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.
Look around.
There are colors. Sounds. Thoughts. Body sensations.
Everything seems clearly structured: Here I am – there is the world.
And it not only feels that way – it seems to be so!
Why?
Because your mind immediately labels everything that happens:
I see the window.
I hear the birds singing.
I feel the chair beneath me.
But here is the truth:
The label comes only after the experience.
First, there is seeing, hearing, feeling – directly, immediately.
And only afterwards does the mind add an I, like a name tag attached to a stranger’s suitcase.
It happens so quickly that you never notice the trick.
A unique experience arises.
And your mind calls out: This belongs to ME!
Yet what really happens is this:
- Seeing happens – without a seer.
- Hearing happens – without a hearer.
- Thoughts appear – without a thinker.
There is experience. But the experiencer is missing.
The feeling of being an I is nothing more than a misunderstanding.
A reflex in thinking, so deeply ingrained that it seems like truth.
Like a child crying out in a dream – and only upon waking realizes there was nothing to fear.
How to expose the misunderstanding?
Here are some direct exercises:
1. Who sees?
Close your eyes for a moment, then open them again.
Ask yourself:
- Who exactly decided to open the eyes?
- Can I find the one who decided?
Only seeing is there. No director.
2. Watching thoughts
Sit quietly.
Wait until a thought arises.
Then investigate:
- Did I make this thought?
- Or did it simply arise, like a wave in the ocean?
3. Take the words away from the I
Whenever you think I feel or I think, remove the I and simply say:
- Feeling
- Thinking
- Hearing
Notice what changes.
Conclusion
There is no one who owns this life.
There is only life.
You are not a possessor.
You are not a figure at the center.
You are a fleeting echo – a misunderstanding in the mind.
And when this misunderstanding is seen through,
something returns that has always been here:
Freedom.
Would you like to explore this for yourself?
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