u/Earth-is-Heaven

No matter who you are or how much practice you’ve done, there is just what's noticed without a noticer.

Because the mind operates within the dualistic structure of language, it says, "Well, because there is something noticed, then logically there must be a noticer of that." This logical conclusion is deeply embodied, which creates the illusion of separation.

But ultimately, the noticer is only a logical conclusion based on thought. In direct experience, there is actually just what's noticed.

You can test this experientially. In noticing, can you find the noticer?

Without resorting to thought, how much distance is there between noticing and what’s noticed?

Persisting with simple investigations like these helps to dispel the illusion of self. Then, what is actually happening—Reality as it is—becomes clear beyond description.

The mind tends to believe that Presence is a state to be cultivated, that Presence is an object “I” can find, or that Presence is an action like “being present.” However, these assumptions do not hold under scrutiny.

Presence is not a special state. It is simply what we are. It is the natural noticing, the sense of being present or alive. Is there ever a moment when there isn’t noticing? For there to be a “state,” doesn’t there need to be noticing of that state? Presence is foundational in that regard.

There is no “I” separate from Presence. There is a tendency to believe that “I am present.” But, where is the “I” separate from the sense of being present? If you find an “I,” is it just another appearance in noticing? Can the sense of being present be objectified, or is it just what you are?

Presence is effortless. Noticing is not doing, but being. Does the sense of being alive take effort? When there is no effort to notice, are thoughts and sensations appearing? If so, there must be noticing!

As we investigate beliefs about Presence with curiosity and openness—almost like a child might—Presence is revealed as always here, never separate, and entirely effortless.

Nondual teachings are not a belief system. Phrases like “there is no self” and “there is only Wholeness” are not philosophical or metaphysical truths about reality. They are just thoughts that point to that which can’t be said. Nondual teachings can help spark recognition, but they have no purpose or meaning beyond that. They are empty, just like every word or teaching.

It is very easy for nondual pointers to become beliefs. The attachment to a nondual “view” is often unconscious. Humans want an anchor amid apparent uncertainty, so nondual pointers become more real than just words. They enter the realm of belief in something self-existent, like an actual “This,” “Brahman,” or “Tao.”

There is fundamentally nothing right or wrong with beliefs. They can serve a functional purpose. But when nondual pointers are reified—that is, when they are taken not as abstract concepts but as indications of something real and substantial—then Unknowing is seemingly carved into categories like self/no-self and wholeness/division. Phrases like “there is no self” get imbued with existential meaning and are used to defend a sense of identity or to bypass experience. At its most extreme, attachment to nondual pointers becomes a “worldview” or “perspective” to the exclusion of other perspectives. One becomes a “nondualist”—gasp!

To move from belief to direct experience is paramount. To see what “no-self” points to rather than to believe “no-self” is the antidote to belief. When it is clear that there is just what is, then phrases like “there is no self” no longer coalesce around an illusory identity. Beliefs tend to fall away as there is less grasping at concepts to try to mitigate uncertainty.

There are many approaches to seeing clearly. What worked in my experience was self-inquiry and listening to radical nonduality, in that order. Both of these approaches have worked for others, although perhaps to differing degrees. Ultimately, experimenting to find what works for you is critical. Add openness, curiosity, and persistence into the mix, and seeing more clearly is nearly inevitable. Then, nondual teachings are exposed for what they truly are: disposable.