How to experience simply the essence of who you are?

This meditation is a simple way to explore the absence of ego and discover the vast, impersonal awareness that underlies our experience. It’s designed for beginners and experienced meditators alike.

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The Open Awareness Meditation

1. Preparation:
   • Sit comfortably with your back straight, in a chair or on the floor.
   • Close your eyes or keep them slightly open with a soft gaze.
   • Take a few deep breaths, letting the exhale naturally relax your body.
2. Step 1: Become Aware of Awareness:
   • Notice that you are aware of being here, now.
   • Feel the sensation of the body sitting. Hear the sounds around you. Notice any thoughts or feelings that arise.
   • Do not try to control or push anything away—simply notice.
3. Step 2: Ask Yourself a Direct Question:
   • Silently ask: “Who is noticing all of this?”
   • Look inward, not for an answer, but for the experience of what notices thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
   • Is there a “me” that is observing, or is there just the observation itself?
4. Step 3: Rest in the Awareness:
   • Let go of all effort to define or control the moment.
   • Simply notice that thoughts come and go, but there is a space of awareness that remains unchanged.
   • Thoughts about “me” or “I” may appear, but gently recognize they are also just thoughts, observed in this open awareness.
5. Step 4: Discover the Absence of Ego:
   • Notice that no “ego” or separate self can actually be found. There is only a continuous flow of experiences—thoughts, emotions, sensations—arising and dissolving.
   • Rest in this recognition: everything is happening, but there is no individual “controller” managing it.
6. Step 5: Abide in Presence:
   • If a sense of self reappears, don’t resist it. Just notice it like any other thought or sensation, and allow it to dissolve.
   • Stay curious, open, and relaxed in the vast, spacious awareness where everything arises.
7. End the Practice:
   • After 10–20 minutes, gently open your eyes (if they were closed).
   • Spend a few moments observing the simplicity of “just being” before returning to your day.

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Key Points to Remember:

• No effort is needed: This meditation is about observing, not controlling.
• Ego is a a thought-emotion cluster: It appears real only when believed in.
• Awareness is boundless: The realization of no ego opens a sense of freedom and connection to the infinite.

By practicing this regularly, you may gradually see through the illusion of ego and rest in the clarity of awareness that is always present.

Here I illustrate the big pitfall in what people want to drop the ego!

Dropping the Ego: A Self-Inquiry Rooted in Advaita and Zen Teachings

The concept of “dropping the ego” is a profound yet often misunderstood idea in spiritual discourse. From the perspective of Advaita Vedanta and Zen, the challenge lies not in “dropping” the ego but in recognizing its fundamental non-existence. This chapter delves into the illusions surrounding the ego, as well as the profound inquiry necessary to move beyond the limitations of conditioned selfhood.

The Illusion of the Ego

The ego is often described as the “I-maker,” a construct of thought that forms the basis of identification with body, mind, and personality. This sense of “I” shapes much of our experience, yet when examined deeply, it proves to be a phantom.

As the transcript highlights, many seek to “drop” the ego, imagining it as something concrete that can be discarded. However, this act is paradoxical: who is the one that seeks to drop the ego? This question exposes the circularity of the pursuit. Just as the legendary Baron Münchhausen attempted to pull himself out of a swamp by his own hair, so too does the effort to rid oneself of the ego reinforce the very thing it seeks to dissolve.

The Power of Self-Inquiry

Advaita Vedanta, particularly through the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, emphasizes the transformative power of self-inquiry. Ramana’s core practice, “Who am I?”, is not about finding a conceptual answer but about turning attention inward to reveal the absence of a distinct self.

When one asks, “Who wants to drop the ego?” or “Who is looking?”, the inquiry points directly to the observer. The realization emerges that there is no separate entity behind the looking—only awareness itself. This awareness, referred to as Atman in Advaita or Rigpa in Tibetan Buddhism, is the unchanging, boundless presence that underlies all experiences.

The Sound of One Hand Clapping

Zen teachings offer a similarly radical perspective through koans, enigmatic questions designed to transcend rational thought. The famous koan, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”, parallels the inquiry into the ego’s nature. Both direct the practitioner to the edge of conceptual understanding, where realization dawns that there is no duality, no subject and object, no “I” and “ego.”

Ego as a Construct

The transcript’s playful dismantling of the ego aligns with this understanding. When we “look the ego in the eye,” we find that it has no independent existence. It is a collection of memories, habits, and conditioning—what Advaita calls maya, or illusion. The belief in a solid, separate self is the root of suffering, as it creates division and conflict both within and without. I made a Youtube to help people understand how the Ego manifests itself….

Living Beyond the Ego

When the ego is seen for what it is—a phantom created by thought—the compulsion to “drop” it dissolves. What remains is pure awareness, free from the constraints of identification. This state is characterized by spontaneity, openness, and a profound sense of presence.

In Zen, this state is described as “ordinary mind”—nothing special, yet imbued with extraordinary clarity and peace. In Advaita, it is the realization of the Self as Brahman, the infinite reality that is both immanent and transcendent.

Practical Steps for Self-Inquiry

1. Turn Attention Inward: Begin by asking, “Who am I?” or “Who is experiencing this moment?” Allow the inquiry to lead you beyond thoughts and concepts.
2. Observe Without Judgment: Watch the thoughts and emotions that arise, but do not identify with them. They are like clouds passing through the sky of awareness.
3. Relax Into Being: Stop striving to “drop” the ego. Instead, rest in the recognition that awareness is already free.
4. Practice Daily: Regular moments of inquiry and stillness deepen the understanding that the ego is not a fixed entity but a fleeting construct.

The Freedom of Emptiness

Both Advaita and Zen ultimately point to the same truth: the realization of shunyata (emptiness) and purna (fullness) as two aspects of the same reality. To see the ego as empty is to open oneself to the fullness of life, unclouded by the illusions of self-centeredness.

This insight, when lived, transforms every moment into an expression of clarity and compassion. It is the ultimate answer to the question posed by the transcript: the ego does not need to be dropped because it was never truly there. All that is required is to wake up and see. Shunyam Adhibhu