Before Self-realization, the mind references the body as ‘I am this body,’ the center of the activity surrounding me; I am the controller of my actions and outcome. After Self-realization, the unbounded Self sees through the illusion of body identification that there never was a center; it’s all unbounded consciousness. The realization of the limitless, infinite universe is the ‘I.’
Could the ‘I’ even know itself without a world, and if not, are they two? A beautiful contemplative phrase to meditate. You are not limited to the body; the body is part of you, but not your essential nature.
It is wise to question your core belief structure during the perceived initial stages of spiritual development before any significant shift in consciousness. The idea that the body is not you is a primary move forward to re-condition a long-standing, hardened false belief. From childhood, the ‘I am’ attachment to circumstance and outcome squarely strengthens this belief of body, the doer-ship aspect. The ingrained conditioning of “I am the body” is passed down through millennia of past lives and ancestral lineage via the DNA genetic makeup of the individual, an orthodox belief not so easy, if impossible, for the limited ego/mind to resolve.
It is also wise to do Yoga and find union mentally and physically to appreciate the zero point of the mind/body structure. The key to this seemingly impossible task of re-conditioning the ego/mind alongside mind/body meditation is seen through ancient texts and modern scientific research that whatever one focuses on constantly is favored mentally and physically, and transformation can occur. However, it is an apparent transformation as witnessed by the individual. The personal little ‘me’ does not wake up to some splendid reality; awareness wakes up to itself, recognizing the unbounded unlimited nature of consciousness. It simply comes down to remembering who ‘I’ am.
The clouds of separation have disappeared, and what is revealed is always the case—Oneness.
The healing of core beliefs that keep one locked in separation and the recovery of the heart center of the labyrinth of unresolved stuck energy alongside an effortless meditation methodology to lower the entropy of the mind/body nervous system and alleviate stress is another transparent process of cleansing the windows of perception to see oneself and the world in a new light.
Awakening to Oneness is spontaneous and can happen anytime.