We often speak of our lives as a physical journey—a story of growing up, building a career, and aging. But the deeper spiritual truth is that life is not a worldly evolution; it is a continuous flow of feelings and thoughts. To believe that there is a solid, unchanging “I” behind these experiences is the primary source of our ignorance.
The Vanishing Act of the Self
Consider the progression of a single life. When a child grows into a young adult, the child is no longer there; only a memory remains. When that young adult becomes an elder, the youth has vanished. Finally, the elder, too, disappears into the Great Silence.
If we look closely at this evolution, we must ask: Who was actually there the whole time?
The truth is that no one was “constantly present.” There was only a flow, a rhythm, and a process. No permanent soul or “I” ever resided in that body, heart, or mind. They were simply temporary stations for a universal energy that never stops moving.
The Veil of Blindness
This is what ancient wisdom calls the veil of ignorance. Because we cannot see the fluid nature of reality, we are deceived into feeling that we are building a “self” and a “world.”
- We chase feelings, hoping they will last.
- We cling to imaginations, hoping they are real.
- We nurse pains, believing they define us.
In this blindness, we try to “complete” ourselves, not realizing that you cannot complete something that is already a part of an infinite flow.
Becoming the Wisdom, Not the Wave
Do not be a person carried away by the waves of this illusion. To see the Dhamma—the ultimate truth—is to realize that you are not the one struggling in the water; you are the water itself.
- Let go of ownership: None of this—this body, these thoughts, this history—is yours.
- Release the past: You have never been “in” any of this.
- Surrender the future: You will never be “in” any of this.
Enlightenment is the moment you stop trying to be the center of the universe and realize you are the universe’s rhythm. When you stop chasing the “I,” you finally become free. You aren’t losing yourself; you are waking up from the dream of being “someone.”
See the rhythm. Become the light. Be free.