In my opinion the EBT, real life, practice, shows that there are really factors that limit the mind. The sutta’s describe them as anusaya, asava, tanha, kilesa. I think we all can be able to recognise these factors in our own mind. And we are able to see and understand that they actually limit our understanding, compassion, love when they arise and start to dominate our thinking, speaking and acting.
For one who wants to be a light for him/herself, for others, for the world, an island, a friend, Buddha-like, he/she will naturally incline to seek methods, wisdom, skillful means to abandon those limiting factors like greed, obsessions, drift, blind will, hate, ill will, ego conceit etc.
This will be a daily routine and is a heartfelt wish. It is not really important that one fails from time to time. Important is to continue.
Nothing substantial, nothing of great worth, nothing really me, mine, my self will get lost. Only such things as becoming unfriendly, alieniation, depersonalisation, partiallity, immoralilty, judging and measuring, becoming insensitive, inner conflict, violent tendencies etc. will get lost. Nothing of worth.
It is not really difficult to understand that all what limits the mind is never me, mine, my self (AN1.51)
It is just bagage collected over many lifes and/or picked up in this life. Loosing bagage is not loosing oneself but loosing the things that weight upon oneself.
But it is also very clear that we humans are identified with the weight. And this is the challenge to progress. To be a truly Dhamma practioner one cannot, i feel, hold on to those causes and conditions that cause of weight upon oneself. That is not easy. I have struggled with this for long in ups and downs.
It might sound totally irrational but still it is not easy to give up suffering and its causes because it also gives meaning to our lifes, a sense of identity, grip.
It is, ofcourse, very clear that the EBT teach that when mind is released from its limiting factors it is taught as unbound, free, pliant, stable, without limits, the fire has ceased, it is cool.
That coolness is it happiness, its burdenfree-ness. It is like fire not agitated anymore.
Ofcourse mind was always cool, is always cool, and will be always cool, and only incoming defilements make it look not-cool.
People believe that this mind without limits only is present (or even …arises) after a very long time of cleansing. But it is not like that. It is not that when water is cleansed from adventitious defilements that the pure water arises. It was always there, and defilements have always been adventitious to water, otherwise they cannot be removed.
Likewise the mind.