Influential teacher AjahnChah would say that “if you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom.” But you cannot let go until you know what you are letting go of. The only real way to find yourself is to discover what you are not. When you let go of what you are not, all that’s left will be your true self.

It all begins with awareness. It all begins with seeing. The seeing is freeing. What I mean is that until you begin to pick up on the subtle and yet deeply entrenched belief system you’re living with, it will be very hard to change anything. But this is not just about change. It’s more about letting go of your mask. The mask is a belief you decided to agree with, and it has become the lens through which you see the world. It shapes the entire paradigm of your life. Seen in this light, a belief is an agreement we have each made with reality. Through conditioning we’ve signed a contract between us and ourselves about how we perceive the universe.

Where did this belief system come from? Every belief is really just a thought, but one you’ve had so many times that it has become your automatic-response thinking. It happens so fast, you are not even always aware that you are living this way. Thus you take it to be true without question, and it remains subconscious. It then becomes very hard to discern if you’re not looking for it. Because of this, it is easier to start by noticing your speech patterns. The tongue is the quill of the heart, and you can trace what you say back to your thoughts. You can become a witness and begin to notice when you are not experiencing Hishtavus.

THE SEEING IS FREEING.

BECOME THE WITNESS OF YOUR MIND.

Catch yourself using the language of the ego. Remember, beneath the surface, your soul sees the sameness, the Oneness, and the innate good in all people, places, and things. It is aware of the Divine purpose in all that is and the Infinite Intelligence guiding and directing life. The ego, however, speaks in a language that reflects disbelief in this loving presence. It speaks in a way that separates, compares, and judges.