Meditation Is What You Are, Not What You Do | Spotlight Saturday
What If Meditation Isn't Something You Do, But Something You Already Are?
Meditation Is the practice of cultivating awareness ~ sometimes through reflection, but often through observing the mind without judgment
Spotlight Saturday
By Brett G Waddell ~ TheMorningMotivator.com
WAKE UP!
Awareness Brings Answers!
You are far more powerful than you realize!
Have you ever wondered... maybe I'm missing something?
For millennia, seekers, sages, and mystics have embarked on a profound journey—not to a distant land, but to the very core of their being.
They seek what the traditions call liberation, enlightenment, or Self-realization. But for someone standing at the very beginning, the path can seem shrouded in mystery. Where does one even start?
The answer, echoed through the ages, is both simple and radical: Turn your attention inward.
This Spotlight Saturday we're diving into the film Awakening Mind Part 3.
❓ The Fundamental Question
Where does the journey begin? For the genuine seeker, it starts with a single, unsettling question: Who am I?
At the outset, the mind will exhaust every avenue to find an answer. It looks outward—to pleasure, knowledge, or religion—but the true invitation is to turn inward.
This inquiry is not about adding something new to your life; it is about stripping away illusion to find what is already present.
Liberation is not a state to be attained, but a reality to be remembered. It is the final stillness after the echo of the ego fades.
While awakening is a glimpse of the timeless Self, liberation is the end of the seeker itself. It is the cessation of the whirlpool of the mind, where the limited self surrenders all self-centered thought and action.
The Seeker's Journey: A Real-Life Scenario
Imagine this: You wake up every day feeling like something is missing. You try meditation apps, read spiritual books, attend workshops.
You experience moments of peace—glimpses of something greater. But then life happens. Stress returns. Old patterns creep back in. You find yourself thinking, "I had it, but I lost it."
This is the exact journey explored in Awakening Mind Part 3: Liberation.
The film follows the ancient Zen teaching of the Ten Ox Herding Pictures—a 12th-century map of awakening that reveals a stunning truth: you've never been separate from what you're seeking.
The ox represents your true nature. The herder is you, the seeker. And the journey? It's not about finding something new.
It's about recognizing what was always there.
🔗 LINK TO EXPLORE: Part One of The Awakening Mind Film Series What If the Answer Isn't Ahead of You… But Is the One Asking the Question?
🔗 LINK TO EXPLORE: Part Two of The Awakening Mind Film Series What If Your Suffering Isn't a Problem to Solve… But a Signal Guiding You Home?
The Science of Seeking
🔬 Science Spotlight: Neuroscientific research shows that the brain's default mode network (DMN)—active during self-referential thinking and mind-wandering—shows decreased activity during deep meditative states and experiences of non-dual awareness.
This correlates with the dissolution of the "seeker" identity described in contemplative traditions. (Source: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2019)
"Awakening is the end of seeking. Liberation is the end of the seeker."
— Awakening Mind Part 3
This film takes you beyond the initial glimpse of awakening into the silence that remains when even the seeker dissolves. Watch closely—the answer isn't in the watching. It's in what's aware of the watching.
If something resonated, don't chase it. Rest as what's already here. That's where liberation lives.
Understanding the Core Concept: Meditation Is What You Are
Here's the revolutionary shift: Meditation is not something you do. Meditation is what you are.
Think about it. When you sit to meditate, who is it that's aware of the thoughts? Who notices the breath? That awareness—that's not something you create. It's what you already are.
The film breaks down the journey through ten stages:
Searching for the Ox - Feeling something's missing, looking outward
Seeing the Traces - Glimpses of peace, hints of truth
Seeing the Ox - Direct realization (kensho), the veil lifts
Catching the Ox - The struggle to hold onto awakening
Taming the Ox - Integration, shadow work, daily practice
Riding the Ox Home - Effortless abidance, joy flows naturally
Ox Forgotten, Self Alone - No seeker, no sought
Both Self and Ox Forgotten - Luminous emptiness
Returning to the Source - Mountains are mountains again
Entering the Marketplace with Open Hands - Liberation in everyday life
The Deeper Teaching: Why Awakening Isn't Enough
Here's what most people miss: Awakening is just the beginning.
The film uses a powerful analogy from Ramana Maharshi: Awakening is like pulling the plug on a fan. The fan (your conditioned mind) keeps spinning due to momentum, even after the plug is pulled.
Those old patterns—vasanas, samskaras, unconscious tendencies—continue running in the background.
This is why so many people report: "I had an enlightening experience, but then the ego came back."
✨ Liberation is what happens when you stop plugging the fan back in. It's not about stopping the spinning (the thoughts, emotions, patterns). It's about recognizing you were never the fan to begin with.
🌟 Synchronicity Check: What if the question that called to you while reading is exactly what your consciousness is ready to investigate today? Trust that pull. Start there.
The Solution: Stop Seeking, Start Recognizing
The problem isn't that you're not enlightened. The problem is you're looking for enlightenment as if it's something to attain.
The solution? Recognize what's already here.
As the film states: "Liberation is not some new project for the ego. It's not an agenda to fulfill. It's not realized by following a linear path or dogmatic steps to completion."
You are already awareness. You are already presence. The seeking itself is what obscures this.
🔬 Science Spotlight: A 2021 meta-analysis of 33 studies found that mindfulness-based interventions significantly reduce activity in the amygdala (fear center) while strengthening the prefrontal cortex (regulation center).
Translation: Awareness isn't just "feeling good"—it's measurable neurobiological change. (Source: Nature Human Behaviour)
✨ REAP PRACTICAL APPLICATION ✨
Your 4-Step Rewire for Recognizing Awareness
R — Recognize & Run Out
Notice the thought: "I shouldn't feel this."
See it. Don't judge. Ask: "Who's aware of this?"
E — Exchange & Envision
Replace with: "This feeling is a signal. Awareness is already here."
A — Activate With Action
Right now: Close your eyes. Feel the sensation without the story. 10 seconds. That's it.
P — Program & Prosper
Repeat tomorrow. Awareness takes care of the wiring.
🚨 CRITICAL WINDOW: FIRST 5 MINUTES
The REAP reps work best before the world gets its vote.
When you wake up, your brain is in theta — highly programmable! During this window, your critical faculty is offline, cortisol is rising to wake the body, and your subconscious is wide open to suggestion.
That's why what you think, say, and feel in these first 300 seconds sets the neurological tone for the entire day.
That is your window. That's why I created:
The 5-Minute Theta Mornings Routine
No decisions. No willpower. Just open, read, rewire.
👉 DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE THETA MORNINGS PDF HERE
Stack the reps, baby!
❓ FAQ (QUICK ANSWERS)
Q: If the ego is an illusion, why does it feel so real?
A: Consciousness has become entangled with experience—like a screen believing it's the movie. Awakening is the screen recognizing itself.
Q: Isn't this spiritual bypassing?
A: Bypassing avoids emotions. Awakening allows them fully—without the story. One denies. The other liberates.
Q: How do I know I'm progressing?
A: Less identification with thoughts. Faster recovery from triggers. Increased connection. But remember: even asking "am I progressing?" is the ego checking its resume. Rest as awareness. That's enough.
⚡ 5-MINUTE MICRO-ACTION (FOR RIGHT NOW)
Breathe: 3 deep breaths. Exhale longer than inhale.
Ask: "What emotion am I resisting? What if it's here to teach me?"
Inquire: "Who is aware of this feeling?" Rest as that presence. 10 seconds.
Choose: One action—allow the feeling OR ask: "What would I do if I stopped believing I was separate?"
Commit: Say out loud: "I am awareness. I don't resist. I recognize."
Done. One REAP rep. One step closer to your perfect day.
🤫 Psst... Something's Brewing!
A new Daily Tool is coming! Designed to enhance The Morning Motivator experience, speed up your decision-making process, and manifestations. It'll mesh perfectly with the day's blog post action plan and the consciousness community.
Stay Plugged In!
The Consciousness Community isn't open yet—but the waitlist is.
👉 Email [email protected] with subject "WAITLIST" for first access.
Are you interested or obsessed?
Decide today! Your future self is waiting.
🏖️ The Bigger Vision: Your Perfect Day, Engineered by Awareness
Perfect days are not accidents.
They are engineered — one awareness, one rep, one soul‑friendly choice at a time.
This is how you build a life filled with Perfect Days:
Awareness Brings Answers.
REAP gives you the 5‑minute on‑demand rewire.
Decide to show up for yourself... every day. It's not too late.
🏃🏼➡️ YOUR NEXT STEP: Join the Consciousness Community & Grab the PDF
✅ Grab the 5‑Minute Theta Mornings PDF— a done‑for‑you morning protocol that walks you through those critical first 5 minutes.
✅ Masterclass blog post link delivery at 5:00 AM CST and download your Free 5‑Minute Theta Mornings Instantly!
👉 SIGN UP HERE
✅ The Consciousness Community waitlist:
Email [email protected] with subject "WAITLIST" for first access.
✅ Send this to one person who needs it today.
Change starts with shared momentum — and your perfect day is built one post, one conversation, and one REAP at a time.
Five minutes. One REAP. One recognition. One move forward.
Stay Focused. Keep Asking Better Questions!
P.S. — This is how we reach the perfect day.
Not all at once.
One deposit at a time.
One pillar at a time.
One morning at a time. See you tomorrow at 4:44 AM.
Hey, I'm just your science-backed, soul-led, unapologetically human, mindset & motivation trainer.
The content provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist, and this blog is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll catch you tomorrow.
Pay It Forward! 🚀
~Brett
TheMorningMotivator.com
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