에고 아이덴티티의 USIM Card

Breaking Identification with the Breath and the Body

1. The "breath" holds an absolute and critical position in awakening. It serves as the last line of defense for the ego, an impregnable fortress that nothing else can penetrate. As long as one believes they are the one breathing, it's impossible to fully transcend the ego-identity.

2. When the energy flow in the medulla oblongata (the brainstem) is severed, the connection with the breath is completely broken. This does not mean merely refraining from physical breathing but rather transcending the breath entirely. When the energy current in the medulla stops, our identification with the physical body is effectively cut off.

3. The body is a much deeper and more profound identification than we often realize. It is not just the physical body but the totality of the ego's manifestations. This includes the sense of "I," the protagonist of countless personal stories, and even the karmic imprint of the entire universe ingrained in each cell. Our physical body is by no means an easily detachable object of identification. Letting go of body-identification is akin to allowing the entire universe to detach from oneself.

4. The dismantling of the ego program at the level of the medulla oblongata occurs almost at the very end of the journey. This is because breath represents the most fundamental identification, something we as humans regard as absolute. We inherently associate breath with life itself. Realizing that breath has nothing to do with eternal life is an awareness that usually arises only after significant opening has occurred and nearly all desires have been dissolved in an individual.

5. The body constitutes the foundation for all events, the composition of the world, and the conditions of the "self." Therefore, breaking free from identification with the body is an essential prerequisite for enlightenment and transformation. As long as we believe we are the body, it is impossible to transcend the human condition. Even after death, we are likely to remain tethered to the astral plane. One may argue, "Isn't there neither breath nor body in the astral realm?" 

However, in the astral plane, you still breathe—the breath of consciousness and information—while still possessing an intangible body. Those who have experienced astral projection or lucid dreaming can attest to this fact. Thus, if we do not completely sever identification with the body, the breath can bind us across dimensions. In the physical realm, we breathe oxygen; in the astral realm, we breathe consciousness and information. (In fact, the breath of the demiurge becomes subtler at that level.) In higher realms, we breathe the breath of being.

6. It is theoretically possible to transcend the breath of oxygen, the breath of consciousness and information, and the breath of being one dimension at a time. However, doing so is nearly impossible. If you cannot awaken in the physical dimension, it would be even harder to awaken in the astral dimension or those beyond. Each dimension has its corresponding body and breath, but higher dimensions are less oppressive when it comes to body and breath compared to the physical realm. 

This is why awakening must happen here and now, in this very place. Transcending both the body and the breath here allows one to surpass all bodies and all breaths simultaneously. When the breath is transcended at the level of the medulla oblongata, we transcend the breath of oxygen, the breath of consciousness and information, and even the breath of being altogether.

7. We are not human. We do not feel through emotions, nor do we think in terms of reason.
You manifest as a whole, complete, and abundant soul.
In order to realize and fully embrace this astonishing and joyful truth, one must inevitably transcend identification with the body.

8. In a typical, unenlightened state, almost everyone breathes unconsciously.
When the act of breathing is brought into awareness, it often causes discomfort, and they experience imbalance in their breath.
However, an awakened person, in most states, does not breathe. They only breathe when this world operates, or when the ego-identity is functioning.
Do not interpret "does not breathe" as a mere metaphorical expression. A person who has no identity does not partake in the breath of this world.

9. However, an unenlightened person "holds their breath" when encountering their true nature or realization.
This is as if one were submerging their face in a basin of water and holding their breath. But we are not beings who hold our breath. Everything about this is simply the delusional inversion of the ego. In truth, our original nature is that "water." Thus, the ego only wishes for us to keep holding and holding our breath.
During moments of incredible awe or an open-hearted experience, we often use the phrase "as if my breath were taken away." However, in those moments, it is crucial not to actually stop breathing.
The moments when we can abandon our breath, abandon all our identities—or rather, are capable of abandoning them—are avoided by stopping our breath.

10. It is exceedingly difficult to transcend the belief that one is "a human, one single person."
Even many teachers who share wisdom still cannot completely relinquish the "human identity." While they may say, "We are not the body," they themselves have not transcended the body. To remain tethered to the breath and the body means carrying the full burden of emotions, intellect, and one’s own karmic baggage.
The body is nothing but the leather sack, the dead flesh, that we drag around.

11. We are deeply afraid of letting go of our individuality.
This is why it is so difficult to break free from the identification with breath and the body. As long as the ego persists in breathing to sustain its identity, and as long as one believes the body's identity is their own, awakening becomes an extraordinarily difficult task.

12. The breath of the ego and the breath of the body are not life—they are, in truth, a prison and shackles for us.
We must transcend the "breath" while we are alive.
Only those who go beyond breath can reach the land of eternal life.

The Importance of the [True Breath Practice]

Transcending the breath is no easy feat. Even if one has experienced going beyond the breath, the ego will promptly reorganize itself after the experience, building defenses to ensure the breath is never relinquished again, and defining itself as someone who has "transcended the breath."

Completely dismantling the ego program within the medulla oblongata (the "breath node") is beyond human capability. However, we can still establish the practice of going beyond the breath. Through this practice, we invite the grace of the Logos and dissolve parts of the ego's structures within us.

What we always need in the practice of true breath is love and curiosity. Only within love and curiosity can one muster genuine courage.

We must be able to see everything without seeing anything, and exist without breathing.

Even those with spiritual ambitions may attempt to go beyond the breath. The problem is, they often attempt this in order to live better in this world or within the spiritual realms. For this reason, they naturally will not be able to transcend this earth. They may mistakenly believe they have gone beyond the breath, but the "land of the gods" they reach is merely of their own making. In that realm, those with spiritual desires will continue to breathe the breath of desire without stopping.
They relinquish their breath to gain something in return.

However, those who truly let go of the breath relinquish their very existence in that moment, asking nothing in return.

For them, there exists no thought such as, “If I let go of my breath... something will happen.”
Instead, there is only one reason concentrated in their entire being: love for truth and curiosity for truth.

Only with this singularly focused love and curiosity can one transcend death.

Only then—though that person may not yet be fully awakened—they can still transcend the breath, and in the very moment of transcending the breath, wisdom will greet them.

What, then, is the state of not breathing the breath of the world?

It is the state where all worlds have collapsed and disappeared.
It is when all the ego's boundaries that surround you have been obliterated. "All states" here refers to all worlds that you consciously perceive, as well as those you do not perceive. Everything, in actuality, disappears. Your entire personal history and karma, as well as the entire history and karma of the universe, vanish, and you regain the full essence of your soul.

Do you know the parable of the merchant who sells all he has to purchase a precious pearl?
As Jesus said, in order to find that which is most precious, we must sell everything—including your entire universe and the breath that sustains that universe.

Only then will all the ego's delusional inversions (pratītya-samutpāda, or "reversal of reality") vanish.
And just as the rightful master finds their place, so too will your soul awaken and begin its journey anew.

  All rights reserved.  Please make sure to credit the source when sharing this content.