Go with What You Know

There is knowing, and there are beliefs. Right now you think there is no difference, and it all belongs in the same pot labeled “What I know.” It doesn’t. There is what you know from your own direct looking, and there is what you believe because you heard it, read it, were taught it, and became deeply conditioned to it over the years.

Why does it matter? It matters because suffering is only in that which you believe. There is no suffering in that which you directly know. In order to be free of suffering, the requirement is that you sort this out. So let’s do it.

What you believe includes everything you think about yourself, who you are as a person, your name, your personality, your body, your history, your memories, your thoughts, your feelings, your opinions, your relationships, your philosophy, your spirituality – in fact, what you believe even includes the world of time and space that you see around you.

What does “What I believe” not include? What it does not include is your direct knowing of what is, of who you are. You cannot “believe” your direct knowing. Your direct knowing is the absence of all that is believed. It is the negation of all that is learned and conditioned. It is what remains when all ideas and thoughts are stripped away. And it is always here, and therefore cannot be added in, nor can it be taken away.

So how do you identify this direct knowing of who you are? By habit, your idea of who you are is that which was taught to you: you are a separate person in a body, and all that entails. If you had never had a single idea taught to you and ingrained in you, what would you know about yourself?

Directly looking, the first thing you know is that you are conscious. Don’t take my word for this – we’re done with learning and beliefs. Do you see for yourself that consciousness is here? Do you see that it underlies all else? Let’s say you would like to tell me that the first thing you know is that you are this body. How would you know that? There would have to be some consciousness for that knowing to be. So do you see, there is nothing that can come “before” this consciousness? Anything else you think you “know” could not be known without first there being consciousness for it to be known in.

To this “first” thing you know about yourself – “I am conscious” – all else can be held up and examined. The one thing you know is that you are conscious, and that is the place you can rest as all the other ideas are questioned. Consciousness itself doesn’t have to be questioned, because it is known directly – Are you conscious right now?

Don’t make the mistake of going after your direct knowing as if it is a belief – that’s a trick the mind loves to play. Just look right now and see if you can deny that you are conscious, and tell me whether that is direct experience, or a belief. And then ignore the mind as it tries to complicate the matter by making you define consciousness, state where it goes when you sleep, or quibble about the wording. Pure distraction! Don’t bother with the mind’s drivel – Are you conscious, yes or no?

So, just notice this point of pure consciousness that you are completely sure of right now. You don’t have to learn it or believe it. It is always here. The body’s systems may fall asleep at night, but when they restart in the morning, there is consciousness, already present and waiting. You know and trust this. Feel the solidity of your direct knowing. Notice that there is not any suffering here. It is peaceful.

Now that you are sure of the first thing, “I am conscious,” you are free to try out adding on various thoughts and beliefs about yourself, and testing them out for validity. But it will be helpful to notice that the starting point – the bottom line – is always simply this pure point of consciousness. You know it for sure. It’s not something you can lose or forget. Try to forget to be conscious! You can’t do it.

This is not a teaching: there is nothing to learn, nothing to believe. There is no practice required for this knowing, no time required for this to be known. See it as you’re reading these words: You are conscious, right now. Don’t get “I am conscious” mixed up with your beliefs; see that there really is a knowing that is not a belief. I know I am conscious, and I know this is not a belief. Do not mistake your beliefs for knowing, and do not mistake your knowing for a belief!

You keep trying to add to the pot of “What I’ve learned,” thinking that more is better, and that there will finally be enough, or there will be just the exact right piece of information that will set you free of suffering. But there is only suffering in that pot! So adding to the pot doesn’t do anything to relieve suffering. You aren’t dealing with anything you directly know, you are only adding more beliefs. And all suffering is caused by beliefs. The one thing you are ignoring in this recipe is what you really do know. And that, you know already. It can’t be added, because it’s not missing.

We tend to reject direct knowing in favor of beliefs, because we have come to cherish our beliefs. We are attached to them. This is why we suffer and struggle with confusion and frustration. But when we look for ourselves, all doubt about who we are vanishes, and it all becomes perfectly clear. Negating all but what you know by directly looking, your suffering disappears. And all you know by directly looking is “I am conscious.” Notice it now. 

The beauty of this is that what you know directly contains no suffering. Suffering only exists in that which is clung to by habit, believed and not known. If you follow your own knowing, you will always be free of suffering. So this is the gift; this is why it is sometimes said that there is only Love. Love is the fact that there is no suffering in the only thing you know for sure!

You. Right now. Knowing. Do you see that this is not in the future, that it is not an attainment? That which you know is right here, all the time, and always has been. You didn't learn it, and you don't "believe" it. It can’t be shaken, it can’t be threatened, it can’t be taken away. Right now, by looking for yourself, this everyday, ordinary consciousness is here. All else is learned, believed, unreal, and causes suffering.

Simply notice the one thing you know, “I am conscious.” In that, you are free.