The mind is often reminiscing past memories, in the moment; or dreaming of the future, in the moment – seldom, is it aware of what is happening at the present moment while the other parts of it is already performing its functions. It is as if it is separated from itself in the moment, oblivious of itself in totality. Something like an open fan, not apart from each other, but yet not aligned within itself.
When it finally notices itself, that is when awareness is around, it marvels for a moment and it comes back into one, dancing into the moment; of course, until it contacts with whatever that comes to its senses again whether through sight, smell, sound, touch, taste or thoughts, it spread out like an open fan once more. And this process is continuously happening, whether you ‘permit’ it or not.
Imagine in a situation when awareness is not aware which is a pretty common thing by the way, the fan remains open, perpetually motioning itself to move, flipping and thereafter multiplying its movement, perpetuating each moment into stories – the mind literally goes insane, misaligned and confused and if allowed long enough, it starts to move on its own, as if a life of its own.
Now, there must be someone holding the fan – which is the hand, not knowing that it is separated from the fan, but taking the fan as one. As the fan swifts faster, producing air, thus throws the effect of ‘wind’ as in the world in the case of the mind, and its’ producing air is liken to the projection of the world. Everything out there in the world is effect, including the body, though still unknown to some; similar to the hand that holds the fan and thinks that the fan is the hand.
And since the fan has endured a movement so perturbed and rapid, it could fly in the air by itself, and the hand that holds the fan follows it. Until the hand that holds the fan learns to let go or rather detach from the fan, at a same time allow the fan to lose its momentum by itself; however, that is only possible when there is realisation that the hand is not the fan, and that the fan has its own nature and functions. You see, what arises has to cease into the moment although for some, a moment can seem like a minute, an hour, a day or even a decade; dictated by time.
Watching the fan fleeter on its own, run by its own innate nature, whom the hand belongs to then understand its nature hence realises. And because the fan is not separated from the hand, though the hand is not the fan, the fan will begin to follow the movement of the hand instead, rather than running wild on its own accord, occasionally leading its master to Timbuktu.
The mind follows its master wherever it goes, whatever it does. And because the mind is infinite like its master, at times it tricks, to awaken the master when the master does fall asleep.
The master’s job is just to remain awaken, in effortless effort, remembering.