Moment by moment we identify ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro
Moment by moment we identify with aspects of the body and mind as being self or belonging to self. We say 'my body', 'my feelings', 'my ideas', 'my hopes', 'my fears' and so on. But if these things truly belong to us, why do we have so little power over them? Why, for example, can't we just decide to be less anxious and more happy? Why can't we forbid our body from getting old? In what sense does this body and mind belong to us at all?
The Buddha taught us that the false idea of a permanent independent 'me' who is the owner of experience is the fundamental cause of human suffering. All mental defilements spring from this one mistake. As meditators we must train to create the inner strength, stillness and happiness to enable us to see the body and mind clearly. Then we will discover for ourselves that there is simply a natural flow of phenomena with no owner to be found. This is the Buddha's path of liberation.
Source: