We have heard before- “Self-knowledge is the key”, that we ourselves are what we seek to find, we are always seeking the seeker! Searching for our true self, we wonder about Truth and Reality.
We study, contemplate, resolve our doubts, until all our concepts are seemingly clear, we have a map of the path. We think we understand, where we want to go!
Then, we find this big boulder sitting on our way- “How to take the first step?”. Our enthusiasm for seeking the seeker, turns into frustration, as we stand confused before this wall of, “How?”!
How to do this? Any answer that it can invite, comes from our conditioned mind.
This mind, is influenced by everything it comes across. It has gathered information and concepts from outside, choosing, sorting and adopting them, as its own knowledge.
Mesmerized by the bliss and peace proclaimed by those who have known the truth, we strive to find contentment in borrowed descriptions.
Our minds have only a superficial understanding of these ideas, this knowledge is shallow, with no deep connection to our inner being. It is not rooted in our own direct experience.
So, our mind stumbles upon many questions, when we try to walk on the path. How to find what we seek? How to meditate? How to deal with thoughts? How to be free of attachments?
These questions are misleading. When we ask “how?”, we are looking for an answer, coming from outside. Every possible answer, takes our mind further along the path of borrowed second hand knowledge.
This is a futile search, a conspiracy of our conditioned mind, which keeps us busy in superfluous efforts. It creates a false sense of accomplishment, while we are hopelessly lost in illusions.
If we are what we seek, all paths must essentially take us away from the very truth we hope to find. Nothing can bring us closer to our innermost being, where we already are, we only need to remain where we are!
If we already are what we seek, why all the fuss?
The fuss is created by our conditioned mind, which is ruled by acquired habits and tendencies. Our mind indulges in unnecessary activities and mischief.
It derives satisfaction and a sense of continuity, from the process of doing something, making efforts, achieving, or going somewhere. It creates a complex mess, which it constantly dumps upon our simple, aware, welcoming presence.
Our mind forever avoids the emptiness, silence and stillness.
But we are this silence, this stillness. We are here, as this aware presence, the conscious, pure, emptiness, at the center of our being!
When we engage with the irrelevant clutter floating in our conditioned minds, we forget our pure being. Our attention escapes elsewhere, finding misery and suffering. We then, go around searching, for our truth and reality.
We seek what we are, but we could never actually have lost what we are! Being and knowing what we are, is as simple as not going outwards. When aware of our own being-knowing presence, we are this truth that we seek!
Simply being attentive to whatever is arising in this moment, noticing our aware presence, we are the knowing, of our deepest truth, our ultimate reality! This is the destination and the path. Just our simple, ordinary, being and knowing, is the key that unlocks itself!
Being aware, of our own awareness, is knowing what we already are. This is a realization. A recognition of something we have always known. A remembering of a forgotten truth. We are the seeker, the seeking and what we seek!
