Regret Is an Activity of Ego
The concept of regret is rooted in the illusion of a separate self with a fixed and controllable history. Thought patterns of personal regret, or attachments to the past, serve to obscure the flow of presence, the conscious awareness of what is.
Aware presence is impersonal. Not impersonal as in aloof or unconcerned, but impersonal in the sense of being impartial. Impartial aware presence knows the world of perceptions but also the thoughts and feelings of the ego-mind. One of the primary directives of the ego-mind is to maintain a sense of separation, which is reinforced by the pursuit of personal gain, personal validation, and personal control.
We remain impartial. Impartial actions could be described as compassion without egoic attachment because we understand that the reality of awareness is universal and indivisible, and that, ultimately, everything is an appearance within this unified field of awareness. Since awareness is the fundamental reality, there are no separate selves with independent existences outside of this awareness to which one may become attached. There is only consciousness knowing itself.
Living free of egoic attachments involves releasing our grip on outcomes, expectations, and the desire for things to be other than they are. From a nondual standpoint, all phenomena are impermanent, arising and dissolving within the field of awareness, therefore clinging to any particular experience, person, or outcome is a recipe for suffering when its inevitable change occurs. Of course, suffering is usually the quickest route to understanding. Any attachments or clinging, then, have the potential to serve a useful function when viewed from a wider perspective.
As we align ourselves with the truth of our shared consciousness, peace and happiness begin to color our experience. Ease of being is a natural emanation of this ever-present reality.
From this impartial vantage point we learn to observe the ebb and flow of all experience without becoming unduly entangled.
However, when we catch ourselves clinging to a past that no longer exists, it is a sure sign that we may have an egoic agenda that hasn’t been properly investigated.