The Only Choice We Make: Identification or Freedom
October 8, 2023

The Only Choice We Make: Identification or Freedom

La única elección que hacemos: identificación o libertad

This session explores how the sense of a localized, separate self is maintained through habitual identification with thought-created objects, and how this identification is the only real choice consciousness makes. The teacher uses examples from flow states, physical activity, and breath meditation to illustrate how the constructed sense of a chooser can be seen through. A candid dialogue about the back-and-forth process of approaching awakening, the losses involved, and the deep freedom inherent in choosing — or not choosing — identification rounds out the session.

identification flow state self-inquiry awareness breath meditation witness consciousness contraction awakening non-dual paradox choice thought and objects surrender
The Only Choice We Make
dialogue
The Only Choice We Make
A question about how to contact the sense of awareness that encompasses everything, not only during meditation but in the midst of ordinary activities like cooking or working.
The Freedom to Choose Identification
dialogue
The Freedom to Choose Identification
A question about what identification really is, where it originates, and why consciousness would freely choose to limit itself.
The Preciousness of What Begins and Ends
teaching
The Preciousness of What Begins and Ends
A reflection on why identification with a limited, separate self is not a mistake but something deeply beautiful, akin to the Buddhist sand mandala created only to be released.
The Preciousness of This Moment
dialogue
The Preciousness of This Moment
The teacher reflects on why identification, far from being merely an obstacle, is essential to the experience of freedom and love at the human level.
Identification as a Choice
dialogue
Identification as a Choice
A student reflects on the freedom that comes from recognizing identification as a choice, and the teacher responds with a caution against turning spiritual practice into another source of guilt.