what is never lost

With the abundance of spiritual teachings and teachers and books that are currently available, which in itself is an amazing miracle!, comes the possible hindrance of knowing a teaching or two intellectually. Or knowing a teacher or two intellectually. Which means knowing as a concept. Which isn't a true knowing. It's the knowing of the thinking mind based on its limited understanding and perception.

True knowing is the recognition of a spiritual pointer, regardless of the form it appears as, and most importantly, what it points to. Really, only one pointer is needed, not a whole bunch of them. They all point to the same "thing", the same no-thing. That's what they're here for, to point. "Look, it's right here!" That's what a pointer is saying. That's what a teaching is saying. That's what a teacher is saying. "Look, you're right here!"

All true pointers point you to yourself. Your true self. The you that you've always been, beyond the form that appears called your body. Beyond the concepts that have been believed. Beyond the illusions that have been accepted. The illusions about being a person and having a life. True pointers point you to the essence of who you are. This whole, complete, perfect, flawless, infinite, absolute, liberated one that you are and have always been.

True pointers point out the illusions and point beyond them. They point you to yourself as total freedom. Right here. Right now. You know yourself through the pointer. Then the pointer has been used rightly. Its job is done.

Freedom from illusion. That's a definition of liberation. Recognizing illusion as illusion. What is it that is aware of illusion? Even before the thinking mind comes in to comment. What sees this? It's the same seeing that knows itself as liberation. And in this true seeing, the illusions fall away. All on their own, just in the seeing. Just in the recognition.

And as the illusions fall away, what remains is only this no-thingness.

Great wisdom and insight arises... there is "something" that is never lost, no matter what. Only illusions are lost. That's it. Only illusions.

So at any point, this can be tested.

Is some illusion being clung to? You'll feel it in the body. Is something being threatened? You'll feel it in the body. Is something pretending that you're a person? You'll feel it in the body.

Put it to the test.

What's the end result of this test?

In the true seeing, the true knowing, only no-thingness remains.