One of the biggest burdens we carry, that seems to be an absolutely normal part of daily life, is the personal aspect of activity. Our minds create a huge distinction and story about the actions of bodies and minds. “I did this, he did that, she did this, they did that”. It can create a huge mental load when the actions of ourselves or another are undesirable - much condemnation, blame, resistance and negativity can come in.
If we look in to it more closely, when we say he or she did something, what do we mean by he or she? Do we mean the body did this? What we actually tend to mean is that there is a person inside the body who controls the actions of the body, who uses the body in a voluntary way to say things and do things. We create an image of another person in our own minds, and project in on to the actions of another body.
This is worth investigating in oneself. The assumption “I do, he does, she does” – what does this mean? It appears there is a person doing things in life, but is this true? It all rests on your own sense of being a separate person, your own conditioned identity. As you read this, the reading is happening automatically. Breathing, heart-beating, digestion are all happening by themselves. You may get up and walk off at some point, and the walking happens by itself. There may be prompts and urges to action, to get up or to do something, but what about this person inside that says “I am doing it”. Is this sense of doership only another thought/feeling? Can this person be located as the tangible, solid entity that it claims to be? Look for it, find the person, find the “do-er”. If you look for the inner person, what is found? Either you find nothing, or you find the person inside, in the head or the body. What is this person? Is it any more than a feeling or another thought? Is it actually real?
Our assumption that we are separate individual entities that do things creates an entire imaginary world of other people doing other things. We believe we are responsible for our own actions (the actions of one body) and then feel that there are other individuals in charge of every other body. If this is investigated, and seen to be some kind of mental illusion, then the burden of “I did this, he did that, she did this”, begins to drop away. Everything becomes more impersonal.
We are taught we are responsible for our own actions, but where do urges to act arise from? What is their foundation? Look. It’s emptiness. All arises from emptiness, so is there anyone responsible for feeling a certain way or doing a certain thing? All of this is useless unless one investigates it themselves, without expectation or drawing mental conclusions. Let it be playful, and you may find some of your most major yet unnoticed conditioning begins to drop off.
When you view Life as impersonal awareness rather than as a person in the head, actions are taking place, but without the story of “me, he or she” doing any of it. Without imposing thought, it is a happening that has no person behind any of it. Even if it seems there is a person inside someone else doing a particular thing, if we see the personal energy in ourselves to be illusory, we also see it to be un-real in another. This creates a great lightness in oneself, and removes the burden of personal responsibility, so that any action arises naturally, without blockage or strain.