How Do I Practice Knowledge On My Own?

Drake,
Hi. I hope you don't mind but James asked me to answer your question. I'm glad to
have the opportunity to speak to you. You were asking how to practice the knowledge.
Well, the practice of knowledge is discrimination, meaning making a determination
between two things. The two things that you are discriminating between are yourself,
meaning unchanging awareness, and changing objects. An object is any possible thing
you can perceive or experience, including your own body and mind. To properly
discriminate between yourself and objects the intellect must be armed with the proper
knowledge. As you have said, you have read James's book several times. So that
means you are equipped with this knowledge and are able to discriminate. If you need
to brush up, Chapter 12, knowledge Yoga, gives these discriminations and covers this
topic extensively. But how to do it?
I will be honest and say that I'm not sure if I am supposed to lay out a step by step plan
and tell you exactly what to do. It will be different for each person. A text on Vedanta
says, ....an erroneous notion (meaning ignorance about your true nature), causes pain
and should be destroyed by any means. There are no fixed rules. The practice of
thinking on awareness...which helps remove the erroneous notion about it's
nature....has been described (the tools for discrimination have been given). In onepointed inquiry there are no fixed rules.....
So how exactly you do it is up to you, according to your needs, as long as the proper
tools are used, guided by scripture. The proper tools for discrimination have been
given in Chapter 12 of James's book, which is a reiteration of the scripture. The main
idea is that you have to vigilantly watch your mind and apply this knowledge on a
moment to moment basis.
I know you mentioned you identify with your feelings so let's use that as an example.
For instance you see the thought, I feel sad. Using the subject/object discrimination
you can say, I know the feeling, I see it. What I see cannot be me. I, the subject, am
conscious, the thought is inert, it cannot be me. I am the conscious subject, awareness,
free of the feeling You could apply the discrimination of change/changlessness. You
can say, The feeling of sadness comes and goes. It changes. Therefore it is not real.
But I do not come and go, I do not change. I am here before, during and after the
feeling of sadness. Therefore I cannot be sad. I am awareness, free of feelings. You
could apply the discrimination of the five sheaths. You can say, The feeling of sadness

is just a modification of the mind sheath. The mind sheath is not me because it
changes, is known to me, is unconscious and not always present (like in deep sleep). I
am unchanging, ever present awareness. You can also say, When I say 'I' am sad,
what 'I' is talking here? The 'I' is the ego. It is a thought known to me, therefore not
me. It is unconscious, there it is not me. I am the conscious subject. The ego is a
product of the mind sheath, which changes, is inert and not always present (like in deep
sleep). I am unchanging, ever present awareness. These are just a few examples. The
point is that the mind is continuously spewing out ignorant thoughts in a wide
assortment of forms, whether they be identification with the body or the mind. It is
your job to monitor this constantly and as each thought pops up, stop, analyze it, and
apply the appropriate discrimination. You can use any of the discriminations from the
book that you please. In the short run, on a practical day to day basis, this helps to
manage or neutralize negative and false beliefs you entertain about yourself. In the
long run, it breaks identification with all self-limiting ideas, destroys ignorance and
shows you, not just intellectually, but proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are
ever free awareness.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions please let me know.
Much love,
Isaiah