A spiritual seeker visited the Teacher. He said, "I've read your books on dying to ourselves." "Well," replied the Teacher, "what did you think?" "I enjoyed the reading. But, then, I tried to follow your teachings on dying to ourselves, but the teachings did not work for me." The Teacher laughed and said, "See, it could not work for you." "Why?" asked the seeker. "For you that is trying to die to itself does not exists to die to itself."

Wholeness and harmony cannot arise from the self that is an illusion in the first place. When you awaken from a dream, you realize the dream was a dream, you realize you cannot live that dream in waking consciousness. If you try to live such a dream, persons would give you a diagnosis of psychosis and you would need medication to live sanely among others. The personality believed to be you and its story believed to be true is at best a good dream. Still, a dream is a dream. The dream cannot die, as long as the mind is active. The mind keeps churning out story after story. This in itself does not need to cease. This is woven and rewoven as "my" story. Yet, to awaken and see the dream as a dream, even while it reweaves itself, is vital to live with love, joy, and peace. Your knowing yourself as not a mere self may be the greatest gift you give to others, the most loving thing you can do for others. This waking up does not make you weird or holy in some religious sense, but you share through Silent Presence the beauty of Grace awake and, so, quietly luminous. You are not trying to be anyone, including yourself. How could you? Being does not have to try to be. How could Being become Itself, when Being is Itself? Itself is? You that never needs to die to itself - how could the deathless die? - already always is, so how can you become anyone or anything, including yourself?