First Principle

"Do not let the mind cast its shadow over the moon of your heart: let go of thinking." ~Rumi
All the transformational teachings of our time may be summarized in one principle: I am not my thoughts.

Whatever may be the content of this mind, it is not who I am. From the trauma or the nightmare, from the memory or the old story, from the craving or the passion I carry within me, I am instantly free, simply by virtue of observing that the one who watches this mental content cannot possibly be this mental content.

The I who perceives an object is self-liberated in the very act of perceiving. Any object or thought, however insignificant, can be our liberator, by drawing us into a perception that awakens the one who perceives. This is so obvious that we constantly overlook the opportunity for enlightenment, an opportunity inherent in each waking moment when the subject perceives an object.

Just as one who says, "this is my body," must be other than the body, so one who says, "this is my mind," must be other than the mind. Such an utterly simple act of self-recognition bestows immediate spiritual dignity and freedom, whether I am rich or poor, healthy or sick, in a prison cell or a seaside villa. We can accomplish liberating self-recognition instantly and without effort: this is the essential spiritual practice of the coming age.

I am the sparkling clarity of the one who watches my thoughts, regardless of whether those thoughts are pleasant or painful. I am the brilliant empty sky; my thoughts are only the clouds that pass through it. I am free now, and I know it without thinking or believing it.

I am the way, the truth and the life: no one comes to enlightenment except through the Self who is free from thinking.

What other grace, what other salvation does one require?

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