Truth is freedom from all suffering

If truth is overlooked, and ignorance is maintained, then suffering will continue. Therefore, I say, truth should be our highest ideal. I can prove that ignorance creates suffering in light of your own experience. If every time you are anxious or stressed or in some deep misery you truly examine with your fullest attention the nature of what you’re experiencing in that moment, you will realize that the negative feeling itself is not actually negative until you assigned it that label with your mind. They are simply feelings happening in that moment. You are then the pure observer of them, and once you observe them from an objective place this way you overcome their power to influence you in a negative light so strongly. They become akin to the weather, changing all the time but their power to influence your day can be diminished to a mere ripple in the context of the whole of your being.

If truth, or an end to suffering, is what you seek, then may you first identify what is false. Maybe you have been taking something for granted for a long time. Maybe your assumptions about the nature of you are incorrect. If negativity overwhelms you, examine this negativity at the deepest level you can to truly study their nature. This is something that can take a lot of effort at first, but becomes more and more effortless as it is practiced more and more. If the most negative parts of your day can be illuminated with a deeper seeing, then what is false will slowly become more and more apparent. These thoughts and feelings are merely clouds passing, and they don’t define you in any way unless your attention gives them the power to.

This is not a realization that goes against the grain of science. It is fully validated by science, in fact. There is no center to the majesty that is you. That fact has been illuminated by studies of the brain which show that there is no ‘central command center’ to the brain. This means that any attempt to define yourself will inevitably come short, because you as in the state of you at this very moment is changing with every passing moment. So the next time you think “I’m really dumb” or “I’m a disgrace” or “I’m such a failure”, remember that this is simply a cloud passing by. If one were to give that cloud full authority in a given moment, they would feel the feeling of that cloud as if it were truly who they were. But if you scale yourself back to the observing place, then you will find that it is merely a cloud.

Who you are is so much deeper than any thought could fathom, so don’t rely on any thought process to define yourself. Rely only on your awareness to illuminate the true nature of your moment to moment experience. From here you will discover the true self that’s expansive, spacious, free of labels, peaceful and compassionate.