To wake up from pride
Have you listened to the silence within the sound? That silence which hums merrily along with all that is audible. It feels like an immense presence bearing down on everything. And with such silence the mind is astounded, quite rightly, since that silence is like a block that does not move under any pressure. It is all-pervasive, as if it is the very constituent of reality.
The bugs that speak during a hot summer day do not care for the many tomorrows. It is the very first and the very last song of existence. With such abandonment nature goes into the unknown, carefree and unbridled, and with such force and power, how could one not face nature with utter humility?
A dog walks by, interested in something in the dirt, deviating from the path constructed by humans for humans. While the dog owner sticks to her path, the dog has no regard for man-made structures. The structures of man limit human beings. The mind imprisons itself. What a trick it has played! In its display of power and technique, the mind has deluded itself in its own grandeur. To wake up from such pride and blindness is clarity.
To wake up from pride is a tremendous thing. It burns away the assumptions, and only when there are no assumptions can the aspects of reality begin to manifest. One must clear away the stains on the mirror, and leave nothing uncleaned, therefore the mirror becomes crystal clear. In the same way, the distortions of the mind must be seen and gone beyond, and with direct perception reality surfaces as what it already is, indescribable, nameless, without right or wrong, without division, beyond definition, profound peace and silence.
All questions are related. They all originate from the same source. The going into the source is self-inquiry. It is to understand a very simple question, who am I? In such questioning, one might encounter many obstacles, but hold the inquiry steadfast in the mind, then all shall be cleared away. Human beings have accomplished tremendous feats with their knowledge, but all the while ignorant of themselves. Such is the root of misery. Suffering begins with neglect and the lack of affection. Affection to all is the highest virtue. And with such an attitude toward life, very soon the mind becomes clear, and judgments fall away like a caterpillar’s shell. What is born then is beautiful, sacred, free like the wind, sensitive like the wings, the substance of eternal love.
Cover photo by Aman Upadhyay on Unsplash
