[13spebampiliece]

We will cease to exist. Now, what happens when we do not accept this fact?

Whether we believe that we shall cease to exist or not or whether we accept our 'beliefs' as 'facts' alters nothing at all. Absolutely nothing.

The only thing that will yield any kind of result is open investigation. We need to carefully observe what is actually occurring within our continuum. In the Anapanasati sutta Buddha demonstrates the mode of investigation.

The "self" people mostly discuss is a worthless hypothesis - truly meaningless. It is a straw man - set up to be knocked down or believed in. The self (I prefer the word process) we need to investigate is what is appearing to our consciousness. It is mutable and transitory and entirely mundane.

It's as if we need someone to grab our heads and force us to look at this because it's the last thing anyone wants to do. Any theory or idea or intellectual flight of fancy is preferable, as we "control" them and evaluate them and can be 'comfortable' with them. Pointless.

With anapanasati you become a mere witness to a process - the actual process of becoming. It's not 'your' process, it does not rely on you and you are not bound by it. You are dependent arisen within it, that is all - no big deal.

The very finest instructions I have ever found in the suttas are these:
"Just as if there were a roofed house or a roofed hall having windows on the north, the south, or the east. When the sun rises, and a ray has entered by way of the window, where does it land?"

"On the western wall, lord."

"And if there is no western wall, where does it land?"

"On the ground, lord."

"And if there is no ground, where does it land?"

"On the water, lord."

"And if there is no water, where does it land?"

"It does not land, lord." The "Sun" here is the light of awareness.

Taken from the Atthi Raga Sutta (Where There is Passion)
http://buddhasutra.com/files/atthi_raga_sutta.htm

Perfectly sums up what is experienced and the approach to take towards it:
"Where there is no passion for the nutriment of consciousness, where there is no delight, no craving, then consciousness does not land there or grow...

Where there is no growth of fabrications, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future. Where there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging, and death. That, I tell you, has no sorrow, affliction, or despair. This means not getting attached or repelled by what is observed. Release it and let it go. That way, that which is seen, is seen and not grasped and sullied by notions of "mine" or "not mine".

Namaste
Kris