In moving towards emancipation, we have to chance beyond the self. It is likely that unpleasant or even aversive happenstance leave a more lasting imprint than what is deemed pleasant. This could be, because with the experience of difficulty, the ‘me’ is identified, recalled and re-established. The elements that constitute the self such as form, perception, feelings and consciousness become firmly etched in our being with all experiencing but more so perhaps with traumatic or disturbing events. How then are we to move beyond the limitation of the ‘me’?
There is a possibility that with the bearing of striking or alarming experiences, we start to wander along the path of enhancing the stronghold of the self. We cannot but think, feel, sense and evaluate. And with each passing moment, our very existence ingrains this reliance on that which is inflexible, impermanent and thus limited. What we can try and do is to realize that what we see, hear, think or sense can never be a refuge. That mental activity and consciousness themselves are subject to change and perturbation and hence totally undependable.
When this happens, we might be able to view the value of progressing beyond what we sense or know to be inherently established and irrevocable. This means that we do not seek completion in even the self. The ‘me’ is our primary parameter. When we discover that this state of dependence is bound to cause distress and discord, we can try and relinquish our emphasis on not only how we evaluate or opine but also all that we are aware of. With such a movement, we might acquire the ability to not only withstand difficulty but create less of it, for ourselves and for everyone and everything we happen to come across.