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Well said @pegembara

Exactly so.
Ego is a jabbering monkey story. Pretending it is something constant/real/unique. It is the awareness/attention that you mention that is The Real.

“So you should view this fleeting world --
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightening in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.”
Mahayana Diamond Sutra/Gatha

dust in a storm, chaos manifesting as persona
and yet … we have nothing but this volatile ego to work with
Hence we polish it into some semblance of discipline (Yeah Elder Theravada plan)

there is a path … wander off and …

When we say "It rains" we never even assume that the "it" points to anything.

Awareness observes. There is no reason to assume that "it" points to anything.

The only function of awareness is to observe. Without awareness that function is lost. The function becomes body and mind. The mind can be defiled but awareness cannot!

If you can observe the desire arising awareness is still functioning.

Once attachment happens the function is lost. It is regained only when you noticed that you were pulled in after the fact. Its only function is to observe.

In this ocean of experience, you become body-mind and forget that "you" are the fish swimming in the ocean.

"You" forget that you are just a story!

Really good advice and great question.

Conquer your mornings, peacefully of course. Once the restraint and hold over the morning is well adjusted, then you have the rest of the day. It gets progressively easier.

@FleaMarket said:
How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

For me it’s mostly about restraint. With food, especially biscuits, internet time, sleep, and so on. Everything where you are yourself given to going to excess. Also in keeping commitments, such as helping my elderly mother and father.

One person's meat is another person's poison

With every breath we are giving away carbon dioxide to plant life in need and they are kind enough to provide us with the oxygen they don't need....

We all have something to give each others...

I guess this means we are all givers & receivers ....

BTW I have a bag full of things to donate/give to one of the local op shops...

What have you found oh seeker?

Awareness being aware of 'being aware' of being aware...

From what 'I' gather it's Awareness which finds the seeker (the psychophysical phenomena called the self)...

The Mind (thus have I heard) is that which knows
And knowledge is acquired as Awareness grows

I will not give away my compassion, my mercy, my trust. I will share them freely until or unless they are abused. They are mine ti share, to extend freely. But, they are not mine to surrender, to abandon, to give away. I will give away my anger, my fear, my mistrust. I have no need for them as they are useless dead weights dragging me, if allowed, into the sea of great suffering. It is not that I will not be angry or fearful or doubtful. It s that I do not hold onto such feelings. I quickly cast them aside, release them back into the dark sea. As regards people themselves, a politician-philosopher of 19th Century Japan who's name escapes me stated, "Do not hate the person, hate the action".

Peace to all

How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

Cushion time twice a day every day, morning and afternoon...Plus a Dharma group meeting once a week, every Monday evening...( the group has been meeting at member's homes since 2021-I think I stated to attend 2006/7-before this I just attended the monthly Dharma talks given by Geshe-la who came to the island once a month )

In the past my emotional self was in the habit of throwing a spanner in the works whenever the motivational self set plans, the emotional self would try to talk the motivational self out of doing what needed to be done and more often than not it was successful ....

Over the years I'm becoming more and more aware that the mind is easily charmed by its own thoughts....

Nowadays the motivational self is not so easily charmed, and will just do it, not giving the emotional self enough time to pick up the spanner....

@FleaMarket said:
what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

A memory of what my mind and life are like when I don't engage in regular practice.