then seem distanced from us, as though they exist independently outside our own bodies.
As the bodily self dissolves, so does the impression of space. Perceptions draw closer to us, until no boundary appears between self and other.
In the absence of duality, the division of subject and object resolves into a singular flow of experience. Our eyes open to a direct, unfiltered view of reality, and we no longer feel detached from our surroundings.
While the illusion of space mirrors our dualistic condition, the underlying cause of this separation remains overlooked.
Self-contraction
We carry a deep tension within us, often without realizing it.
A persistent contraction has anchored itself in our bodies, becoming so ingrained that our identity is entangled with it. This state blends into the background of our daily lives, leaving a knot in our chests and stomachs.
We internalize this contraction from an early age due to social conditioning. It is the mechanism that creates our experience of control: the tension we hold to preserve our sense of self. As troubling thoughts and situations arise, we tighten this grip on our bodies in search of security, not seeing that it can only make us vulnerable.
Self-contraction heightens the bodily self, binding us in duality. It is the root of our separateness and suffering—the obstacle we must overcome to reach liberation.
The armor we trusted to shield us is unmasked as the prison that confines us. With dawning clarity, our attachment to it begins to erode, and the walls we uphold lose their solidity. Resistance gives way to acceptance of what is. We surrender the helm of control.
As we let go of the self-contraction like unclenching a fist, a great burden lifts from our shoulders. With this release, relaxation takes hold, and the struggle to swim against the current of life ends. We recognize the part of ourselves that was never real, a contracted fabrication now shed.
We are free from the shackles of our own design. Life unfolds unperturbed, and the bodily self dissolves as we no longer cling to it. A new purpose greets us; effortlessness guides our path.
Non-duality
Our journey comes to a close. A new chapter begins.
The bodily self dissolves to its natural state, receding from the foreground of our experience. Space and distance disappear from our view, while the grip of self-contraction remains but a memory.
As the veil of separation falls, we see the illusoriness of the self. The bounds of our bodies dissipate: we are liberated from the constraints of duality.
We awaken to non-duality, the ultimate reality in which no division exists. It is the fabric of the universe, without qualities or parts, where beingness and becoming weave together as a limitless whole. From this primordial unity spring all forms and phenomena, endlessly arising and subsiding back into their source.
Our identities as individuals are no more, yet this awareness is what brings us into harmony with the world. We are held by the eternal oneness of life. All suffering ceases.
A sense of pure fulfillment washes over us. From beneath the emptiness that once resided within us, boundless joy emerges, and we realize who we are. The path leads us into an ocean of peace.