Watch the self for what it is

 Maybe you feel lazy on a Sunday afternoon, and you browse the gossip columns.

 

“Wow, she still looks great twenty years on.”

 

“What, he cheated on her? What was he thinking!”

 

“I never got why he is famous. He can’t act and doesn’t even look good!”

 

You somehow get lost in all the stories and updates but then you feel bad.

 

“Wait, I am spiritual. These are all judgements. How can I be so heartless!”

 

“I should meditate and center myself. My ego got the better of me once again!”

 

Can you notice something interesting here, the self that is appreciating the social news is considered as ego whereas the self that reminds us to meditate is considered as awareness. That thinking is caught in duality, both mental activities are “selfing,” the feeling of being driven by a positive (make time for meditation) and negative (have a little fun checking other people out) energy. Awareness is the emptiness from which both mental actives rise and in which they return.

 

Can you just notice the self as it rises without any specific judgement or approval, and can you watch how this self changes color as the thinking process continues or changes? Presence is independent of any selfing activity. Flip the gossip channels on a lazy Sunday afternoon or go meditating at 5 am. Either way, the secret of spiritual living is the empty space from which these self identities rise and in which they return. Awareness is always, but is the inner silence present enough to be aware?

 

#spirituality #awareness #self