Before awakening, our own conditioning was viewed as extraordinarily personal. Our conditioning defined us. We derived a sense of self from our conditioning, from our false self, from our beliefs and opinions and desires and all the rest. Before awakening we were enmeshed in the dream state, and the dream state defined us. Once awakening has happened—if it’s real, if it’s authentic—we realize that even if illusions persist, they’re not personal, and they don’t define us.
