1. What is it that you truly long for?

2. Inventory possible objects: love of another person, a beautiful home, robust health, considerable wealth, and so on. All of these change. When you’re younger, you may long most for a romantic relationship. Perhaps you now long for a beautiful home. And so on.

3. Whatever it is that is subject to change is not worthy of your deepest longing. Why? Because the object, regardless of kind, cannot satisfy the depth of your longing. Therefore, discard all objects.

4. Turn within and ask yourself: “What is this in my deepest longing that, having no objective qualities, is, in fact, that which I long for?” Recognize it, experientially, as abiding peace or, what is the same thing, as ultimate fulfillment.

5. Then consider: If this abiding peace is without objective qualities and if you know this abiding peace, then look closely at the following experience: isn’t it true that this abiding peace is none other than your very being? Yes.

6. Then, in the final analysis, you long only for yourself; you can long only for yourself. Experience this understanding now.

7. However, you can’t actually long for what you already are. You can only be what you already are.

8. Therefore, simply be, know, or love yourself. And since there is no difference between being, knowing, or loving, to be, know, or love yourself is just to abide as yourself.

9. Abide as yourself and be free of all longing.