It seems like an underlying assumption in non-dual discourse is that what is permanent is real and what is not permanent is less real or unreal. I hear and read variations of this line of thinking all the time: we cannot "be" thoughts, emotions, memories, specific experiences, or the body BECAUSE they are time-limited, arising and falling away. Many people treat this like an obvious logical argument for finding our "true" identity, or discarding things that aren't our "true" identity.

But...why? Why is "awareness" or "consciousness" more "real" simply because it's more permanent? Consider a film: a film is composed of thousands of individual frames, or images, but we wouldn't say that those images are NOT the film. We wouldn't tell the film to not identify with the temporary images. The images ARE what make up the film.

Is it impossible to identify with this collection of temporary experiences in consciousness in a nonjudgmental way that doesn't cause suffering?

Please correct me. I'm truly trying to understand or get past this if it's a misunderstanding.