a new way of looking at one's self

The following is part of a letter that Adyashanti sent to those of us who are preparing for a retreat with him in August.  He is talking about coming to the retreat with an open mind and an open heart, but his ideas can be applied to our daily lives as we practice witnessing and releasing.

"This clear and new way of looking at one’s self is one that assumes no position that is for or against what is seen. Therefore there is no aversion to or grasping at ideas, thoughts, beliefs, or past experiences. This is a moment to moment looking, investigating, questioning, and “seeing” into the very structure of our conditioning without contracting into new ideas or making new conclusions based on what one sees.

In resting within an open and free awareness of what is and in being willing, without flinching, to see how we literally create and recreate suffering and ignorance from moment to moment, we can come to a place where we exist that is prior to all limitations of the body and mind. We awaken to the Unborn, Undying, and Uncreated, i.e., one’s True Self.

I encourage everyone to engage in this challenging moment to moment investigation. Don’t wait for a more ideal time in the future. Put an end to delaying the Revelation of Truth that is always in the present moment—in the now. Surrender to the Now without hesitation. Simply stop, be still, and effortlessly rest in the core of your Being. Surrender to this core of Being. In perfect surrender Truth is met; illusion is dropped; and Liberating Freedom is revealed to be one’s very Self."

Sounds like what I wrote about last week from Michael Singer...letting go of mental boundaries.

As I am doing more and more of these spiritual practices I am seeing the need to let it go, let it all go, the judgments, thoughts, beliefs, feelings, desires, expectations and perceptions... Letting go of the conditioned beliefs and resting in the core of my Being to allow Truth to be revealed.

As I have been practicing this, I have run into some of my blocks.  I have also run into situations where life demands a response, situations in which letting go of all thoughts does not seem practical.  For example, one of my teenage children has been procrastinating (according to my standards anyway) about an online summer class.  I really wanted to jump in and try to fix the situation.  Letting go was feeling far beyond my comfort zone.  However, I decided to give myself permission to feel the discomfort and then I went into the silence and asked for guidance.  What came to me first was to continue to walk through my discomfort without getting involved in the outer situation, and, second to see this child as One with God, letting go of all limiting thoughts and beliefs about the situation and about my teenager.

Adya is talking about letting go of clinging to all beliefs and thoughts, not just the limiting thoughts but all thoughts.  When we cling (even to the positive thoughts) we contract and build an identity around the thoughts.  We begin to have expectations about what is or what should be or what is good versus what is bad.  Adya is talking about being in the Now without relying on anything that the mind is saying.  He is talking about a Higher Truth revealing itself when attachment to all thought, belief, perception, desire, expectation is gone.  He is talking about transcending the limited sense of self, transcending the belief in a separate self, and merging with Truth.  

It 'seems' like there is a lot to be lost by letting go to this extent (the loss of the egoic, separate self) and yet there is a lot to be gained: Self experienced as Liberating Freedom, Unconditional Love and Pure Joy.