The ego doesn't realize that the pursuit of Oneness will lead to its dissolution until that possibility arises. It becomes very uncomfortable when the Real appears on the scene. Fear often arises very strongly, accompanied by a barrage of reasons to discount the Real, particularly the realness of the Real. The egoic mind simply cannot comprehend the Real and, as a result, declares it false.

Fortunately, the ego is not the only thing having the experience of the Real because that would be the end of the story. We would turn away, and that would be that. However, that which is experiencing the Real is the Real itself, as well as itself masquerading as the ego. And when it is time for the Self to become embodied, the ego will have to step aside, although it won't do that without a fight.

When the Self is experienced, the mind comes up with reasons for turning away from it and remaining in the illusion. The experience of the Self is one of no-thing-ness, emptiness, and clear space, which indeed seems like nothing to the mind. When the Self is finally experienced, the mind concludes that there is nothing there, and it goes back to thing-ness, which it finds more interesting.

No-thing-ness is not interesting to the mind. There is nothing in it for the mind. The mind's job is to compare, contrast, evaluate, and discriminate between things; so of course it is not interested in no-thing-ness. The Self lives in a dimension other than the mind, and the mind cannot go there. It doesn't have words to describe this dimension, and no words could fully encompass it.

The Self cannot be experienced through the usual senses. However, the ego is convinced that the senses provide an accurate picture of reality, and that is the problem. The ego thinks that physical reality is real and that whatever it cannot experience is false. From the Self's standpoint, the truth is the opposite, of course: Physical reality is an illusion it created for its enjoyment. The challenge of awakening is getting the ego to see through the illusion.

Ironically, the mind is required for this. The very thing that presents such a stumbling block to seeing the Truth is what is needed to see through the illusion. This is accomplished by using the mind to see the false within it. When the mind is being used this way, it is by the Self. The ego doesn't have the capacity to use the mind this way. At a certain point the Self inserts itself into the mind and, like a wise teacher, shows the student what is false about it.

This is a very big step because, before that, there is often little awareness of what the mind is thinking, only unconscious reactions to it. Now the mind is turned in on itself to discover the validity of its thoughts. This is when the mind begins to unravel because so little is found to be true.

All sorts of untrue ideas and assumptions exist in the mind, including many opposite and contradictory ones. It reasons one way on one day and another way on the next. It concludes one thing and then it concludes the opposite. It wants one thing and then it wants something different. It is fickle because its conclusions are based on contradictory evidence and beliefs. The mind's beliefs, ideas, and opinions are not coherent and consistent; so how could the mind's conclusions be?

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Exercise: Breaking the Tyranny of the Mind

This inquiry will help you see the inconsistencies of the mind, which can help free you from it.

What is one of your beliefs or opinions? Is it true? What about the opposite belief or opinion? Is that true too sometimes? Is it even possible to have a true belief? Our beliefs have some truth to them, but how much? Most beliefs are partial truths, and many have very little truth to them.

Continue to examine other beliefs and opinions you hold, especially the ones you hold most strongly. What ideas, beliefs, or opinions arise most often in your mind? What beliefs do you hold most strongly? Is there a theme to them? Where did you get them? Are they true?

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