I lived for a time with someone who did not function from the center of rational thinking. This does not mean that he was incapable of rational thinking, quite the opposite. In fact I never met with anyone who was so practical, ingenious and down to earth, all in one. He tended to use rational thinking as a tool, he was not ruled by the rational mind. Someone who can live and function from an inner intuitive sense of spontaneous clarity will leave no footprints in the world and will move through life with spontaneous expressions of light and joy. Such a being lives with an intensity which is always fresh, completely un-contrived and uncompromisingly relevant.
To have had the chance to come within the orbit of someone who moves in complete harmony with the present moment is an extra ordinary privilege and something rare and beautiful to behold. We live in an age in which book learning and ‘artificial’ knowledge fill almost all of our waking hours. We are endlessly distracted and preoccupied with things which are not intrinsically important to our inner well being. In fact our educational system is founded upon the very principles that remove us from the sacred inner knowledge which lies at the very heart of our existence.
We are so disconnected from our inherent sense of who and what we really are, that our lives have become little more than a parody; one that is both comic and tragic. The way to remedy this depends entirely upon our determination, willingness and inner sense of longing to reconnect with our vital sense of ‘being.’ This does not require a huge undertaking, but simply turning of the attention towards what is always changeless and present within us.
We are led to believe that in order to find our selves, we must do one of any number of things, from becoming a ‘better person’ to undergoing various austerities or Asanas or meditations, or whatever. Each religion or spiritual group has its own particular set of rules and requirements in this regard. Yet, if we take a long and hard look at all this plethora of dos and don’t s it is easy to become confused by all the noise. It is that noise that drowns out the ever present silence and simplicity of what and who we really are.
The mind tends to instill in us a sense that we are not already complete, that something is missing, that we must do something in order to reclaim what has been lost. Whereas, in actuality, what and who we really are, is always present, right here and with us all the time. It could never be otherwise. All the teachings, techniques, learning and so on are the ideas and workings of mind. What we really are exists beyond the mind.
When I lived near my master I was able to have a close up view of what it means when someone lives from the inner state of truth. I was able to watch this play out in the world. It was extremely compelling and manifested itself as a skillful and entirely spontaneous display which was always exactly appropriate, even if not in any way predictable.
If we are in the presence of an authentic master we can see wisdom and compassion in action. This is not some boring goodie, goodie showcasing, but utterly compelling and mind changing. This is one of the reasons why it is so very important and incredibly precious to meet with true masters. Their living example brings us directly into the path of our own innermost truth. We have developed very advanced modes of learning and in these times and days people need so many degrees and letters after their name in order to be counted as successful in the current models of society. Yet this very learning can be our greatest impediment to recognizing the truth that is always with us.
Featured image by Lyse Lauren