Читать книгу The Power of Being - Андреас Грубер - Страница 5

Know thyself - said the inscription above the temple entrance of the oracle of Delphi. In different wordings, this has been the core message of innumerable sages and saints throughout the ages.

Most of us do not know how exactly to go about knowing ourselves, let alone to take a decent decision. Do we use logic, or is our decision intuitive, emotional or based on a certain gut feeling? Maybe it is everything combined. Who knows for sure? Nobody will and can hand it to you on a silver platter. You have to find out for yourself.

“It is wisdom to know others; it is enlightenment to know one's Self”

Lao Tzu

There are different paths to gain self-knowledge. It all seems to boil down to two approaches. Firstly the outside and cognitive approach, which is more common in the west, and secondly the inside and introspective approach, as seen mainly in the east. But, it is not about east or west, it is about what is applicable in corporate life.

Imagine how it would be if we did not have mirrors and could not see a reflection of ourselves in any other way. How would you know what you look like? You would need others to describe yourself or maybe to draw or paint your image, in the hope they were accurate. Not being sure of their ability and judgment you might ask several people over a period.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”

C. G. Jung

However, we have mirrors, and we do know what we look like externally. And what do we know about ourselves internally? What's the tool we use? Thinking? Up to an age of about 35 it never really occurred to me, that getting to know myself was an option or necessity. If I had a problem, I wanted to understand it. I remember how some inter-relational issues would almost drive me crazy. Talking to a friend about one of these matters that kept me busy, he replied, "But, not everything has to be logical." It would take at least another five years for that to sink in. Wanting to understand the world, but not having scratched the surface of understanding myself, since I was looking out there, preferring logical answers. Over the years, I learned that C. G. Jung's quote above was valid for me too, although I resisted it as long as possible. So, what irritates me about others, helps me to understand myself. That's one of the mirrors I can use to get to know myself on a deeper level.

We know about the value of imagination, and it doesn't take much to understand that our imagination can be used for many more things, other than merely imagining what our renovated apartment is going to look like when it's ready. There are many subtle dimensions of imagination, even those that cannot be clearly categorized. I'd prefer to talk about inner perception when it comes to these things.

This is not new for us, since we do use these faculties, but for a limited range of things. When reviewing Einstein's way of thinking, it should become apparent to us that he didn't promote logical thinking as much as intuition. I would dare to say that intuition, as Einstein referred to it, was his inner perception or his mind’s eye perceiving complex matters beyond logical thinking. He would then spend considerable time trying to find the logical answers to his trusted perceptions. He would sometimes refer to intuition as the king and logical thinking as the loyal servant.

This does not seem to have very much to do with self-knowledge at first sight. However, we do base most of our decisions on our subtle perceptions, although they may only partly be aware to us. We often regard our subtle perceptions as irrelevant, maybe because we tend to classify them as surreal or even mystical. In reality, they are not more mystical than the process of thinking itself. We have chosen to place subtle perceptions in the realm of phantasy. But to generalize hasn't solved many problems, has it? We may be giving away our potential because we haven't learned to handle the subtleties of our perceptions.

We cannot logically understand ourselves. Therefore, we ought to make use of our faculties beyond thinking. Perception, as I see it, is a separate faculty from our thought process. We normally perceive and think in one go, as if it was one thing, but it isn't. It usually doesn't occur to us that we can perceive and then not think, without even refuting thoughts as such.

As an example, we could perceive something and then just remain still with that perception, without evaluating, categorizing or thinking. Would we like to take it further, we could hold that perception in our heart, instead of our mind. This gives us a hint, of what it could be like to start coming out of our habit of thinking and conceptualizing everything.

While we hold a perception or thought, we must not necessarily seek to understand or find the answer. A clear indicator that we are still trying to find a solution is that our thoughts are racing around all over the place. Another indicator is if we feel impatient, then we are probably too goal oriented. Another one is frustration, which is perhaps indicating that we are looking for something special, maybe a distinct sensation.

We consider the indicators as problems, which need to be fixed, but they are our first-hand teachers. What does this tell you? Does your impatience only exist when you are doing this? Chances are, this is a general tendency of your mind. Naturally you would love to have a complete list of what these indicators mean. But they are just examples with a certain relevance. Ultimately you have the list within; the answers are there to be discovered. That is a major step towards knowing yourself on a deeper and experiential level.

Knowing many things, but not knowingthe awareness behind the thinker within.That's where ignorance is born.

It is imperative to find an application that serves you immediately. Therefore, I suggest the following practice in holding a perception. When you are stressed out or tired, and your mind needs rest because you have an important meeting coming up shortly, do the following to regain the clarity and sharpness of your mind.

Resting your mind by means of holding a perception

Sit down, both feet on the ground, close your eyes. Focus on your perception within, and hold it in your heart without further intention, just rest with it in a relaxed and clear state. Be with that fully, as if this was the last thing you did before dying. Within a few minutes, you'll notice how calmness and clarity start pervading the mind. Take that notion with you, as you come back.

Comments

It's not necessary to close your eyes; you can also gaze if there are not many visual disturbances around. - A perception is anything of subtle nature, within you. Stay fixed on the subtlest one of them. Initially it’ll be body sensations. - If the heart does not suit you, try your belly or any other part of your body except the mind, since it may trigger you to start the thinking process. - The analogy of dying can be very helpful to be with what matters. - For some people, one minute works just fine, but to start with I would recommend three to five minutes.

Who doesn't want to find the stillness underneath the mental noise, to know the awareness behind the thinker, and finally know oneself?

To hold a perception is not like focusing, it is letting loose, but staying with it. To be perfectly present, while letting go. It has very little to do with the act of doing; ultimately it is about pure awareness and nothing about doing. You stay with your awareness and let go of any intention what so ever.