The assumed separate person

Our mind, based on misunderstanding, assumes we are a separate person apart from reality. Then we seek a path, practice, goal and so on. But the problem is a creation of thought. Without the thoughts, is there a problem!? The concept on which all other troubling concepts is based is the notion of the separate “I”. The one with the problem (the “I”) is the problem itself! Until this is seen, the seeking, suffering and doubts cannot help but go on. How can an illusory character let go of an illusion which is, in fact, itself? - John Wheeler

You do not create the next thought. . .

If you look closely at thoughts moment by moment, you will see that the thoughts are not generated by a conceptual "I" at all. "You" actually do not create the next thought. It appears and the mind steps in and erroneously interprets that the thought was generated by the phantom character called "I". There is no such entity present. John Wheeler

The ego is a concept. . .

The ego is a concept, an assumption. It is merely an idea. What is that idea? It is the notion that you stand apart from the deeper reality of things as an independent and autonomous self, a limited being. As you look into this matter, you find that this assumption proves to be entirely false. So the ego simply evaporates due to discovering its non-existence. There is no “ego death” needed or possible, because there is no ego present to die. - John Wheeler

You are not a seeker. . .

See what you actually are, not what you think you are. You are not a seeker, a person, an unadvanced soul or any other concept proposed by mind. You are nothing short of the non-dual reality here and now. The answer is not in the mind and cannot be approached by any definition, concept or thought. Before the next thought appears, you are. Your being and its aware nature are fully evident. Your identity as that is clear now, if you take a few moments to verify this. - John Wheeler

The great ego. . .

The great ego turns out to be a lifeless jack-in-the-box. Even more, when you look inside, “Jack” is missing! When you look into the mind, all you find are a few thoughts, feelings and perceptions. You do not find a defective, limited person — only the space of pure knowing and being, or the non-conceptual, ever-fresh presence of awareness itself. Now you know you are THAT. That is the main point. All the suffering and seeking was only believing in a thought about someone who never existed. - John Wheeler

All bets are off

I have not overcome suffering, because such a statement presumes there is an “I” who has attained such a state. However, a looking did not happen to find the “I”. No such thing was found to exist. All belief in it ended precisely then. Not for “me”. The belief just ended. I make no claims about what “I” have attained. If I ever find an “I”, I might be able to say something about it. Until then, all bets are off! - John Wheeler

Belief in self centered thoughts. . .

A bit of belief goes into the reference point of the separate self and the thoughts about that entity are assumed as true. In this, the natural state, which never departs, is overlooked. Nothing is wrong or lost at any time. You will see that with this basic insight, less and less energy is capable of going into the mind and its beliefs. You are always the light of awareness illuminating whatever appears. Look at this mechanism of suffering until it is clear. You cannot be free of something that is not understood. So make sure all this is clear. Then the root of suffering is resolved. Essentially suffering is believing in self-centered thoughts. The remedy is to remove, through clear seeing, the belief in the self center. All other beliefs hang on the belief in that core concept. It is as simple as that. - John Wheeler

Clarifying who you are. . .

Clarifying who you are and resolving suffering are the same movement, two sides of the same coin. All experiences (thoughts, feelings and objects perceived) arise as appearances. But there is something in you that does not arise or appear. Yet it cannot be denied because it is what you are. Initially this is simply pointed out as the sense of being, which is present and aware. Notice this as the constant presence through which all experiences naturally flow, like a river. Then you are no longer being swept along by the current of events. You remain rooted in a solid source. Suffering and problems are seen for what they are — mental phenomena, mere images passing through the light of awareness. Your home is in and as that non-conceptual awareness. You no longer experience yourself as a limited self bound by imagination and concepts. - John Wheeler

Suffering

Suffering is self-centered thinking. It is thoughts about "I", what "I" should do, what "I" should be, about "my" life, and so on. If there is no belief or interest in them, they just sail through. They have no real bearing on you or your identity because you are not a thought. And most importantly, you are not the person that the thoughts are ostensibly about. If we find ourselves struggling with thoughts, there is some residual identification with the person concept. Who, what and where is this person at the center of thoughts? This is the root concept that keeps the conceptual cycle in motion. The core belief is the assumed presence of the person, the "I" at the center of the self-centered concepts. So, rather than deal with the thoughts on a piece-meal basis, go for the root. Investigate the person. Where is it? Can you find it? Does it exist? If you cannot find the person, then there is no one to whom the self-centered concepts apply. Without the belief in that reference point, the whole network of suffering thoughts is deactivated. They do not belong to anyone. The self concept is the cause, and the self-centered thoughts are the effects. . . John Wheeler

Advice from John Wheeler

My advice is to drop the paradigm of "awakening", "enlightenment", and "liberation". That is a worn out model that is primarily useful for those who want to accumulate followers and promise them things they do not need. It may be good for business (it generates repeat customers!), but for knowing yourself, it is entirely misleading. Your real being is ever-present and fully established. If you get interested in concepts, you follow them. In doing so, you may overlook the constant freedom that has never gone anywhere. Your true nature is not something you achieve, get or attain, either now or in the future. There is no need for awakening, enlightenment or liberation. Why? Because your true self is already present, and the separate self who would want to awaken does not exist. You are freedom itself. Everything else is a false concept arising in the ever-present awareness you never left. You are nothing but non-conceptual presence-awareness itself. So why continue to talk in terms of a separate self that has no existence or about attainments that are entirely unnecessary? - John Wheeler

John Wheeler

In the end, you see that your being is not a matter of work or effort. You are what you are. Your ever-present self is not the result of a process. Work and striving are in time, but what you are is already here. So it is hard to see how relying on time or effort could help you arrive at what is timeless and naturally present. This is about something so simple that we constantly overlook it due to assuming it is complicated. That is why many a seeker gave a good laugh when the basic point struck home. If you have been striving and struggling with this, it might be time to ponder on who is doing all that work! Certainly not your real nature. Then who — and why? That is why the question "Who am I?" is so potent. It immediately exposes the root of the issue, which is the nebulous sense of self at the core of our seeking and suffering. A little bit of looking and the bottom falls out straight away. - John Wheeler

Who is in bondage?

Who is the entity in bondage to beliefs, you ask? No one. That is the point! The separate self is only a conceptual dust-devil swirling in the clear, open sky of non-conceptual awareness that you are and which is entirely free right now. Step back a moment and see that you are already what you are seeking. Here and now, you are that non-conceptual awareness. Do not dig around in the dust bin of the mind looking for answers and reasons for a problem that never existed! You have been falsely enamored of the mind and were giving it too much weight. Just see the thoughts as thoughts, and let them be. Who even cares about the activity of the mind? Does the sky care if a few clouds blow through? Is it caught in the clouds? You have seen what needs to be seen. So just pause and be what you are. Besides, what are thoughts anyhow? Only vibrations of awareness itself. Nothing is ever appearing except awareness! You are that awareness. The thoughts are only awareness. Nothing is happening at all! If you think "you" are bound, stuck or limited, look for that supposed limited entity and you will find nothing except pure, ever-present freedom itself. Look like this and any interest in the apparent mind is over with. You have been boxing with a shadow. There was no opponent present. And who would want to put the brakes on the mind activity (if such a thing were possible)? Who owns that concept? That is just another self-centered story for a self that never was! A bit of clear seeing burns through these flimsy concepts like a blowtorch pointed at a few stray pieces of lint. You are NOT bound. Nothing is wrong. It is all a concept, an illusion. Step out of the mind entirely and reclaim the ever-present freedom that you have never lost. You are freedom itself. Everything else is a concept that has no reality whatsoever. - John Wheeler

No limited, separate self

Your true nature is fully present and immediately evident now. Before the next thought appears, you are and you know that you are. This non-conceptual presence of awareness beyond thought IS the non-dual reality. And you are THAT. It is not achieved or attained. It IS. Thoughts, feelings, perceptions or experiences may appear within awareness, but they have no substance or independent nature. They do not exist, except as appearances. They are momentary vibrations in, on and of awareness itself. Time, space, body, mind and world are notions that have no reality except when conceived. There is certainly no such thing as a limited, separate self standing apart from awareness. For this reason, all the suffering, seeking, doubts, questions and problems for and about this seeming self are imaginary. They survive due to belief in a cause that, in fact, has never existed.

Enlightenment and liberation are concepts because there is no one present to be enlightened or liberated. Still less is there a need for any undertakings such as deepening the understanding, living the teaching, resolving one's problems or freeing other beings. There is no "post-awakening" work to do, because there is no awakening, no person and no external world or beings in need of improvement. All seeking, suffering and doubts are resolved in understanding the simple fact that you are already what you are seeking and that the imagined separate self has never existed. - John Wheeler

Your identity as awareness

The basic truth is your identity as awareness or consciousness itself. In the last analysis, all that appears is non-different from this consciousness presence. Thus, non-duality. This is the main aspect, but there is more to it than just this. There is what I call the "mechanism" of suffering. It is the notion of the presence of a limited sense of self or "I". Once this notion kicked in, we went looking to define that "I" in the images and identifications created in the mind. The problem is that you are not in the mind. In fact, there is no "I" at all. It is a false assumption. However, as long as it is operative, the energy of belief propels us back into the mind, searching for reality, identity and happiness — for the assumed separate self. - John Wheeler

See what you are. . .

Self-centered thought makes an reference to a assumed self that stands apart from awareness. This notion is the ego or "I" thought. But is this concept true? Examine it and you will find it is a false notion. There is no "I" standing apart from awareness. So everything the mind refers to about a false self (the one who needs to progress, etc.) is false. The purpose of spirituality is to see what you are, and also to drop or release the belief in the assumed separate person or ego. How to dissolve the ego? Look for it. Since it is not present, this looking will dissolve the belief in its reality. You remain as you are and always have been, pure presence-awareness itself. You are that here and now. Just confirm this basic fact. - John Wheeler

Subtly Separate

Many people interested in spirituality, even in non-dual circles, are actually still suffering and seeking, because the source of suffering is not understood. In other words, they have not deeply questioned the reality of the "I". The notion of the person is still intact. That is why they keep seeking enlightenment, reading, studying, going to retreats, speaking of awakened beings or whatever. They still subtly view themselves as separate beings. Once that is questioned, then — full stop. There is no one left to do any of that. It is all over. - John Wheeler

No "Realized Persons"

There are no realized persons, since the whole point is to see that you have never been a person at all. So in seeing this, who is left with any characteristics to speak of? You are pure non-conceptual awareness itself, which is not a body, mind, person or any other concept, idea or thing. You are "no thing". So what attributes does "no thing" have or need? No-thing does not mean a vacuum or void. In spite of being no thing, you ARE. And what you are is aware. And what you are is perfectly whole, complete, adequate, untouched, beyond manifestation and at peace. This is also the source of life, energy and intelligence of all that appears. There are many pointers to what you are. All are inadequate because you are not a word! - John Wheeler

Consciousness is not a thought

The mind has absolutely no capacity to cognize consciousness. The mind recognizes thoughts. But consciousness is not a thought. Thoughts appear IN consciousness. So the mind is an incompetent judge regarding anything to do with consciousness, including its supposed origin or end, because it cannot even cognize consciousness in the first place. - John Wheeler

More from John Wheeler

How far are you from being? How far are you from consciousness? If you are distant from these, you may speak of progress. If you are not distant, then the only reasonable alternative is to drop the concept of progress and BE WHAT YOU ARE.

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Looking for the cause of the ego is a fool's errand. The ego is an erroneous belief. The assumed ego is not present on direct investigation. Is it reasonable to search for the cause of something that is not there?

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The experience of getting invested in the reality of the "I" is resolved by simply looking for it. We assume that the thought "I" points to an actual entity, a separate, limited self. But when you look for such a self, you cannot find it. You can no longer believe in something that on direct evidence is not there. Searching for the "I", all you find is non-conceptual awareness. All troubles are over at that point.

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When the central belief, the existence of the assumed person, is examined and found as false, the whole network of suffering collapses, for there is no one to whom it applies.

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The notion of the false, limited self comes and goes as an object in the mind. That is why it can be seen and discarded. You, as the conscious presence, are already standing outside of the mind.

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All questions, doubts and problems about "I" or "me" are groundless, for the "I" does not exist.

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Awareness is already awake. The person who would desire to awaken does not exist. Therefore, the concepts of awakening, liberation and enlightenment are entirely fallacious. Awareness is already free. There is no entity present to be bound or liberated. - John Wheeler

The Natural State

John Wheeler is one of the clearest writers at describing the true nature of what we are. From his website:

This is about knowing yourself, not analyzing appearances. Body, mind, feelings and experiences come and go. They are all appearances, but they are not your abiding being. If all those things come and go, what is it that always remains in spite of those changing appearances? There is the sense of being, which is both present and aware. Do not just verbalize this, but recognize it as fact, as direct experience and knowing. Your own being is the one constant.

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When appearances are negated, what remains? Did you disappear? Aren't you present and aware? That presence-awareness is your real abiding nature. You cannot negate that. It is the abiding essence. You do not have to try to identify as that. That would be conceptual. You are naturally and effortlessly that. You cannot deny your being and its aware nature. There is no subsequent process. To try to "go forward" from there would only be going back into thought. Just pause in that gap and notice that you are already what you are seeking.

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All appears in the space of knowing presence. In the end, it is that simple. That is you. There is no "you" apart from that. There is nothing to do, ultimately, because that is what you are.

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Once the interest in the beliefs and identities drops away due to not taking them as real, a lot more space and openness is present. To the mind used to its old stories and opinions, this perspective may appear bland or empty. Just settle in with that seeming "no thing", which is your real nature. In truth, it is clear, bright, vibrant and full of life.