What would it be like to realise a condition where one had no fixed notions of self? The answer is, undistracted -- by the notion of being anyone or anything in particular. Undistracted by the personality and its endless stream of memories, fears and desires; by all notions of self that relate to a Self Absolute, including ideas that represent that which is sacred. The formation of any image relating to self so easily obscures the limitless depth and subtlety that is always there.
Only a rare individual does not need to know who they are. And indeed this seems to be the greatest challenge, if an individual wants to be free. We do not need to know who we are to be able to be fully who we are in the most passionate way. In fact, we can only be who we are, as we are, unadorned by anything else, if we are free of all notions of self. It’s impossible to be perfectly spontaneous, which is the true expression of a liberated personality, as long as we are distracted by any notion of self, relative or Absolute. Only if we have no idea who we are will we be able to find out who we are, in each and every moment.
The spiritual journey is almost always supported in a fundamental way by concepts of self in which the seeker takes refuge. These concepts serve to create the illusion of safety in the chaotic ocean of life. It takes tremendous courage to embrace the possibility of being awake without needing to be supported by any notion of self, relative or Absolute. We do not need to add anything to what we are. We only need to endeavour to discover who and what we are, free from any fixed ideas.
If we are serious about awakening, it’s imperative that sooner or later we come to terms with the fact that the significance of our personal history—everything that we have endured, pleasant and unpleasant, that makes us who we think we are in this moment—is utterly irrelevant in the face of the Truth. We have to find a way to directly perceive reality as it is, free from the corrupting influence of the mind. The mind will corrupt our interpretation of reality only if we allow it to do so. And we allow it to do so because we are frightened of the experience of no location, no point of reference, no idea whatsoever. If we are to find true spiritual freedom, then we have to find the way to remain completely free of any and all fixed notions of self that the mind creates. This is a constant endeavour.
The goal, in the end, is simply to see things as they are, to perceive reality as it is. We will know that we are beginning to arrive when we find that the personality is spontaneously expressing itself free from fear, free from any sense of limitation. When the personality becomes animated in such a way, we experience a condition in which we are constantly discovering actuality, always and ever new, free from any fixed reference point. That’s freedom.
It is when we hold onto nothing that it is possible to know everything. There is no middle ground.
Andrew Cohen is currently teaching in India. Please go to: www.andrewcohen.com/events
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