What Can I Subtract?

Western ideology and popular culture socializes us to believe that we need to add things to our existences to make them better. But when we examine the core of our personhood, we find there’s nothing there. At the center of who we are is an infinite abyss. Your true nature isn’t any of the things you’ve added to your self to make you “you.” You’re not your personality. You’re not your interests or preferences. You’re nothing.

And everything, all at once.

What can you subtract today? Perhaps it’s some pesky intrusive thoughts or maybe a grudge or even a commitment you’re not over the moon about. Today, instead of seeking objects or experiences you can add to your life, ask yourself what you can take away. Write 6 things now, one in each of the segmented faces of the outer cube. Don’t worry about the how of the subtraction—by intending to let them go, you allow them to leave in their own way. What remains when you start to peel these layers away is the bright, glowing, empty and awake essence of who you are.

Extra Credit
Cut out the 6 subtracted shapes, burn them, and keep the center kernel as a reminder of who you really are.