Dee recently asked,
“When alone, the illusion of self weakens.
When in the company of others,
it seems stronger.
How could I dispel this illusion of self,
that rears its head
as I converse and socialize with others?”
I responded,
“Please enumerate the ways you feel
that your sense of self manifests
amongst others.”
Dee elaborated:
“In meditation,
or driving in solitude,
there is an ‘Aha!’ moment
of no self,
separate from being.
When with others,
‘I’ come to the foreground.
‘I’ stir emotionally.
‘I’ talk from the place of illusory self.
Thus the term ‘idol worship’
takes on a whole new meaning!”
“But Dee,” I explained,
“you are both self AND no-self .
for during each IN breath you perceive self and
during each OUT breath you experience no self.”
To which Dee sagely replied,
“Huh?”
I continued,
“After we cut through the distractions
of grandiose terminology
meditation is merely a question
of mindfulness during inhalation
and release during exhalation.
For the journey of enlightenment
is not paved in pseudo-intellectual philosophizing
but merely in cultivating the habit
of noticing and letting-go
in harmony with our breathing cycles:
natural, and uncontrived.”
Let us conclude
with a simple
call to action
In the Tibetan tradition Lamas are supported
by those who read their teachings
as such the production of these webinars, and videos, and livestreams,
and podcasts, and blogs, and class materials is supported
by the generosity of viewers, and listeners, and readers
just like you.
Join our nightly livestream.
Download FREE practice materials.
Comments