Free Your Mind — Day 185

We're looking at the independent nature of our awareness – the faculty of our human mind. At this first level of our minds, we are practicing in order to install this perspective of sitting in our awareness as a steady background state. This will allow us to clearly observe the world and ourselves in increasing detail and insight.

One thing we find is that there is an outside and an inside world. We have to gain our independence from both.

Outside World

This is where we're usually and unconsciously stuck – trapped in our Mind Movies ("he said, she said...") and we don't even know it. Our feelings are determined – we get upset or happy – by what happens with the people and events in our world. This is a very tricky place to be stuck because we don't have as much control over the outside world as we'd like.

Inside World

Being here is progress! Now you've illuminated the inside of your mind. While you're still stuck in the outside, you got no chance. Here you're aware that there are thoughts, emotions and a body experience going on, but at first they're the boss of you, and you can feel at the mercy of your ruminating thoughts or overwhelming anxiety. Eventually though, you'll gain your independence from them.

PRACTICE

Keep coming back to a moment of simple and independent awareness.

Noticing 1 breath frees you from the outside.

Noticing that you're noticing/aware frees you from the inside.