𝗜 𝗔𝗺 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲
Pain can be here.
Bondage can be gone.
This is the part many miss.
Nonduality never erases the body.
It never erases the mind.
It never erases pain, grief, love, family, responsibility, or the world.
It reveals the mistake of identity.
𝘈𝘴𝘢ṅ𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘺𝘢ṁ 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘶ṣ𝘢ḥ — “𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥.”
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.15
The body exists.
The mind exists.
Emotion exists.
Pain exists.
The world exists.
They exist as experience.
They are felt.
They are known.
They have consequence.
This is human life.
The bondage begins when what appears becomes identity.
Pain arises, and the whole being contracts into:
“I am pain.”
Fear arises, and the whole world becomes:
“I am afraid.”
A thought appears, and the mind claims:
“This is me.”
That is the knot.
Freedom is the seeing of the knot.
Pain is here.
Pain is known.
Fear is here.
Fear is known.
The body is here.
The body is known.
The story is here.
The story is known.
What is known changes.
What knows remains.
Awareness is present before the thought.
Awareness is present during the pain.
Awareness is present after the emotion moves.
This is true detachment.
Clear.
Intimate.
Alive.
Pain can be fully felt without becoming the whole of existence.
Emotion can move without becoming the final truth.
The body can live without being mistaken for the Self.
This is true freedom.
This is the enlightened state.
Not escape.
Not denial.
Not dissociation.
Disidentification.
The human life continues.
Awareness remains free.
I am free.
Save this when nonduality gets used to bypass being human.
Art By Bradley Snook Art
#spirituality #selfawareness #mindfulness #innerwork #nonduality
In my personal journey towards embracing nonduality, I found that recognizing the difference between experiencing pain and identifying with it was transformative. Like the article points out, pain and emotion are undeniably part of life, but the crucial step is to avoid letting them define us. Pain can be here, and yet the feeling of "I am pain" is a construct of our mind's identification. Practicing mindfulness meditation helped me observe my thoughts and sensations without becoming entangled in them. For instance, when fear arises, instead of saying "I am afraid," I began to say, "fear is present, and I notice it." This change in perspective made a remarkable difference in reducing anxiety and feeling unshackled. The concept of disidentification resonates strongly: the body, mind, and emotions exist and can be fully felt without merging their experiences with our core self. This approach does not mean denial or dissociation; rather, it means living fully while maintaining awareness of the transient nature of feelings and thoughts. Moreover, understanding "This Self is unattached" from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad offered profound insight. I've learned that awareness itself is constant and free, the silent witness to all experiences — pain, grief, joy, and love alike. Every moment can be deeply felt without losing sight of this freedom. A key part I often remind myself is that freedom is not about escaping being human but about embracing the fullness of human experience without getting caught by the illusion of identity. This practice, while challenging at times, leads to a clear, intimate, and alive presence that truly defines the enlightened state. Lastly, the imperfect OCR phrase "EYERY MOMEN CNE BLOVY IN DIFFICENT" seems to suggest that "Every moment can be lovely in different [ways]," which beautifully aligns with the message here: each moment holds its own unique experience; being fully aware allows us to find freedom and beauty even in pain or difficulty.
