The
identity which asserts itself here and now as me is based on a strong
impression. The impression I am this body, I am these memories, I am
this person that thinks and feels. Your identity is based on the
apparently obvious belief that I am the doer of these actions, the
manipulator of these life choices and the actor of these life events.
The Yoga of the Vedas however asserts that this impression is not your
real nature. It is temporarily what you have become but it is not who
you truly are. This impression is a sense which has risen up in
consciousness and stated itself as me. It can be called the ego or the
“I thought”.
The
fact that this has happened is fantastic, it is not wrong nor is it a
mistake. It has arisen as a result of nature, the tremendous power of
creation that has brought all this variety into play: planets, stars,
birds, trees, seasons, sunsets and people. This power is truly
staggering and your experiences are as much a part of its’ expression as
anything else. But you must recognise that this sensing instrument, this
agent of communication, interaction and behaviour that we call person is
a temporary manifestation - you must recognise that – because this
instrument is subject to birth, growth, decay and death. That is beyond
doubt .The person does not endure, but the I that experiences through
that person does endure. But what is this I? It is the witness state,
the experiencer of experiences, the Light of awareness-Love.
Right now In this moment there is experience. You know this
experience. You are alive, awake and aware. Now, in terms of the
detail of what you experience, you may approve or you may be
disapprove. But these wants and needs are fickle things, unreliable,
inconsistent and ultimately impossible to satisfy or even to
rationalise. They also change. One minute you want one thing and one
minute you want another thing. Perhaps never quite getting the right
balance to quench the thirst and touch the spot. This search for
satisfaction may well have been pushing you like this for a very long
time. It’s curious, isn’t it, that such an inefficient process, such an
elusive prize continues to drive us.
What
is this dissatisfaction? It is fundamentally a non-acceptance of what
is and a wish for something else. What would happen if you turned that
around? What would happen if you accepted what is and you lived from
that premise? Well, a remarkable thing would happen. You’d be happy.
This
is not a distant theory; it’s not a play of words or a trick. It’s a
real, available choice that you can make. To accept the moment as it
arises. And to see the playfulness and beauty in it. Then, you would
be happy. Because, do you know, there is playfulness and there is
beauty in the smallest thing. The creativity around you and in this
moment is truly wondrous, truly grand and staggering. Look about you at
this expression of nature. This expression of creativity is in the
people you meet, the trees in your garden, the work in your in-tray, the
interactions between us and the ordinary routine functions of daily
life. Fabulous, fabulous creation.
Now,
we cannot say it’s always easy, or even always nice, although much of
the time it is. But this is how nature is set up and unfolding and it’s
foolish to try and reject it or to fight against it. That’s
dissatisfaction originates from rejection of what is and a fear of
acceptance of what comes.
Now,
you may say but hold on. What about ambition, what about striving for
change, what about fulfilling my potential, what about eliminating
negativity. Well, where the forces of change are inevitable in life,
they appear. Where endurance is needed, it is there. When bravery and
courage are required, it comes. When innovation is appropriate, there
it is. But these things do not come on your own terms. They are not
playing to your design. They are not subject to the whim of your wishes
and wants. You do not have that power to shape and direct life against
the tide. Just take stock of your own history and you will see that
this is true. Yet, you are constantly trying to do just that - to wade
against the tide because your wishes and wants tell you it’s not
alright. Well the commentary of these wishes and wants is unreliable,
will never end and need not be paid attention to. You can learn to do
that. In the place of critique and rejection there can be acceptance
and responsiveness to what comes as it comes. This responsiveness will
itself direct the actions and reactions that need to come while you
settle back into being the freshness of the witness which knows and sees
it all.
This is all you can really do.
Witness the arising of the moment and the responses that come in it.
And that is enough, to do that is enough. That is beautiful, creative
and full of life. Everything is in this moment because where else could
it be. It could not be anywhere else because there is nowhere else to
go except this moment. Tenderness is here, appreciation is here,
productivity is here, sensitivity is here, action, vision and strength
in this moment, what more do you need. This moment is not a mistake,
this moment is not unfair, this moment is the totality of reality
flashing forth expressing itself in the only way it can. While you shine
in the realisation of the perpetual witness. It’s a magnificent
adventure and we are all in it together witnessing the moment. Find a
teaching, find a teacher, find the living support and dynamic engagement
of a sangha and be who you are.
