Our mind (thinking) continuously bases itself on beliefs which reassure it.
This information is stored in our memory and becomes the basis of what we think we know. To form itself, the ego assimilates what is perceived, like a neurotic eater. All is taken, stolen from the world, to become "his".
In owning what is perceived, as well as it can, the ego builds itself comfortable limits by eliminating "what which is not known" and which is source of anguish.
Thus, a new experiment will be compared to another already stored in our memory, as soon as possible. What is new, different or too far from what we know, will be transformed to be acceptable. This phenomenon, unperceivable and hidden, is incredibly subtle, which makes it difficult to test consciously.
The practice is often paved with attempts at innovations, direct experiments, which allow us to get our heads out of our preconceived ideas, to see things differently.
From childhood, we record information which shapes our ego. This "box" will become "what we believe to be". The environment, our education and our genes define this "character". With all of that, we put down prejudices which will enable the ego to own the world.
Reality, "what is", is interpreted by our perception and becomes "what appears to be". We perceive, the information is put in relation with our personal database, the ego monopolises it, and it is stored in a familiar form so as not to disturb the stability of our character. Thus we do not see a tree, a sunset or our partner anymore, but only the reminiscences of what is already in memory. Nothing new, therefore one gets bored, so one thinks.
If we try to explain to somebody what we believe to have perceived, it often becomes “what we are telling (ourselves)" … and from there, a deep gap is created compared to the initial perception.
What was already interpreted by our mind at the time of assimilation undergoes another egotistic interpretation with the regurgitation: The syndrome of the photocopy: the more we copy, the more we move away from the original.
When referring to what we have in stock (memories and beliefs), and not to that which we perceive, we cut ourselves from reality. In addition, with this habit of always referring to the known, we go towards the result of prejudice: calculation.
Knowing "what we believe", we offer the world a few sorted possibilities, based on the acceptable things which we condescend to perceive. We project so much onto the Universe, that we only perceive what confirms us mentally, that which flatters our ego.
In this jumble, we put our moods, our hopes, our regrets, and all of that “darkens our light".
We can summarise this by saying that the source of all this pathological functioning is Fear.
This functioning will spread to the world and more particularly to others. Thus, we will expect from our relations and our exchanges that everything goes in the direction of our ego. If this was not the case, we would filter the information perceived sufficiently, in order to only keep what confirms our gentle madness.
We will have also the capacity to avoid certain situations, more or less consciously, so that we don’t perceive what disturbs us.
The practice tends to remove prejudices in order to perceive clearly. It will go against all that has just been mentioned.
We will meet presence and confront our fear if we can bear it, to awaken us a little and move from a viscous unconsciousness towards a light version.
In this state known as "of awakening", we will have, thanks to the teaching, the moments of clear perceptions that will be a new basis for the beginning of the remainder of our life.
In the tradition, we start with ourselves. We will seek further than what we believe to be and we will try to get to know ourselves. This meeting with our mental functioning and our dissociation from it will give us a first approach.
Then, using precise exercises in a progressive evolution, we will go towards the release of our perception.
This capacity to perceive is incredibly pleasant, the benefits are numerous; for example, the disappearance of boredom and the capacity to discover unceasingly what is already known…
After this basic work, we realise, astonished, that there are things other than us: the World. After having developed this capacity to discover ourselves, we will apply it to "what is not us".
There will be a whole series of exercises which will enable us to perceive the world and others through this acquired freedom. The exchanges with others, our capacity to communicate and our respect for the world will change, thanks to these practices.
In an opening where I do not take my thinking mind as a reference, in this freedom of a new perception, each second; the whole of my practice will "crystallise" to take an unquestionable coherence.
It is tedious and illusory to believe that a spontaneous work and without structure can release the mind. In most cases, those who work without a teacher only manage to reinforce their already suffering ego.
How can one diminish the power of the thinking mind if one cannot even rely on a tradition and lighten the thought organ?
Some speak of a fear of being manipulated; actually, it is often just Fear.
