4. The fourth level of development – Paradigm Shift
This is the level of impersonality. This is a very high level. It is at this level that we learn to depersonalise all that has been personalised as “mine.” By cultivating calmness of mind, we have seen how thoughts of “self” disappears when the mind is fully tranquil. We know that the self-consciousness is a result of tensions in the body and emotional excitement. We are fully convinced that there is no real “self” to talk about. We understand that the idea of “self” arises from personalisation. Although we understand that there is no true “self,” yet thoughts of “self” spring up by habit. So we try to overcome the habit by constantly watching the mind for pop-ups and dwelling on depersonalising thoughts:
Depersonalising thoughts
(1) My body is dependent on conditions
(2) What is dependent is unstable
(3) What is unstable is not as I want
(4) What is not as I want is painful
(5) What is not as I want, and is painful, is not under my power
(6) What is not under my power cannot be “mine”