Noticing & Process
There seems to be two sides to the coin of spiritual (or humanizing) practice, and they correspond to the Absolute and the Relative. One is noticing what is already here. The other is the process of clarifying, deepening and aligning ourselves with it.
Noticing
All we need, is noticing what is already here/now.
- The nature of mind is spaciousness and clarity. Our mind right here/now has these qualities, and we can experience it by just noticing.
- Existence, including this awareness, is always here/now. At the most, it is our attention which wanders, but this wandering too happens right here/now. All we need is to notice it, and we know that we always were, are, and will be here/now.
- There is no separation, and never was, is or will be. All we need is to notice it.
- The natural and effortless functioning of the mind, is unconditioned compassion and wisdom. This is what was, is and always will be directly underneath the confusion that arises when awareness identifies exclusively with its content. All we need is to notice it.
If we try to "create" it, through trying or concepts, we move further away from noticing it. We reinforce patterns that create a superficial (although persistent) illusion of separation, of not being at home, of not trusting what is. If we peel away the extra, the exclusive identification with the content of awareness, we find that we already are it.
Process
The other side of the coin is the process of clarifying and deepening what we notice, and align ourselves with it. Or more specifically allow awareness to become familiar with it, and also align the small self (the patterns of emotions/thoughts/behavior) with it in deeper and always new ways. The alignment is an ongoing developmental and evolutionary process, and occur on individual and collective levels.