Contents
The Believer
You find yourself sitting on a rickety, rusted, wooden stool. The candle lit table in front of you supports your heavy elbow as your hand supports your sullen hunch. You don’t know why you are here, but here you are. A heap of journals lay scattered to your right, and a leaking chalice is toppled to your left. The aromatic scent of an open book cloaks the deliquescence of the burning candle. You peer upwards, looking to find the wall in front of you. A painting of a flower hangs upon the cinder block wall. Is the flower in the painting real?
The most recurring idea we are fooled into believing is that objects and concepts hold substantial meaning. It is easy to imagine the idea of one, empty painting, but a painting of a flower becomes a rather convoluted concept to which the subject of a flower belongs. In the mind, there is a separation that occurs, distinguishing the idea of a flower and the idea of a painting. Although it remains as one painting of a flower, the mind becomes aware of the many ideas therein.
If I was to ask you “Is the flower in the painting real?” It is completely understandable that you would say “No”, for the definition of the word “real” has not been established. The Oxford Dictionary definition of the word “real” is as follows:
real: actually existing or happening and not imagined or pretended.
The only thing that is “real” to you is the painting, because it exists. You know the painting exists because you are able to experience it using your physical senses. You are able to see it, feel it, smell it, taste it and if it were to fall and hit the ground, you would be able to hear it. Your remembered experience of a physical flower is what dismisses your belief in the existence of the flower in the painting. This is not necessarily because the physical flower exists, rather it is because you believe it does. The following is the Oxford Dictionary definition of “belief”:
belief: a strong feeling that something or someone exists or is true; confidence that something or someone is good or right.
To you, the painting is real but the flower is not. The flower is not real because it only exists in the painting, hence only the painting is real. The flower, however, becomes an abstracted focus on one aspect of the painting. We are seeing a painting of a flower, a flower with which we are familiar and have accordingly assigned a scent, sound, touch, taste and sight that we depend on during our own interpretation as to whether or not we deem the flower to exist.
As far as the mind is concerned, there is no difference between the flower in the painting and the flower in the garden, for both stimulate the knowing of the concept of a flower. What we then interpret as our experience through our senses ultimately determines if we believe something to be real or not. However, what some people may believe to be real, others would consider as imaginary.
A belief is by definition the confidence in one’s own experience to determine what is real or not; whether or not you perceive something to be true is based on your own subjective experience. However, unless you have never been wrong about the true nature or reality of any thing in your life, you can understand that one’s own experience is not enough to determine the reality of an object or idea.
You wander to the wooden door stood to your left and reach for the handle. You step outside as your leather jackboots scrape against the withered floorboard. As you come upon a wilted rose, you can see its petals flutter in the naked breeze. You can hear the hurried embrace of a hundred leaves. You can feel the touch of the open sky on your barren skin. You know this rose is real because you can see it with your eyes. Nevertheless, you wonder if you are the only one who has the unquestionable ability to ever know the true nature of this specific flower.
If you were to travel into town and tell the folks at the old bazaar of this wilted rose, would they believe you? If you were to meet an old friend, whose trust in you is as unquestionable as your unquestionable knowing of the rose, would they have any reason to doubt you? Should anyone express confidence in you, this confidence would rely on either your proven ability to be truthful, or their belief that you would never lie. By definition of the word “belief”, the confidence they expressed in you would be enough to believe in you, and as a result believe in the existence of the wilted rose, though they would have never seen it.
This is a simple example, yet it holds true whether or not the flower exists. The belief is not at all dependant on the friend’s experience of the flower, but rather the belief and trust they express in you. Even if the flower does not exist, as far as your friend is concerned, their belief holds true, and to them the flower is still real. To them, the flower is real even though you know it does not exist. The difference between you and your friend is the knowing of the flower’s true nature.
According to the Oxford Dictionary, to “know” is:
know: to have information in your mind as a result of experience or because you have learned or been told it.
To know a thing, you must have experienced it or learned about it. Furthermore, you believe that the information you hold regarding the true nature of a flower is enough to deem a flower to be real or not.
However, it is your belief in the knowing of a thing that determines the process through which you consider a thing to be real. If the consideration of what is real and what is not is based on your belief, it follows suit that any convincing argument based on incorrect information can also create a belief in the existence of something that does not exist.
However, it is important to mention that it is not the belief we are interested in, but rather the believer, or the one who believes. You have no doubt experienced the unfortunate phenomenon that is deceit. The Oxford Dictionary defines “deceit” as:
deceit: dishonest behaviour that is intended to make somebody believe something that is not true.
Your experience of deceit may have been the realisation of a lie you once believed, or the belief in something that turned out to be false. Deceit is a tool that is used in all factions of life, whether it is to swindle individuals of their fortune or convince them to believe in something that is untrue. It is a tool that is most common and one that is definitely taken advantage of.
Albeit, deceit can only exist in the presence of belief. Belief acts as an incubator, where deceit can grow and develop. If there is no belief, there is no potential for deceit. Therefore, if you do not believe, you cannot be deceived. One must be able to distinguish what is believed and what is known in the pursuit of an infallible truth. Thus, it is necessary to dismiss belief as an adequate medium through which truth can be communicated. It is important to observe beliefs simply as thoughts, instead of using them to assess the reality or existence of a thing.
If I were to show you the same flower on a screen instead of a painting, it would still, by definition of what is real, not exist. Imagine I was also to give you mechanical gloves that allowed for a lifelike simulation of the sensation that is the touching of a flower. Would you say this flower was more real, because you could feel it, as if it were? What if you also had on a virtual reality headset, and all you saw was the open blue skies and a realistic red rose, would the sight of nothing other than the flower make it more real? What if you could smell an aromatic bouquet and hear the wind sweep through the meadow brushing through the pores of your skin, would it make the flower any more real?
The easy answer is still… no. The answer is “No, this flower is still not real.” because you would know that it was not. You know that you are wearing a virtual reality headset, and you know that you are wearing mechanical gloves that simulate a lifelike touching sensation of a flower. Regardless of how realistic the simulation of the meadow may be, you know that it’s not real, but what if you didn’t know?
What if instead of voluntarily choosing to enter a virtual world, you were deceived and forced into it while you were unconscious? What if the virtual world you saw was as realistic as the one you know to be real, though you couldn’t tell the difference? What if you woke up, observed the experience of walking outside as well as picking out a flower from a garden and thinking “Ah, now this is a real flower!” What if you were deceived, and what you thought you knew to be true was all a lie?
I am not saying this world isn’t real, nor am I insinuating a matrix-like reality where you are living in a simulation. I am only showing you that your ability to assess any world’s reality is fallible and not at all a trustworthy medium through which you can determine or recognise truth. If you are finding it hard to believe that someone could be so deceived by images, sounds, aromas, tasting and the sensation of touch, try to remember a time you woke up from a dream and thought “Wow, that felt so real.” You’re right, it did feel real, and in the moment, it was real to you. It was real to you because you had no reason to believe it was not, until… you woke up.
Instead of using belief to determine the credibility of what is known by you, accept what is seen for what is seen. Do not make any more assertions than what is required. The painting of a flower is simply that, a painting of a flower. If I asked you now, “Is the flower in the painting real?” I am asking you to affirm or refute the existence of a flower based on your belief, which is limited. Rather than answering the question with a fallible yes or no, understand that you can never know.
Instead of using belief to confirm or deny the existence of the flower, the only thing that can hold true is if you were to say “I do not know if the flower is real, though I know it is a flower.” You must avoid using your belief in the pursuit of any truth, for belief is fallible. Instead, you must logically come to the most obvious conclusion. You know from what is known, that what is, is a painting of a flower and that much is true. The true nature of the flower is insignificant and your attempts to verify its existence can never be absolutely accurate. However, what is accurate is the knowing of the flower.
There is no thing that can be believed that will help you on this journey. Belief will only prevent your progression on the path to your something. There is no thing that is to be believed, nor will you be encouraged to believe in any thing at all. You must simply become aware of your many current beliefs, and understand that they are simply thoughts.
Although your beliefs may be observed in thought, you afford them a credibility that has the power to supersede any form of logic. Your beliefs, or rather the assertions you believe to be true or untrue, will only hold you back on your journey. You must transcend The Believer, and become The Knower. Fortunately, the next step of becoming The Knower is much simpler, for there are no beliefs to be observed, only the five physical senses and thought.
What is meant by becoming The Knower and transcending The Believer is to completely understand the essence of your experience. It is to know your being. The Knower cannot fall victim to the menace of doubt, for The Knower cannot believe and is only ever able to know. The only things you have ever experienced, as a human being, are the five physical senses and the awareness of thought. In the physical senses all things can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted and felt. In thought, thoughts can be observed. That’s it. You are knowing the five physical senses and thought. All things are subject to the five physical senses and thought. The five physical senses and thought will be referred to as the experience.
The Knower does not believe, but rather knows the experience in which belief may or may not exist. The Knower simply knows what is observed. The Knower does not contemplate what is seen, The Knower simply knows the experience in which a thing may or may not be seen. The Knower does not know if a flower is real or not real, The Knower simply knows the experience in which a flower exists. The Knower does not know if a dream is real or not real, The Knower simply knows the experience in which a dream exists. The Knower does not know if what is known is true, only that it is known.
The Knower simply knows the experience. The Knower does not see, hear, smell, taste or touch, instead The Knower knows the experience in which seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching exist as senses. The Knower does not experience, but knows experience. The Knower cannot do anything other than know.
The Knower knows not to dwell on thoughts, for they are as wavering as the clouds and as inescapable as death. The Knower does not and cannot think, but rather knows that a thought is being observed. The Knower simply knows that thought is being observed. The Knower does not exist within the five physical senses and thought, but simply knows the experience of sensing.
The Knower does not have an identity, for the concept of identity exists within thought. The Knower knows the experience in which an identity is associated with a physical body, though The Knower is neither associated with the identity nor the physical body. The Knower knows the observation of thought, wherein memories exist, yet it does not and cannot remember. The Knower knows a thought in which a memory is observed, though the contents of the thought are insignificant. The Knower knows thought, independent of the contents of what is thought.
If a physical experience of pain arose, The Knower does not feel pain, The Knower simply knows the experience of having felt pain. If a thought appeared, wherein the contents incited sadness or joy, The Knower would not feel sadness or joy. Instead, The Knower would know the experience of sadness or joy. The Knower cannot experience heartbreak, though it can know the experience of heartbreak and know the experience of shedding tears. The Knower can know a thought that holds memories of a past relationship, and it can know a thought that holds the belief of inadequacy, though it cannot feel inadequate.
The Knower cannot be a man or a woman, but it can know experience of being a man or being a woman. The Knower is not a thing, for a thing can only exist within the experience, therefore The Knower is no thing. However, it can know a thought in which the concept and understanding of a thing exists.
The Knower does not experience a physical being, but rather knows the experience of a physical being. The Knower does not experience a thinking being, but rather knows the experience of thought. The Knower simply knows. In other words, The Knower knows the experience in which identity, beliefs, pain, emotions, feelings, senses, concepts and ideas, abstractions, memories and all else exist.
The Knower cannot change, but knows the experience wherein change exists. The Knower cannot grow, but knows the thought in which the understanding of growing exists. The Knower does not have a physical appearance, but rather knows the experience wherein appearances are able to be seen. The Knower is not alive, but rather knows a thought in which the concept of living exists. The Knower cannot know death, but rather knows a thought in which the imagined concept of death exists, for death has never been experienced.
The Knower cannot live or die, though it knows the experience of a living being that has never experienced death. The Knower cannot become depressed or suicidal, instead it knows the experience of a being who is depressed or suicidal. The Knower cannot do any thing other than the knowing of experience, whether it be physical or of thought.
The Knower does not believe they are a human being with thoughts and memories, but instead knows the experience of a human being who believes in the credibility of their memories and ownership of their thoughts. The Knower cannot believe in a God, but rather knows the experience of a being who does or does not believe in the existence of a God.
It is important to understand that what is perceived as your experience of being, is simply the knowing of an experience. The experience is not necessarily an illusion, but it is definitely not you. You are aware of it, therefore it cannot be you. You are aware of your thoughts, therefore you are not your thoughts.
The Knower does not assume that other beings share the same experience, but knows the experience in which assumptions are made. The Knower does not speak, but rather knows the experience in which the physical expression of speaking may or may not be expressed.
The Knower does not do any thing, rather it knows the experience in which things are done. The Knower does not decide any thing, but rather knows the experience in which a thing may or may not be decided. The Knower does not know between right and wrong, but rather knows a thought in which the concepts of right and wrong exist.
You are The Knower, not what is known.
The Moment
Perched upon the rickety stool, you recognise the ridiculousness of The Knower. Although you believe there is a fireplace behind you, based on both the vivid memory of having seen it and the warm embrace of your humble cabin, you don’t know that it is behind you. You know that you are able to know the memory of having seen a fireplace. You also know that you are knowing the experience of warmth, but what else do you know?
You know the concept or idea of a fireplace. You know the concept or idea of warmth. You know the concept or idea of a humble cabin. You know the concept or idea of knowing a concept or idea. You know what you know in this single moment, but when is this single moment? What is time? Is The Knower able to know time? Is the Knower able to change in time? Has The Knower ever known any thing in the past, and will The Knower ever know any thing in the future? What is the past and what is the future? When is The Knower?
Exploring the concept of time from the perspective of The Knower instead of The Believer allows for an objective understanding of time that is unaffected by the hindrance of belief. It is important to observe the concept of time from an external point of view, wherein the properties of The Knower transcend the limitations of time. The Knower can only know, but for how long? For how long has The Knower known? When does The Knower know?
The Knower cannot know time, since time is subject to the experience, and The Knower is not within the experience. However, The Knower is able to know the concept of time through the knowing of thought, wherein the idea and conceptualisation of time is understood. Since you are The Knower, I will be referring to The Knower as you, until we once again transcend the current state of awareness. Similarly, although the physical being reading the book may still be actively choosing to read the book, they will be referred to as: the physical being, instead of “you”, for you have transcended the physical being. You have become The Knower.
You cannot know a past, instead, you know a thought in which the belief of a past exists. This belief of a past is commonly referred to as a memory. You are able to know a thought in which the past of a physical being is remembered. However, it is being observed now. That is, the knowing of a thought which contains a memory from the past is happening now.
No thing can happen at any time other than now. Although the physical being within the experience might say “But I remember what I did yesterday, and I was definitely doing it!”, that is you knowing a thought in which the belief in a “yesterday” exists. This is no easy understanding, for it requires you, The Knower, to disavow all remembered experiences as no more than the knowing of a thought wherein a memory exists. A memory that holds no significance to you, The Knower. A memory that is no different than a passing thought that is observed; A memory whose significance you must be able to let go of completely.
When I mentioned that the physical being must be ready and fully able to let go of everything, I meant everything. This is the everything the physical being must learn to let go of in the pursuit of the something. The physical being within the experience might believe that they have countless memories that they can remember and that those memories hold significant meaning, but that is simply the knowing of a thought in which the notion of sentimentality is entertained.
The physical being must be ready to align themself with you, The Knower, and recognise the knowing of the experience, rather than the falsifiable experience of it. The physical being within the experience must be ready to align themself with The Knower, and recognise the knowing of an experience. This means that the physical being must recognise the knowing of the experience of emotions, rather than the belief that they are experiencing them.
You must become ready to observe the physical world as the knowing of an experience, rather than observing the world as a physical experience. You must be ready to journey on this path alone, for there is no one and no thing other than you, The Knower, and what is known, the experience. Though there may be friends and family about which the physical being cares dearly, they remain either in the knowing of the experience or the knowing of thought. You, however, are able to observe all that is known from the perspective of The Knower, where there are no friends and no family.
There is no thing, for the concept of a thing is within the knowing of the experience, or the six senses. The physical being must be ready to let go of everything that is believed, remembered, and soon enough, known, in order to transcend The Knower and become The Awareness. In the becoming, or rather the recognition of The Awareness, you will finally be able to become aware of the knowing of nothing.
The Knower does not exist at any specific time, rather it knows one moment, in which the six senses are observed. This moment is now, it is the only moment you have ever known. It is the only moment you will ever know. Any moment that is not now, exists solely in the knowing of a thought that imagines a time other than now.
Any time that is believed by the physical being to be known other than now, is simply the knowing of a thought that is still happening now. You have never experienced time, for it is not a thing you, The Knower, can experience. Rather, you know the experience in which a physical being observes the effects of time in the physical world. You are not a thing that changes in time. You are the knowing of a physical experience in which time is used to measure change. Therefore, time cannot affect you, The Knower. Time cannot affect you because time is subject to the experience, and the experience is subject to you, The Knower.
It may seem difficult to grasp the concept of no time, since it is all the physical being has ever believed in thus far. Instead of trying to imagine a world that is frozen in the now, wherein nothing changes, understand that it is impossible to catch the moment for it is so instantaneous, that by the time you find it, it is already gone. It is hard to conceptualise one moment in which you have always been, when the physical being believes that they remember being alive for so very long. However, try to understand that it was not the physical being being alive, but rather you knowing the experience of the physical being being alive. It was never the physical being within the experience that was knowing, it was you, The Knower.
Understand that any memory the physical being can possibly remember, is the knowing of a thought, known by the very same Knower that has always known and will forever know. The Knower does not change, for there is no time in which The Knower can change. The Knower does not weary for it does not have a physical body to experience fatigue. The Knower was never born in time, nor will it die in time. The Knower is both momentary and infinite. In the one moment of now, all things are known by you, The Knower.
It only takes you one moment to know the experience of a physical being. One moment where the knowing of a thought in which countless memories, beliefs and identities can be observed. One moment where the knowing of an experience of a physical being is observed. One moment is all it took for you, The Knower, to know the experience in which the physical being believed in the illusion that they were knowing, rather than being known by you, The Knower.
In the same way the past only exists in the knowing of a thought in which the concept of a past exists, the future is no more than imagined foresight observed in the same knowing of thought. Any thing that can be expected to happen at a time other than now, is simply the knowing of a thought in which the concept of an imagined future or a remembered past exists. There is no past and there is no future that can exist outside of the knowing of a thought that is happening now. In other words, should a memory or imagined foresight be observed in the knowing of thought, that thought is being known, now.
As your flimsy fingers rake the mahogany table, you ponder the possibilities of your tomorrow. “What will I do?” You think to yourself, “Where will I be? When will I wake? When will I sleep? Where will I go?” The questions you seem to entertain are endless. Unfortunately, you remember that you are The Knower, and The Knower does not have the capacity of pondering the possibilities of any tomorrows.
The Knower does not have the capacity of pondering the memories of yesterday, the happenings of today or the possibilities of tomorrow. However, The Knower knows the experience in which yesterdays, todays and tomorrows exist. You find discomfort in this realisation for it denies any memory you are able to remember, and any dream you are eager to pursue. You are beginning to recognise the everything you must let go of, in order to find your something.
You realise that in the remembering of a past, The Knower is knowing the experience in which a physical being is remembering a past. Similarly, in the pondering of the future, The Knower is knowing the experience in which a physical being is pondering the future. You look to the empty chalice that lays toppled to your left and vividly remember the night before. “How can the memory of yesterday be untrue? How can this experience of remembering be so convincing? How can this empty chalice remind me of a thing that I have never experienced?”
Although there are tokens present in the physical experience that remind the physical being of a memory, such as a photograph or a letter, you are knowing an experience in which a photograph or a letter seems to hold significant meaning. These memories, observed in a thought that is known by you, tell a story of a past, or predict the happenings of a future. Yet, they are being known by you, The Knower, now. It is a paradoxical concept that the physical being must come to terms with, in that it cannot be understood with the same understanding one would use in the unravelling of physical concepts with which they may or may not be familiar.
It is a joke of time that the physical being must understand, wherein the concepts of a past and a future are being observed now. It is like trying to see one’s own eyes with nothing but their eyes, and the eyes say “You cannot see me, for you need me to see!” Yet, they can look into a mirror and see their eyes. The mirror is to the eyes what now is to time. You are able to know experience in which the illusion of time exists in no time other than now.
I am by no means discerning the physical experience you are knowing as unintelligent, or incapable of convincing you, The Knower, that you are experiencing it. Instead, I am showing you that it has thus far succeeded in making the physical being forget the essence of your knowing. The experience you are knowing will keep finding a way to bring you back. It will tirelessly try to make you believe that you are experiencing a thing, instead of the knowing of it. Yet, you cannot believe any thing, for you do not have the capacity to believe, but only to know.
You will know a thought in which memories of the physical being’s childhood exist, memories of loved ones, memories of hardships and successes. You will observe the knowing of thoughts with sentimental meaning, but the physical being must not forget that you are simply knowing an experience in which the physical being exists, rather than experiencing one.
It is not the knowing of a physical experience, nor is it the experience that is the illusion. The illusion lies in the knowing of a belief that The Knower can ever exist within this physical experience. However, you are simply aware of it, thus it cannot be you. The experience is subject to you, The Knower, in the same way that a film is subject to the screen.
The past and the future exist only in the knowing of thought. Though the thought in which they are known will always happen now. You can know a thought of a memory of a past, but it remains as the knowing of a thought, and nothing else. You cannot do any thing other than the knowing of experience, whether it is physical or of a thought. Time exists within the experience of which you are knowing, meaning you, The Knower, are not bound by it. You know now, and in the same way, never. You are momentary, and in the same way, infinite. You have always known, and in the same way, will forever know.
Though the illusive nature of reality aims to convince you otherwise, there is nothing that has ever happened at any time other than now. The Knower simply knows the experience, now.
The Place
You grow weary of your sombre cabin, just as the rickety stool grows weary of you. The galloping sound of a hundred horses hurry past your open window, and then past your silent ears. You trod atop the creaking floorboards past the gloomy ember that fills your miserable fireplace. As you reach for the handle on the wooden door, the world outside reaches for you.
The cavalry is nowhere to be seen. You have no idea if they disappeared into the valley to your left or the village to your right. Where are they? Where did they go? Where could they be? Your jackboots dampen the patch of grass upon which you stand. The purple sky is filled with marshmallow clouds. You can see the purple sky, for it is above you. You can see the marshmallow clouds, for they are around you. “But where is the cavalry?” You ponder quietly, “Where did they go?” Then you realise that there is no cavalry, but only the knowing of a cavalry. There is only the knowing of a cavalry, that exists in a memory being known now.
You are currently knowing the purple sky, the marshmallow clouds and the dampen patch of grass. You are not even looking at your cabin, but to the open road that opposes it, so there is no cabin. Right now, there is no cabin, and there is no cavalry. There is only the knowing of a memory, wherein you heard the galloping sound of a hundred horses. Yet, the memory of the cavalry is being known now. Similarly, you only know the cabin from the knowing of a memory, wherein you lived for many years. Yet, this memory of a cabin is being known now. You are The Knower, but where are you? Where can you be?
The properties of you, The Knower, that have been established so far are what you are capable of doing, and when you are capable of doing. You are only able to know an experience, whether it is physical or of thought. Accordingly, you can only know an experience in one moment, happening now. You are only ever knowing an experience, now. But where are you? Where can you go and where have you been?
In order to understand the whereabouts of you, The Knower, we must first understand what allows for any place to be. A place is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as:
place: a particular position, point, or area.
A place is a particular area in which things may or may not be. A place is also the concept or abstraction of such an area, wherein physical things may exist. You, however, are not a physical thing, but rather you are knowing the experience in which both places and things may exist.
If the physical whereabouts of a thing is a place, it follows that the non-physical whereabouts of no thing is no place; the whereabouts of no thing is no where. You are not a thing, therefore you are not any where. You are no thing and you are no where. Yet, you know the experience in which a thing can exist in a place, but you are not the experience. You simply know the experience in which concepts of physical things and physical places exist, bound by the limitations of time, but you are not the experience.
You have never travelled within a physical world, you have only known the experience in which a physical being may have a physical experience. You can never move between two points, because you have only known the experience in which a being who exists is able to move. You, however, are not a thing and are not any where. You are no thing that exists no where. You are motionless, you are timeless, you are boundless and you are eternal.
You are not a thing that is bound by time or space, making you momentary and boundless. Since you are not bound by the limitations of time, you are thus infinite, since no time has no beginning and no end. In the same way, you are not bound by space, and you are infinite. No thing exists no where, and no where does not have a space that can be occupied, rather it has no space at all. You are not bound by the limitations of physical space, for you do not, and cannot, exist in a physical place. You have no mass and you have no volume, for mass and volume are concepts that can only exist within the knowing of an experience in which a physical world exists.
You are no thing and you are no where. You know the experience in which a thing may or may not exist in a place. You know the experience in which a physical being may or may not move. You know the experience in which all things that exist are limited by time, though this experience is known, now; all experiences are known, now.
The End
Although the sound is faint, the echoes of the galloping horses return. However, there is still no cavalry to be seen. Instead, a single, tiresome horse emerges from the cloudy cobblestone road. A tiny, purple leprechaun sits perched upon a golden saddle. “Nice to see you again!” screams the Leprechaun.
“Again?” you think to yourself. You have never seen this leprechaun in your life, so how could this encounter be anything other than the first? Have you forgotten? As the wearisome horse and the purple leprechaun approach, you notice a wooden box attached to the left of the saddle. “Oh! The Mailman!” you finally remember.
“Let me see if I have any letters! I’m sure there is something here for you…” The Leprechaun expresses no disbelief as they scuffle through the wooden box. Suddenly, the leprechaun peers into your eyes, “It seems that I have misspoken… there is absolutely nothing here for you. My sincerest apologies, friend!” reveals the Leprechaun.
You realise that the Leprechaun was looking for something that did not exist. There was never a letter to be found. There was never a letter to be seen. There was never a letter to be known. There was never a letter, at all. There was only ever the belief that a letter existed. There was only ever the belief that a letter belonging to you could be found. There was only ever belief, but belief is fallible.
In the same way that it is ridiculous to search for a letter that does not exist, it is ridiculous to search for The Knower, for The Knower does not exist. In the same way that the letter is nowhere to be found, The Knower is nowhere to be found, for The Knower is nowhere at all. In the same way the Leprechaun understood how meaningless it would be to search for something that cannot be found, you must understand how meaningless it would be to search for The Knower, for they too cannot be found.
Yet, you are The Knower. You are The Knower that cannot be found. You are The Knower that is nowhere at all. You are The Knower, but The Knower does not have the capacity to search or to find. Should the physical being within the experience believe that they have found The Knower, it is simply that the physical being is believing, but The Knower cannot believe. You, The Knower, are only ever able to know.
You are not a physical thing. You do not exist in a physical world. You are not any where, rather you are no where. You are no where. You are only ever knowing an experience, whether it is physical or of the mind. You are only ever knowing, now. There is no time, other than now, when you are able to be. The concept of a thing “existing” is a fabrication of the mind that exists within the experience. You do not exist within the experience, therefore you cannot exist at all.
You do not remember memories, but rather know the experience of thought, in which a memory may or may not appear. You do not feel pain and sorrow, but rather know the experience in which a being expresses pain and sorrow. You do not know right and wrong, but rather you know the experience in which righteousness and wrongdoings exist. You cannot, and do not have the capacity to desire, for all you are capable of doing is knowing. You cannot desire a thing, but rather you know the experience in which desire is expressed. You cannot feel hatred or jealousy, but rather you know the experience in which hatred and jealousy may or may not be expressed.
You cannot believe or disbelieve in a God, but rather you know the experience in which the idea of an All-Knowing entity God exists. You cannot judge, nor can you be judged, but rather you know the experience in which a physical being is able to judge and be judged. You are not and cannot be defined by a past, but rather you know the experience in which a past may or may not define a being who remembers.
You cannot and do not wait for any thing to happen, for you are only ever in one moment, thus you are always happening. You cannot and do not fear any thing, but rather you know the experience in which fear exists. You do not have the capacity of being hurt or feeling pain, but rather you know the experience in which a physical being experiences hurt or pain. You do not have an identity with memories, beliefs and values, but rather you know the experience of a being with memories, beliefs and values.
You are no thing, but you know the experience in which all things exist. All that is not The Knower, is the everything you must be able to let go of. That is, the everything you must forget, in order to find who is aware of the knowing. There is no thing that you can bring on the journey of finding. You cannot carry any thing at all on the road that leads to no thing at all.
You must once again leave behind your knowing of what is known to transcend The Knower, that knows, and recognise The Awareness, that is aware of The Knower. However, you being The Knower has not yet come to an end, for the menace of doubt may still be at large.