The perceiving mind, that actually thinks it is the inhabitant and owner of the body, is always involved in separating things, identifying things, and labeling things. And through this separation from the things it perceives, it creates and secures for itself a strong and dominating identity as the center and core of “My Life”, and as the “Me” within this body. And it is cramming itself full of thoughts and judgments and ideas about the forms it perceive, and about itself. The perceiving mind needs all these separations and attachments, to solidify itself as the perceiver, to give itself substance.
It’s like a room, an “apartment”, absolutely choc-a-bloc full of furniture. In fact so full that there is no room, no space to breath, no time to sit still and breath. And there’s no rest, because the perceiving mind is always busy with the inventory of stories, identities, certainties and uncertaincies, and always, always very busy to acquire more. It’s an addiction.

When we meditate, when we loosen our grip and reduce our intoxication with perception and the perceiver, we can actually begin to see the space that surrounds and accommodates it all. It’s like opening the doors at the back of the perceiving mind, like letting the walls of the apartment dissolve, become transparent, to reveal the expanding that is without limit. That is timeless and still. That is life and full of life. That is really me as well as home. We can call it Buddha-Heart-Mind, but any name will do.

The perceiving mind, with all it’s limits, separations and attachments, is not separate from this Buddha-Heart-Mind, so there’s no need to get rid of the perceiving mind. The only thing we need to do is to go through this layer of perception, without getting stuck there, and to open ourselves. To open our perceiving minds to its real size, its real self.

Opening the doors, dropping the separating walls, is liberation. It’s letting go of the limits of “Me-mind” and dropping into no-mind which I can embody here and now as Michel, as Plein Ciel.

And then I can simply accept and say yes, chose sometimes to say no, act and speak, sit still and be silent, and speak again as the moment requires. And I can sit on the furniture as I like and invite anyone to sit with me and love and explore it all.