Going back to source
Thoughts such as “to do or not to do,” “to do because I want to,” “to do because I have to,” “to do because I feel I have to,” and “to do because I need to” are common in all of us. Often glued to these thoughts are emotions. When these thoughts and emotions spiral out of control because of an unexpected situation we have to face or the anticipation of circumstances that, in the end, may never manifest, we tend to feel “out of balance,” “out of control,” or “not grounded.” How do we deal with this? The answer is simple: we should go back to where we come from.
Enlightened ones, mystics and Holly Books agree on this point. For example, Buddha tells his monks to “be islands unto yourselves, be a refuge unto yourselves with no other refuge.” (The Long Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Dgha Nikāya by Maurice Walshe, Wisdom Publications, 2012, 404). In a similar vein, Jesus’ journey includes several cases that, by means of a metaphorical understanding of the lesson behind them, refer to this. For instance, when Jesus cleanses the temple by expelling the crowd (Matthew 21-12-17) and when his parents, Mary and Joseph, realized young Jesus was missing, “they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.” (Luke 2:41-52)
All these teachings advise us to have a contemplative position in life because there is a refuge of peace within us. When we understand God as our being, God can never be absent. Indeed, due to unforeseen circumstances or mundane challenges we may be mentally absent. Thoughts and emotions may seem to invade and conquer us. Yet, to find peace, we simply need to leave the “crowd” and go back inwards, to source, to the temple or, in other words, to our beginning. In these lessons, the dichotomy between the “crowd” and “self” points out to the state in which we find ourselves when our attention is scattered. When this happens, we should aim to acknowledge our conscious activities and ongoing striving in order for them to cease.
By gathering our attention, we are able to still ourselves. Being here and now we are not caught up in thoughts and feelings. While being relaxed but alert, we release ourselves into God’s case trusting we lack nothing. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we do not need to seek God here or there. He is in each of our hearts. Therefore, there is always a refuge of peace at reach, within us. In fact, that is what we do when we use techniques such as meditation, yoga and mindful breathing. We learn to leave the “crowd” for a while by simply coming back to source.
The road back to source requires concentration and will. More precisely, concentration of intention, concentration of energy, concentration of consciousness and concentration of investigation should be accompanied by effort of will. Our watchfulness must be intense, concentrated and unremitting. This implies a continual fixing and halting of thought at the entrance of the heart. By being attentive to ourselves we gain heart’s stillness that is free from mental images and becomes the guardian of the intellect. In truth, we simply have to be still and trust God will take care of everything.
Previous post:
Christ Consciousness. 9: On watchfulness: becoming the observer
Available at: https://london1701.blogspot.com/2023/03/christ-consciousness-9-on-watchfulness.html
Saturday 18th March 2023
Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez
Twitter: @DrJorge_World
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