The transformation with which inner work is concerned allows the "I" to exist more independently as a pure presence or witness. The slavery to like and dislike is diminished to the extent that our feeling of "I" is grounded in pure Being and not in things. The need to achieve our own specialness, for instance, or to receive attention from others, is experienced as less important as a stable inner presence develops. This inner presence is satisfying in itself; it enables nonattachment, equanimity, and greater objectivity.

Kabir Helminski, Living Presence