Buddhism Is Not What You Think, by Steve Hagen offers a clear look at the goal of Buddhism. The goal is to be able to see the world for what it is, without any beliefs, expectations, fears or presumptions. There are many things that we as humans need to let go of in order to reach freedom and actually see Reality, and this is the subject of this book. I will take a look at some of the "mistakes" we make when seeking Truth.
             In order to see the Truth we need to consider our way of thinking. Many of us take a dualistic approach at the world. We separate the world into this and that, good and evil, right and wrong. This divisiveness creates human misery. These distinctions do not actually take place in reality; it is our minds that construct them. When we get tangled up in what we think we cannot be certain about what we actually see. One major misconception we have is that there is a separation between "us" and "out there." But, there is no true separation between us and all other things.
             Also, we need to realize that nothing in this world is persistent. We view ourselves as unchanged from moment to moment, when actually there is no one unchanging person. Everything changes from moment to moment. Moods, thoughts, feelings, concerns, and ideas change. In fact, each moment the atoms and molecules that make up our bodies change. So, in actuality you are not the same person now as you are now (in this immediate moment). We can see that the self (you, me, and I) is a construction of the mind, since we do not experience a single unchanging self. Everything is in a constant flow of change.
             We need to realize that mind is everything. Both a "corrupt" mind and an "awakened" mind experience feelings. It is what these minds do with the feelings that is different. In a corrupt mind feelings and ideas are grabbed and held, but in a pure mind they pass through freely. A corrupt mind gets caught up in gree
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