from Awareness by Anthony De Mello . . .

Come home to yourself. Observe yourself. Self-observation is such a delightful and extraordinary thing.

After a while you don’t have to make any effort, because, as illusions begin to crumble, you begin to know things that cannot be described.

It’s called happiness.

There’s the story of the disciple who went to the master and said, “Could you give me a word of wisdom? Could you tell me something that would guide me through my days?”

It was the master’s day of silence, so he picked up a pad. It said, “Awareness.” When the disciple saw it, he said, “This is too brief. Can you expand on it a bit?”

So the master took back the pad and wrote, “Awareness, awareness, awareness.” The disciple said, “Yes, but what does it mean?” The master took back the pad and wrote, “Awareness, awareness, awareness means — awareness.”

That’s what it is to watch yourself. When you talk to someone, are you aware of it or are you simply identifying with it?

When you got angry with somebody, were you aware that you were angry or were you simply identifying with your anger?

Later, when you had the time, study your experience and attempt to understand it. Where did it come from? What brought it on?

I don’t know of any other way to awareness. You only change what you understand.

What you do not understand and are not aware of, you repress. You don’t change. But when you understand it, it changes.

If you’re lucky and the gods are gracious or if you are gifted with divine grace you might suddenly understand who “I” is, and you will never be the same again, never.

Nothing will ever be able to touch you again and no one will ever be able to hurt you again.

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