Beliefs are not important by Emma Vazquez

Consciousness simply "is aware." It doesn't analyze, interpret, try to change anything, or believe.

Working on beliefs may provide some temporary relief, but it is a branch-tool. It is not the root. It is not the "end." And if you get caught in the "I have to work on myself," "I have to evolve," "I have to become more conscious," all you will do is go in circles. You will enter the mind's game. Its trap.

Beliefs are thoughts that we believe in. And it doesn't matter what color you paint them (limiting, empowering, earthly, spiritual, good, bad) because they are still thoughts. Focusing all your energy, your focus, your attention on them is just another distraction from SEEING that they have no relevance. They say nothing about you because WHAT you are is not that person, that someone, that self you think is full of beliefs.

The question to answer is: WHO AM I? (it is not a "who")

As long as you don't know, as long as you remain identified with that "self," no matter how conscious and spiritual you try to appear, you will still be caught in the black or white clouds that come and go. You may try to change a black cloud for a white one, and it might help calm you for a while, but then another belief will come along with which you will identify.

It's like putting on a mask and believing you are that mask. You try to "spiritualize, illuminate, make the mask more conscious, improve it" because you BELIEVE that this way you will be freer. But what you don't realize is that you are not the mask! So no matter how beautiful it is, you will still feel that "something is missing." And what is missing is SEEING that you are the nakedness, not the clothing you wear.

When you "understand" WHAT you are, a disidentification from that "self" occurs. And although you still have your likes, your hobbies, your particularities, you stop giving importance to all those beliefs, programs, thoughts, emotions that appear because you KNOW they don't have any. They are indifferent to you.

The Focus is not on "what beliefs do I have" but on "who" has those beliefs. @ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual

“If you understand that the world isn’t separated into self and other, you’ll see very clearly that there is no such thing as enlightenment. There can’t be. After all, who is there to be enlightened? You would have to be someone before you could experience enlightenment. There would have to be a self to get free. But (imaginary) selves don’t get free. It’s true that when you wake up from this trance, you’re free of all suffering. But saying it that way still points to a “someone”, a being who is supposedly “awakened.” It’s only when you see the Buddha as a separate self that you can form the concept that he’s enlightened. All these spiritual concepts are just creations of mind.”

“The thoughts are what allow the I to believe that it has an identity. When you see that, you see that there’s no you to be enlightened. You stop believing in yourself as an identity, and you become equal to everything.”

“Nothing has ever happened but a thought.”

“It’s all a projection of mind. To imagine that there is anything outside the mind is pure delusion.”

“Whatever people say or do, how can you be upset with them when you know that they’re projections of your own mind? When the mind realizes this, there’s nothing to project itself as. Even the mind is its own theory. There’s no one to be upset. There’s only mind playing in the apparent world of itself. The Buddha-mind can never be stuck in the nonexistent past or future. So it’s impossible that it would ever experience anything but the joy that comes out of that understanding. The fact is that you’ve never reacted to someone else. You project meaning onto nothing, and you react to the meaning you yourself have projected. Loneliness comes from an honest place—you’re the only one here. There are no humans. You’re it. When you question your thoughts, you come to realize that. It’s the end of the world—the joyful end of a world that never existed in the first place.” Byron Katie @ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual

4) "And if you have CLARITY about this, you will also see that most therapies, tools, methods, and techniques aim to fix, heal, or positivize a 'self' that is an illusion. At a given moment, they may provide relief, comfort, but little more because you'll be working with a mental story of a character that isn't real. Because that 'self' is a thought. And a thought is nothing. You don't cut to the root of the 'pain.' You just apply a band-aid. You don't SEE the trap. You just add another mask. Until another mental story emerges, one you identify with again, one you label as truth because you haven't seen the trap, the trick, the illusion, and the cycle repeats. It's the fish biting its own tail.

I'm not suggesting that you stop therapy or using techniques to understand yourself. I'm simply laying the cards on the table. I'm describing 'what is.'

And if there is no 'self,' no 'someone,' your Enlightenment cannot be real either. Because who is supposed to be Enlightened? A thought...?

The Life that you are and we all are already Enlightenment. It's already Perfection. It doesn't need to attain any other state. It doesn't need to return home. It doesn't need to reach Nirvana because it already is, always, manifesting in whatever form it takes.

It's Life. And as Life, we're experiencing all kinds of experiences. Each 'one' gets their turn, as if we were characters in a movie, with a script written by Life (not 'you' or 'me') in every moment."
@ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual

3) Becoming aware of the trap of the "self," realizing that a thought is not a fact, not a reality, forms the root of everything else. It's our identification with those thoughts, with the stories that arise—mental narratives—that leads us to interpret Reality as we do. This identification causes suffering. It makes us want to escape, flee from Life as it is in each moment. It drives us to NEED to seek eternal happiness, enlightenment, our Home, or a soulmate.

Life "is what it is," not what we interpret it to be. Not what we think it is. Not what others have told us it is. Not what we've read about it. Not the theories we've heard. Not what we've BELIEVED it to be.

If I accidentally hit my knee, that's the fact. That's "what is." The only thing that IS. And all the thoughts that arise—why does this always happen to me, how clumsy am I, is this a sign, does it mean I have pent-up emotions, and so on—ARE NOT REALITY. They're merely a succession of thoughts that emerge "from nowhere and from no one" in that moment. They're like clouds in the sky. We don't need to give them importance or pay attention to them. Because it's those narratives, those interpretations, that cause our suffering—not the pain itself from the impact.

Similarly, you KNOW that when you have sexual fantasies about someone you like or imagine playing in the World Cup final or performing in a concert before thousands of people, those are NOT TRUE because they're not real. The same applies to "spiritual or non-spiritual fantasies" about "whatever."

It's the same: thoughts, thoughts, and more thoughts creating a movie. That's it. It's that simple. No more. And thoughts will continue to arise because that's how our organism functions. We've been giving them our full attention. We've fueled them with energy. We've paid them heed. And the more attention we give them, the more they appear—just like a social media algorithm constantly shows us what we look at most. The mechanism is identical. That's our algorithm too: the thoughts presented to us are the ones we invest time and energy in. But that doesn't mean they represent reality. It means they're what we focus on from the entire spectrum of available Life possibilities.

We do this (it happens) automatically, unconsciously. We don't intervene in the production, elimination, identification, or disidentification of thoughts. REMEMBER, it's not about doing or not doing something; it's about SEEING, understanding, becoming aware of how we function.

And when you KNOW that thoughts, of any kind, hold no relevance, you don't grant them any power. No truth. You naturally stop paying attention to them because you've removed their mask, their disguise. You've SEEN the trap. And once you see it, you no longer believe it. It's like knowing the magician's trick to guess a card. It no longer surprises you. It becomes indifferent. You've stripped it of its power.

Or it's like when you discover that Santa Claus doesn't exist. You can continue pretending, playing along, but the illusion... it has already fallen away . ???

2) Disidentification is a consequence, a side effect of seeing, of realizing, of becoming aware.

It's as if from the moment you're born, people tell you that you're a monkey and teach you to behave like one. Until one day, Life places a mirror in front of you, and you realize that you're not a monkey. You had only believed it because that's what they kept repeating to you from the beginning. When you see yourself, you naturally stop identifying with the monkey because you know in that moment that you are not one. But you haven't actively done anything to achieve this disidentification. No tools, techniques, or lengthy processes were necessary. You've simply seen the trap, the deception, the belief. And it's in seeing the lie that the eternal Truth emerges.

This seeing, this clarity, happens in an instant. When you see in the mirror that you're not a monkey, it's immediate. You don't need years to do it. No prolonged effort is required.

Now, why does it sometimes feel like we have an ego, a "self"? Because those thoughts referring to "I" or "me," which lead to identification, get stretched out over time.

What does this mean? Reflect on a typical day of yours. Most of the time, we're engaged in various activities: eating, drinking, working, reading, walking, watching a movie, dancing, creating, writing, sleeping, cooking—essentially, living. But occasionally, that identification-thought arises, and it seems as though it has dominated the entire day. It's like feeling sadness four times in a day and then saying, "Yesterday, I was sad all day." But that's a lie! You only felt sadness four times, and the rest of the time, you were "fine." Yet, we give those four moments undue importance, infusing them with energy and intensity, leading us to believe that this is our perpetual state.

We tend to magnify discomfort, pain, "negative" emotions, and darkness. We inflate them like a giant balloon or a mountain out of a grain of sand. Consequently, many people end up believing that life is dangerous or that "the world is in terrible shape." Not because it truly is, but because they're amplifying a mere part of the whole.

This doesn't mean that sadness, violence, or pain don't exist, but they don't define the entirety. They are moments. Fleeting instances. They're like clouds that appear and then disappear. Clouds that we mistakenly think last longer than they actually do.

It's a false perception. Just like the belief in the existence of the ego. Therefore, transcending the ego, eliminating it, improving it, fixing it, or doing anything with it makes no sense because IT DOES NOT EXIST. These are merely thoughts that automatically arise throughout the day, and we give them undue importance. After all, what significance does a mere thought have? Would you "work on," heal, therapize, educate, or control a thought? It's nonsensical.

If you can see this, you'll also see that the "spiritual ego" and the "seeker" don't exist because the trap is the same. It's based on the belief in that "self." The mistaken belief that there's someone inside you who has nothing to do with the rest of Life. You can call it "I," ego, soul, essence, Being—it doesn't matter. The erroneous belief is that you're something or someone individual and separate from everything else, striving to achieve "whatever." Separated from Life (or whatever name you choose) that we all are.

There are bodies, organisms, with their particularities, their "form," just as each wave is distinct, but ALL are the same water, the same Ocean, the same Life. ???

1) "The 'self' that seeks enlightenment does not exist.
By Emma Vázquez

We are born without a 'self.' Without a 'me.' Without an identity. And as time passes, our parents, teachers, culture, and society clothe us with a name, beliefs, 'shoulds,' and 'ought tos.' They shape us in their 'image and likeness,' until we end up BELIEVING that we are that name with all the labels that have been attached to it. With all the goals, objectives, purposes, and meanings of life that we've heard throughout that time. We take them for granted. They become ingrained in our 'skin' without asking for permission, like applications or programs installed on a computer. And we don't even question them because we're so accustomed to them that we've normalized them, making it difficult for us to be aware of them. Because everything around us more or less believes the same and acts, reacts, as if it were a separate 'self' that needs to fill a void by achieving 'whatever.'

It's as if a wave in the ocean believed itself to be something different from the ocean because it has a particular shape with distinct characteristics.

EVERYTHING you perceive is the ocean with millions of wave-forms: human beings, animals, minerals, thoughts, emotions, viruses, flowers, sunrises, heat, cold, war, peace, chairs, televisions, trees, computers, books, mountains, planets, stars, paper, scissors, hurricanes, fire... There is nothing that is not that Unity, that Totality, that Absolute, that Space, that Unconditional Love, that Consciousness, that God. Call it whatever you like. It's just a name given to the ONE. To Life. A Life where EVERYTHING is included. Where nothing can be left out. Where there are no rules, norms, commandments, or conditions to be deserving of BEING Life. Where there is no better Life or worse Life. Where EVERYTHING is the SAME Life happening in the same instant.

We are both the blank page and what is painted on it, regardless of the color used. Nothing is Separate. We are not connected; we ARE THE SAME, but with different forms.

The waves of the ocean ARE the ocean in wave form. With the same water.

There is no one 'inside' each person's body with an individual identity and free will. There is a body, an organism with distinct characteristics from others, functioning on its own. And simultaneously, there is a 'being Conscious' of everything that arises and happens. But it's not a 'someone-me' who is 'conscious of.' It's simply a BEING, a happening, a sensing, a thinking, a living.

What deceives us are the thoughts that appear. And where do they come from? This is one of the questions that distracts us the most. And it does so because there is no answer. Because it's unknown. Because it's an unresolved mystery.

The so-called Mind is a concept, but in reality, there is no mind. The 'mind' is a succession of thoughts that appear 'nowhere.' Call it 'space' if you want, but it's not a specific place. It's 'something' abstract.

And the same applies to the 'self' and the so-called 'ego.' They don't exist. They are only thoughts that arise automatically, and identification can occur when we take them for granted. When we believe them. And that identification is also automatic. It simply happens. We don't choose it. Because there is no 'someone' who can do it. Because that 'self' we believe to be, that we think is 'someone,' is just a thought saying: I am this, I am that, I am like this, I am like that.

It's not something that can be changed voluntarily because there is no 'someone' who can do it. Just as there is no one inside the chrysalis guiding and deciding the steps to transform into a butterfly. It simply happens naturally. You can REALIZE this by observing it. And perhaps, by observing it, by Seeing it, by understanding it, there might be a natural disidentification from those thoughts."

Why is it so hard to see through the ego, to let it go - to stop believing in the solidity of the little guy? Why do we hold on to this apparently real self, when beneath and around and above and swimming all through it is this gorgeous other reality that really is real, that can be counted on for sustenance, for perfect peacefulness? Why deny ourselves this, for the sake of something so paltry by comparison - for a thing that causes so much trouble, even pain?
- Jan Frazier, Opening the Door @ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual

Everything about a “person” is the very opposite of who you really are. The person is
imperfect. The real you is perfect. The person is temporary and limited. The real you is
permanent and unlimited. The person is born and dies. The real you is never born and never
dies. The person is personal and unstable. The real you is impersonal and always stable. The
person has changing moods. The real you is constant happiness and peace. The person is full of
judgments and opinions. The real you is allowing and accepting of everything. The person gets
sick and becomes old. The real you is not subject to aging, and sickness can never touch you.
The person suffers. The real you is free of all pain and suffering. The person dies. The real you
exists for all eternity. Rhonda Byrne. @ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual

“Why is it so hard to see through the ego, to let it go—to stop believing in the solidity of the
little guy? Why do we hold on to this apparently real self, when beneath and around and above
and swimming all through it is this gorgeous other reality that really is real, that can be counted
on for sustenance, for perfect peacefulness? Why deny ourselves this, for the sake of something
so paltry by comparison—for a thing that causes so much trouble, even pain?”
Jan Frazier, from Opening the Door @ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual

@ConsciousnessAwarenessSpiritual