What Never Changes?

Nothing ever changes in awareness.

Whenever you return your attention to this simple noticing of what is going on, nothing about “it” has changed since the last time you looked at it.

You turned away from it and got caught up in the story for a while. It doesn’t matter how long you were caught up in the story. When you returned your attention to the awareness, there it was again, not having changed at all.

You went off and had a whole week’s worth of terrible thoughts – desperation about never getting this, exasperation. You did something stupid and threw out your back; you had to lie in bed for two days and feel guilty about missing work. You yelled at your kids, and felt bad about the anger in you. You were depressed and hopeless. You did a bunch of really self-destructive stuff to cover up the pain.

And then you returned your attention to awareness, and there it was. It hadn’t moved a millimeter. Just this, silently watching. None of those things you were so worried about had any effect on this, your ordinary awareness right now. You can leave it for a lifetime, have a lifetime’s worth of adventures, come back, and it hasn’t changed. It’s still the same. Just this.

So what was all the worry about the stuff that happens?

Governments can collapse, earthquakes can devastate entire cities, children can be blown up in suicide bombings. You return your attention to this awareness, and it hasn’t changed. Nothing changes this.

Your thoughts and experiences might be positive instead of negative for a while. Serendipitous “I got it!” experiences happen, good health, lucky in love, optimistic, money in the bank. A true deep understanding of non-duality, feeling solid in the knowing of it, compassion and love for your fellow man. Nothing bothers you; people are noticing how happy you look! And then you return your attention to the awareness – to the space between the thoughts – and what has changed?

Nothing in the world, nothing in the universe, affects this simple awareness. And here it is, noticing this reading, noticing the thoughts that arise as you read. Noticing the doubting, the pessimism, noticing the pain throbbing in your head. Then off you go for a while into the story of “But...” and “What if...” You argue with me in your head for a while, compose an email outlining all your questions.

And sooner or later you remember that you’re caught up in a dream, and you return your attention, if only for a split second, to this awareness. And what has changed about it? Nothing. It is the same as you last left it.

So what is the searching about? Notice the awareness, and notice that it hasn’t changed, whether something is “gotten,” or not.

“Yeah, but I...”

Now notice awareness. Is there a “but” there? Anything needed? Anything missing?

“I” is a passing thought, always defined differently by you depending on your mood. Awareness is not passing, not mutable. It never changes.