You have to understand what causes clinging? What causes trace?
When we hold on to the false view of self and inherency, the mind
is unable to let go. If we hold on to I, me, mine, if we hold on to
a solid sense of a body, or even the sense of an ultimate
awareness, all these causes the mind to cling, and it is always due
to the false view of inherent self that is at the root of falsely
clinging to things (treating self, body, mind, awareness, or
ownership as real, inherent and pertaining to a self). Everything
is arising and passing away every moment, but if we falsely
perceive them to be real and inherent, we will certainly leave
“traces”.
When realization occurs and one realizes there never was a self,
then naturally all becomes self-liberating and self-releasing.
There is no ground, nothing at all to hold on to. The entire stream
of experience is seen to be insubstantial, bubble-like, unsupported
and without anything to cling to, everything self-releases. There
is no longer that view of an inherent self that prevents the
self-liberation of experience.
Prior to insight, attempts at letting go is always contrived,
effortful, and often a holding in disguise. We may treat
dissociation as letting go but in actuality we are strengthening
the sense of self, the “me” that is trying to distance itself from
“bad things and mental states”. We think we are the controller or
thinker or watcher of thoughts.
Even if we manage to let go to some extent and calm our minds,
it is the result of deliberate effort and is merely a state of
shamatha where afflictions temporarily suspends but is not
permanently removed or uprooted.
However one who realizes the twofold emptiness is different.
Without the view of inherency, one does not cling, and does not
perceive something one needs to let go of, nor someone who can let
go of something. It is like realizing “originally no self”, never
was a self, so how can you say you need to let go of the self?
Also, all thoughts are primordially pure, empty and illusory, so
how can you say there is a “thought” that you need to let go of?
The instantaneous recognition of the twofold emptiness results in
the spontaneous self-liberation of dualistic fixation. Perceiving a
self that needs to let go of a real something is itself a
manifestation of dualistic fixation, so it goes into a loop. That
itself is an example of “leaving traces”. Liberation comes from an
insight that cuts all dualistic, contrived, mind effort into the
spontaneous perfection and primordial purity of the essence, nature
and energy of mind, which results in the self-release of all
experiences.
Non-judging is not itself a quality perculiar to anatta or
emptiness. A normal nonbuddhist person can also practice non
judging. A person at I AM stage will also
practice non judging but sees in terms of a nonjudging watcher or
witness which means still cling to self. Non judging is good but we
should not misunderstand or equate it with enlightenment.
Also, non-discrimination, non-conceptualization is a basic
aspect of mindfulness practice. It is important to be bare, naked
in awareness, but it is a form of practice and not to be confused
with realization. From Vipassana of Theravada to Dzogchen practice
of TB, all talks about it. But when realization arises one is
naturally inclined to drop all proliferations.