The self illusion is the first fetter.
The assumption that there is someone who exists independently of everything else. Someone who has a life that they direct, over which they are the decision-maker. A person who thinks, decides and acts. Someone who controls something and is in charge of themselves.
Is there a self that thinks, experiences, chooses, decides, acts?
In the past, I would have answered, “Sure, there is. It’s the self! I think, I decide, I act!”
It is I who am directing my body! I am the decider, the one who says where it goes! The supreme decision center. The pilot.
But then something happened that threw my self off track. I took a closer look.
You don’t need a guru, a retreat, or decades of searching.
Just the courage to look closely — until everything falls away that stands between you and what has always been here.
I’ll walk this path with you.
Seeing through the self-illusion is the first step on the path to awakening – the stream-entry.
It’s the moment when it becomes clear that the self you’ve always taken yourself to be has never actually existed.
Nothing mystical, nothing lofty – just simple, obvious, and entirely real.e streamentry.
The sense of being an I feels real – yet it is only a misunderstanding. This article shows, through direct exercises, how experience unfolds without an experiencer.
What a weekend… We came together from all corners of Germany (and even from Ireland!) – full of anticipation, curiosity, and maybe a touch of nervousness. And then: so much warmth, so much familiarity, so much real connection. We sat by the lake, explored the Roman excavation site, indulged in delicious food at Petersilchen – …
Advaita ends at the recognition of pure being – the seventh fetter.
In the ten fetters model, the journey continues: What is the subtle experience of “I am”?
Discover the difference between Advaita and the ten fetters and explore a practical exercise for investigating the eighth fetter.
What remains when it’s clearly seen: there never was a self? A deeply quiet phase begins – not as a search, but as integration. A personal glimpse into this unfolding.
