We must first come to the recognition that we live outside of our center. We live outside of our body. We know our body from the exterior. We know our senses by sensing objects. Without objects we have no knowledge of ourselves. Through our contact with outside objects our body exists. If we had no contact, we would have no knowledge of ourselves.
Somewhere along the way, our center has been touched. We have become aware of its existence. It may just be a dim flame but we know deep down that it is there. We have the power to move into our center. It is only because of what interests us that we remain on the periphery.
We can move to the center by retracing our steps out. We make the journey out all day long. Our attention moves from our center out through the senses and chases dreams. Our mind is the sixth sense. By becoming aware of the outward movement of our energy and attention, it comes to a halt. When the movement is seen in awareness, the movement ceases.
From where does the thought of “I” arise? What is it pointing to? Is it pointing to this body that people see from the outside? Does it point to this collection of memories, thoughts, and dreams that are circulating and referred to as “mind”? Is it not pointing to somewhere deep inside?
Let’s make contact there. Let us feel what it is like to inhabit our body. We need not worry about reincarnation; let us first learn to incarnate this body here and now. We can move our attention to our interiority. We can feel our body from the inside. We can sense ourself behind the senses. We can find ourself behind the mind.
It is from this interior position that we are able to allow the unconscious mind to let go of all its content. By not getting involved, but remaining a witness, the mind lets go of all its collectibles, all of its memories, dreams, and fears. Without either rejecting or grasping, without judging, we remain a witness and stay rooted in our center, in our interiority, in our being.
It is in this center that the witness grows, that we create our soul. Up until this point, we have had no soul. We have had no center. There was no one home. Now the fire is lit, and we are tending the flame.
The next step will be to let go of this center, but we cannot let go of what we do not have. We must first become crystallized. We must first come into Being before we can let go into No-being.
-purushottama
This is from the collection of stories, essays, poems and insights that is compiled to form the book From Lemurs to Lamas: Confessions of a Bodhisattva. Order the book Here.
This was so good I had to print it out so I could reread it a few times. Very profound expression here, a unique interpretation of self-inquiry. Thank you.