Introduction: The Last Barrier Before Permanence

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Welcome to The Dog Teachings Podcast, where we explore profound and practical teachings that offer a clear and accelerated path to higher consciousness.

I’m Gary Eggleton, and today, we take an essential step—one that bridges the gap between stabilizing presence and making it effortless, between maintaining awareness and realizing that awareness was never missing.

In our last episode, The Inner Compass – From Fragmentation to Unshakable Presence, we explored what it means to stabilize attention so that presence no longer fluctuates. We saw that awareness does not need to be forced or held in place, and that once the Inner Compass is set, presence naturally remains.

Yet, for some, something still feels unresolved.

Presence is stable, yet there is still a subtle effort in keeping it there. A background sense of checking, of making sure it hasn’t slipped away.

And here lies the final barrier—the belief that presence can be lost, the illusion that awareness needs to be maintained.

Today, we address the last attachment—the final refinement before permanent awareness.

We will explore:

• Why presence still seems to waver, even when it is stable.
• How subtle resistance is the last barrier to effortless presence.
• The mechanics of involution vs. evolution—why attention gets pulled back into identification.
• How receiving impressions correctly stabilizes presence without effort.
• Why “trying” to stay aware is itself a hidden form of identification.
• The process of shifting from doing presence to being presence.

By the end of this episode, presence will no longer be something you hold—it will hold you.

Let’s begin.

1. The Last Illusion: Why Presence Feels Like It Can Be Lost

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You’ve made it this far. If you’re still listening, presence is no longer a mystery to you. You have stabilized attention, reduced distractions, and are no longer easily pulled into identification.

And yet, something still lingers.

There is still a moment of checking—a habit of looking to see if presence is intact. A subtle monitoring, a quiet reassurance that awareness has not faded.

And this is where the final illusion is revealed:

The belief that presence can be lost.

Because if presence could truly be lost, then that would mean it was something separate from you. Something to hold onto. Something external.

But presence is not a thing—it is not an object to be maintained, nor a state that comes and goes. It is the underlying foundation of all experience.

So why does it still feel like it can slip away?

Because something in you still believes that presence is separate.

The Illusion of Maintenance

The biggest misunderstanding people face at this stage is the idea that presence must be sustained. That it needs to be kept alive through awareness, effort, or internal vigilance.

But presence is not a flame that flickers. It is not fragile, nor does it require maintenance.

It has always been here. It has never moved.

And yet, because we have spent our lives moving in and out of identification, we assume presence behaves the same way. We assume that because attention can shift, awareness itself can fade.

But attention and awareness are not the same.

Attention moves. Awareness does not.

When identification pulls attention outward, it feels as though presence is “lost.” But in reality, presence was never disturbed—only attention wandered.

Imagine the sun on a clear day. Clouds pass in front of it, and for a moment, it seems like the light has dimmed. But the sun has not moved. The clouds have merely obscured it.

This is how presence works.

It doesn’t come and go. It is the background of every moment. But when we become identified with thoughts, emotions, or external events, it feels as if presence has disappeared—when in truth, it has only been momentarily veiled.

So how do we break this illusion?

Who Is Checking?

Let’s go deeper.

When you check if presence is there, who is doing the checking?

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There is a moment—a brief instant—where you look for presence. And in that moment, something shifts. Instead of simply being aware, there is now a "you" checking to see if awareness is still present.

And this is the final barrier.

As long as there is a separate “I” monitoring presence, there is still a belief in separation.

This is why presence still feels fragile. Because when we check, we create a gap where none existed before.

It’s like waking up in the middle of the night and asking, Am I still asleep?

The moment the question arises, you are no longer asleep.

The moment we ask, Am I aware?, we have already created a division—because awareness is no longer something that simply is, but something that must be confirmed.

And so we get stuck in a loop.

We glimpse presence. We stabilize it. But because a part of us still believes awareness is something to hold onto, we keep checking. And in checking, we subtly reinforce the idea that it can be lost.

So how do we break this loop?

We stop checking.

We stop looking for presence.

We let go of the need to confirm.

Because the only way to truly know that presence is stable is to stop interfering with it.

Exercise: A Day Without Checking

For the next 24 hours, do nothing to maintain presence.

• Don’t try to be aware.
• Don’t remind yourself to stay present.
• Don’t check to see if presence is there.

Just go about your day as if awareness could never leave.

And then, at the end of the day, reflect:

• Did presence actually go anywhere?
• Or was it only ever the mind that moved?

This is the final realization before presence becomes effortless.

Because if presence is real, it does not need to be protected.

If presence is truly unshakable, it does not need to be held in place.

The only way to know if it is stable is to stop checking and see what remains.

2. The Energy of Attention: Why Identification Still Reasserts Itself

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At this stage, presence is stable. It does not come and go. There is no longer a need to check for it, no longer a fear that it might slip away.

And yet, something subtle still happens.

Attention moves.

A conversation, a sound, a sudden thought—something shifts, and for a brief moment, presence seems distant. Not lost, not forgotten, but… less clear.

Why?

Because attention itself carries energy.

Every moment, impressions enter—sensory, emotional, intellectual. These impressions do not disturb presence, but they do influence attention.

Some impressions arise and pass through, leaving presence untouched. Others seem to cause movement—an internal shift, a feeling, a momentary distraction.

But presence is not what moves.

What moves is attention.

And this is where the last attachment dissolves—not in controlling where attention moves, but in allowing it to move freely without interfering with presence.

How Presence Remains Untouched Even When Attention Moves

Gurdjieff taught that man, in his ordinary state, is entirely at the mercy of impressions. He reacts mechanically, believing his responses are voluntary, when in reality, they are conditioned.

At first, presence seems to eliminate this.

It feels like a still point—something that cannot be shaken by passing impressions. And yet, there are moments when an impression still feels like it moves something.

Why?

Because even when awareness is stabilized, there is still a lingering belief that impressions must be managed.

Something inside is still subtly adjusting—ensuring presence is not disturbed, ensuring nothing “takes over.”

This is not failure. It is the last attachment—the idea that presence must remain steady through some form of inner control.

But presence does not need control. Presence is not affected by impressions.

It is not shaken by what arises.

What changes is simply the attention within it.

If attention moves but presence remains, then presence was never in danger.

The only thing that can cause inner tension is the belief that attention should not move.

The Shift from Processing Impressions to Letting Them Pass Through

For most people, impressions feel like something to process.

A thought appears, and they try to resolve it.
An emotion arises, and they analyze it.
An external event happens, and they react to it.

But presence does not process anything.

It simply receives.

The Work teaches that presence does not need to react to what enters it—it only needs to allow it to arise and pass without interference.

What does this mean in practice?

Imagine a conversation where someone challenges you. Normally, an immediate response begins to form. There is a subtle movement inside—either resistance, justification, or a feeling of being pulled into the moment.

Now, try another approach.

Instead of reacting, instead of even processing what was said, simply let the words enter fully.

No filtering. No analysis. Just direct reception.

The moment an impression is received without reaction, resistance, or identification, it does not create inner movement.

There is no disturbance because there is nothing inside that resists the impression.

It is simply absorbed, without causing ripples in presence.

This is not suppression. Suppression is pushing an impression away.

This is allowing.

And the moment this shift occurs, something incredible happens.

Presence remains, unshaken.

How Impressions Integrate into Presence Without Disturbance

Gurdjieff spoke of the digestion of impressions—that just as food must be transformed into energy for the body, impressions must be transformed into energy for awareness.

Untransformed impressions create identification. They scatter attention because they are not fully received.

Transformed impressions become fuel for presence.

Every impression is either:

1. Received mechanically – It enters unconsciously, triggering an automatic reaction.
2. Received partially consciously – It is noticed, but still produces a slight movement of attention.
3. Received fully consciously – It enters, is absorbed completely, and presence remains unmoved.

The shift into effortless awareness happens when every impression is received fully, without being turned into thought, reaction, or emotion.

This means there is no longer a need to “protect” presence from distractions.

No need to fight off identification.

No need to manage awareness.

Presence is simply here.

And life moves through it.

Exercise: Letting Impressions Pass Without Processing

For the next day, as you go about your life, notice how impressions enter your awareness.

• Do they pass through effortlessly?
• Does something in you feel the need to react?
• Is there an impulse to adjust, explain, or analyze?

At the end of the day, reflect:

• Did anything actually disturb presence?
• Or was it only ever the mind assuming something had changed?

This practice reveals exactly where presence is still being subtly managed.

The final shift is not about stabilizing awareness—it is about allowing all of life to pass through it without interference.

Because once impressions no longer move attention, presence is no longer just stable.

It is completely free.

3. The Final Step: Allowing Awareness to Be Effortless

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At this point, presence is no longer something you must create. It has stabilized. It remains.

And yet, a subtle effort might still be present.

Not an effort to become aware—not anymore. But an effort to stay aware.

A slight monitoring. A gentle holding. A quiet sense of needing to ensure that presence is still intact.

This is where the last illusion falls away: the belief that presence requires even the smallest amount of effort.

Why Effort Is the Last Illusion

The need to “hold presence” implies that something is holding it.

The need to “allow awareness” implies that something is allowing it.

But if awareness is real—if it is what you truly are—then who or what is doing the allowing?

[Pause]

The moment you assume you must sustain presence, you create the illusion of a separate self doing the sustaining.

And this illusion keeps you in a subtle struggle. A lingering sense of control.

Gurdjieff warned that the ego will even attach itself to presence. The false self will reform itself and say, “I am now the one who is being aware.”

And this is where most unknowingly get stuck.

They no longer feel like they’re chasing presence, but they are still managing it. Still subtly protecting it from slipping away.

But presence does not need protection.

Russell A. Smith, in The Blueprint of Consciousness, outlines how structured work transforms initial conscious effort into an automatic, stable presence. He describes how, as long as presence feels like something that must be held or sustained, there is still an unresolved attachment. True stability occurs when presence is no longer maintained but simply remains—unshaken and uninterrupted.

He presents a structured process leading from effort to effortless awareness through:

• The Objective Exercise – The initial stage requires active engagement in self-remembering, structured observation, and conscious attention. The goal is to awaken Steward, which at first requires effort but later functions automatically.
• The Law of Octaves and How Progress Stabilizes – Russell describes how transformation follows a natural octave progression, where initial effort is required to overcome resistance, but as the process integrates, it becomes effortless. Running to the oasis. Falling upwards. He implies that as long as presence still requires checking or sustaining, the work is incomplete—stability comes when permanence is achieved.
• Double or Nothing and the Higher Mental Center – His work leads to the establishment of a higher, stable awareness (Impartiality and Pure Reason). As long as presence still requires effort, as long as one "tries" to remain aware, there is an unresolved attachment. When transformation is complete, presence is no longer something one "does"—it simply remains.

True stability is when awareness no longer requires maintenance.

So how do we step beyond this?

Seeing the Last Attachment: The Collapse of the Observer

There is one final question—one that dissolves the last remaining effort.

"Who is holding presence?"

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The mind may answer, “I am.”

But if that’s the case, then who is watching the one who holds presence?

If presence is truly effortless, then it does not require maintenance. And if it does not require maintenance, then there is no need to "be aware" of it.

The final illusion is that there is a "you" separate from awareness.

There is not.

And the moment this is seen, the struggle ends.

Because you were never holding awareness.

Awareness was always holding you.

Exercise: The Test of Total Allowance

For the rest of the week, let go of any attempt to manage experience.

• Do not just avoid checking presence.
• Do not try to keep presence intact.
• Do not resist anything that arises.

Instead, take the opposite approach:

• Allow everything to be exactly as it is.
• If presence shifts, let it shift.
• If attention moves, let it move.
• If thoughts appear, let them appear.
• If emotions arise, let them arise.
• Make no effort whatsoever to stay aware.

At the end of the week, reflect:

• Was there ever a need to maintain presence?
• Did anything actually disrupt awareness, or did only the mind assume something had changed?
• Was presence truly affected by shifting impressions, or was it simply the background to all experience?

If presence is real, it does not need to be protected.

If presence is truly unshakable, it does not need to be held in place.

The final realization before complete stability is seeing—without doubt—that presence was never something you needed to sustain.

It was always here.

And once that is seen, it can never be unseen.

4. Integration: Living Presence Without Interference

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Presence is here. It is stable. It is no longer something you check for or maintain.

But now comes the final integration—living presence in every condition.

Not managing it.
Not holding onto it.
Not making adjustments to ensure it remains.

But simply allowing presence to be the foundation of all experience—whether stillness or movement, solitude or conversation, ease or challenge. 

Freedom…is a whole stick.

This is where presence must move beyond concept.

Beyond practice.

Beyond effort.

This is the transition where presence stops being something you do and becomes something you are.

Why Presence Must Move Beyond Stillness

For many, presence is easiest when alone—when undisturbed, when the environment is predictable. But the true test is whether presence remains when life moves around you.

• What happens when a conversation requires your full engagement?
• What happens when urgency demands quick decisions?
• What happens when emotions rise—not just in yourself, but in those around you?

If presence still feels stronger in stillness than in motion, then something is still incomplete.

But here is the truth:

Presence does not change.
The world moves.
Attention moves.
Impressions arise.

But presence itself? It remains untouched.

The only question is whether you are still subtly interfering with it.

The Shift From Managing Awareness to Letting It Hold Itself

Even after presence has stabilized, a quiet effort may still arise:

• A soft monitoring—a sense of tracking whether presence is still here.
• A subtle resistance to certain situations—protecting presence from being “disturbed.”
• A slight hesitation before engaging fully in life—as if stepping forward too much might shake awareness.

But if presence is real, it does not need protection.

At this stage, the final shift must occur—from managing awareness to allowing it to hold itself.

Presence does not need to be checked.

• It does not need to be “kept in place.”
• It does not need to be handled delicately.
• It does not require inner adjustments.

If it does, then presence is still being treated as something external, rather than as the natural background of experience.

This is the threshold before full integration—when presence stops being something you “have” and becomes simply what you are.

Letting Life Move Through Presence

At this stage, there is no need for more exercises.

You have already stepped into the practice of letting go of control.

Now, simply continue.

For the rest of the week, go into the world without managing presence.

• Do not check if it’s there.
• Do not protect it from being disturbed.
• Do not try to hold it in place.

There is nothing to maintain.

• When someone speaks, listen fully. But do not track awareness.
• When a situation demands action, engage fully. But do not hold presence in place.
• When emotions rise, let them be. But do not adjust to keep awareness intact.

At the end of each day, reflect—not as a task, but as a simple noticing:

• Was presence actually disturbed by life?
• Or was it only ever the mind that assumed something had changed?

If presence is fully absorbed, life moves in any way, and nothing shifts.

Because presence is no longer something being practiced.

It is simply lived.

5: Conclusion – When Presence Becomes Life Itself

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And now, the final realization.

Presence is no longer something you manage. No longer something you check for. No longer something you hold onto.

Because presence has become life itself.

It is not separate from experience. It does not need to be maintained. It does not need to be reinforced.

It simply is.

The mind moves. Thoughts come and go. Emotions rise and pass. But presence remains.

Because it was never something you had. It was something you are.

The End of Searching

Everything up until now has been leading to this moment.

• The illusion that presence could be lost—gone.
• The effort to maintain awareness—gone.
• The habit of checking—gone.

What is left?

Only this.

Just life, as it is.

There is no more trying to be aware. No more making sure you are present. No more worrying if presence will slip away.

The moment you stop searching for presence, you realize it was never missing.

This is where identification stops. This is where fragmentation dissolves. This is where nothing is separate from anything else.

There is nothing more to achieve.

No next step.

No process to complete.

Only the direct, immediate recognition:

Presence is all there is.

No More Challenges. No More Tests. Just Live.

There is nothing left to do.

No more exercises. No more structures. No more experiments.

You have already seen the truth.

Now, let life unfold without interference.

Presence does not need reinforcement. It does not need validation.

It does not need you to check whether it is still here.

Simply live.

And if, at any moment, the mind tries to search for presence, stop.

Not by effort. Not by suppression.

Just by seeing—clearly, directly—that nothing was ever missing.

That is the end of searching.

That is the end of seeking.

That is the moment presence is no longer something you return to—it is something you never leave.

The search is over.

6. Closing & Call to Action

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And that’s it.

No more searching.
No more effort.
No more trying to hold presence in place.

Just awareness—unshakable, uninterrupted, whole.

Nothing to sustain. Nothing to check. Nothing to maintain.

Presence is not something to return to. It is something you never leave.

If this exploration has resonated with you, and you’re ready to go deeper, visit TheDogTeachings.com.

You’ll find:

• The Blueprint of Consciousness—a step-by-step guide to full integration.
• Full podcast transcripts for deeper study.
• Practical exercises to refine and strengthen awareness.
• Live Zoom classes every Sunday, where we explore and refine these principles together.

Because this isn’t about understanding. It’s about being.

And if you’ve reached this point, you already know:

Nothing was ever missing.
Nothing needs to be held.
Nothing needs to be done.

Just life, as it is.

Completely here. Completely whole.

Thank you for listening to The Dog Teachings Podcast.

Until next time.