The only aspect of your being that remains the same is the consciousness of these objects. It happens all the time consciousness has the ability to concentrate on different things. You can be reading, and then suddenly you’re not reading anymore and started thinking about something else. In other words, it has the ability to focus on certain objects. The essence of consciousness is awareness, and awareness has the ability to become more aware of one thing and less aware of something else. Life is a dream, and lucid dreamers are its masters.” ― Wayne Gerard Trotman When a thought is created in this state of awareness, instead of getting lost in it, you remain aware that you are the one who is thinking the thought. Instead, you remain inwardly aware that you are the one who is experiencing both the events and the corresponding thoughts and emotions. When you are an aware being, you no longer become completely immersed in the events around you. There is a type of dream, called a lucid dream, in which you know that you’re dreaming. You’ll realize that you’ve only had one problem your entire life, and you’re looking at it. The only permanent solution to your problems is going inside and letting go of the part of you that seems to have so many problems with reality. Singer suggested that you have to break the habit of thinking that the solution to your problems is to rearrange things outside. No solution can exist while you’re lost in the energy of a problem. To attain true inner freedom, you must be able to watch your problems instead of being lost in them objectively. The very fact that you can see the disturbance means that you are not it. When a problem is disturbing you, don’t ask, “what should I do about it? Ask, “what part of me is being disturbed by this?” If you ask, “what should I do about it?” you’ve already fallen into believing that there really is a problem outside that must be dealt with.
#The untethered soul by michael a singer free#
In fact, the only way to free yourself from this incessant chatter is to step back and view it objectively. When to its own, it’s just talking and talk. If you spend some time observing this mental voice, the first thing you will notice is that it never shuts up. Without awareness of being or consciousness, there is nothing. There is nothing higher or deeper than consciousness. You exist regardless, thoughts or no thoughts.Ĭonsciousness is the highest word you will ever utter. You don’t have to think about it, you know. And that quality is awareness, consciousness, an intuitive sense of existence. Eventually, you will get to a point within yourself where you realize that you, the experiencer, have a certain quality. You will begin to notice who is experiencing the experience. If you are in there experiencing the peace that occurs when your thoughts stop, then obviously your existence is not dependent upon the act of thinking won’t you say? When you go into deep meditation, for example, the thoughts stop.
You are very aware of your presence of being, your sense of existence, without the help of thoughts. Rene Descartes, a great philosopher, once said, “I think, therefore I am.” But is that really what’s going on? You are in there having both inner and outer experience, but who are you? Inside and outside objects compete for your attention. You can become so absorbed in beautiful inner feelings, or frightening inner fears, that it’s hard to focus on outer objects. But who feels the fear? Isn’t it the same you who was watching the dog? All your attention can very quickly become absorbed in your emotions. Suddenly you hear a noise right behind you–a hiss, like a rattlesnake! Would you still be looking at the dog with the same intensity of focus? To take a clear look at this, imagine that you’re watching a dog play outdoors. “Who am I? Who sees when I see? Who knows that I am aware? Who am I? Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950), a great teacher in the yogic tradition, used to say that to attain inner freedom, one must continuously and sincerely ask the question, “who am I?” He taught that this was more important than reading books, learning mantras, or going to holy places. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself. “There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind – you are the one who hears it.”― Michael A.