fear of nothing

deep down, we know the mental structure we've created of who we are to be a pretty shaky thing. this shakiness terrifies us, because we think that the structure's collapse would mean the worst thing imaginable.

this deep fear is what keeps us from the freedom that is encountered when, after the smoke of the crumbling structure clears, the limitless expanse of freed consciousness is revealed.

attention no longer fixed on an object, and yet experience of being still present, consciousness has no choice but to acknowledge itself as formlessness, openness; pure, aware presence.

propped up

all of the things that make us suffer prolongedly are propped up on one foundational belief: that we are a personality that needs to be defined, maintained and defended in every moment.

the situation is like a shaky jenga tower resting on one single piece. remove that piece and all of the structures above have no choice but to come crashing down, no matter how extensive or complex they've gotten.

freedom is the base

on top of which we have the habit of placing limiting structures. we then perceive these structures (which couldn't exist without the base of freedom) more than the base itself. we take the ground for granted and look for freedom elsewhere. we're experiencing bondage within the context of freedom.

different types of bondage will come and go, but freedom will always be there. bondage is said to be an illusion because it's invented. everyone suffers a different brand of it, depending on their past experience and conditioning. one person might see through the lies of another's way of self-enslavement, but remain blind to his or her own.

when it comes down to it, the jail-like structures we construct around our inherently free nature are pretty mundane; what's enslaving us at the moment might be as simple as a worry over our unsatisfactory behavior last night at a social gathering. they're also constantly in flux, so that today we're oppressed by the demands we place on ourselves as we push a cart through the supermarket.