Observation Practice: Eliminating the Self-View of Consciousness (II)

We contemplate and observe: what causes and conditions give rise to the mind currently contemplating, the mind discerning phenomena? Without these conditions, would this discriminating mind of mine cease to exist? Without these conditions, my present capacity for thought would vanish; my present faculty of discernment would disappear. By pondering this way, one comes to realize how utterly illusory and unreal this mind is! After prolonged contemplation, one ceases to mistakenly identify the conscious mind capable of thinking and discerning as the self. It is best to engage in this contemplation with stable concentration; such contemplation becomes profound and subtle, enabling the consciousness and the mental faculty (manas) to readily accept this truth. One then ceases to cling to consciousness as the self, thereby severing the view of self.