The Way to Truth
They say that “the truth will make you free,” and that’s so, so the path to truth is also the way to freedom-freedom from the illusions of life and subsequent psychological suffering.
Why is the path to truth and freedom (enlightenment) possible only through self-knowledge? Let us first consider the question of what self-knowledge is.
Self-knowledge is working on oneself in an attempt to understand who I really am. Am I a body? Or mind? Or spirit / soul? Or something else? Or nothing at all? Who am I really?
A person is inclined to pay attention to the outside, to look for something outside, not inside himself, and what does he want to find? Any kind of satisfaction, happiness, freedom, tranquility, bliss? Are not all material desires and actions reduced to this? But what does man find by searching outside? He finds alternating pleasures and sufferings. That is why, having bought a new car / apartment / dacha, having occupied a high-paying position,
Initially, a person can seek the truth in the scriptures, or not completely sacred and not entirely scriptures, he can reread a bunch of books, visit a lot of seminars, try dozens of practices of any orientation. And sooner or later he comes to the key question – and who, in fact, am I? The path of self-knowledge begins.
On the way to truth, you can find many tools and methods of self-knowledge – various exercises, techniques, practices, and even just reading the literature. In self-knowledge, a person passes through a sequence of concepts. each of which at some point may seem the most correct, and then invariably replaced by another. The change of concepts occurs until the final self-knowledge
We can say that the end of the path of self-knowledge is the disappearance of concepts about oneself (identities, beliefs and other illusions), as well as desires and sufferings of any kind arising on the basis of this.
Self-knowledge is the knowledge of truth, the acquisition of freedom, the achievement of unity. unity with God, or what else is called this phenomenon. The path to truth can take a long time, or not very, or happen instantly and unexpectedly. But, quite definitely, if the search has begun, you have no chance – self-knowledge will happen. The force that made you turn in search of yourself, will finish your business to the end.
Methods of self-knowledge
Let’s talk about the tools for finding the truth. Perhaps this will speed up your path of self-discovery.
By the way, concepts are also tools. For example, the concept of “all the Will of God”, if it has sunk into your mind and contradicts the habitual concept of “I am the cause of my thoughts / words / reactions / actions” (the illusion of personal causality), will force you to periodically recall and explore this topic. This process of research rather quickly eliminates the ego. the manifestation of which is the appropriation of authorship or causality. From these two conflicting concepts, one can draw up and work out duality. which is also a wonderful idea. True, not all this gives such a remarkable result, and this is due to the fact that this duality is too tightly tied to other dualities, and on this whole web of dualities there is a lot of negativity. Then you can disassemble this structure in pieces.
The formula of happiness is a wonderful tool for self-knowledge, which also quickly relieves the ego. Sometimes, however, it is painful (for the ego), especially at first.
Self-inquiry with questions like “Who am I?” it is a more direct way of self-knowledge, since it touches the main question directly.
You can use the “screen concept” proposed on the previous page, and explore it from different angles. You, as a pure perceiving consciousness (in the original form), are similar to the screen on which the film of life is projected. Or, in another way: you are like a space in which the events of life unfold. Or you are like a mirror reflecting what appears before him. In all these comparisons, one thing is important: you are not an object, you are not material, you have no form and other characteristics, there is nothing but a function to be aware of what is happening. But the reflection includes all material objects, as well as thoughts, sensations, emotions, identities, illusions, desires, sufferings, actions and everything else. Mirror itself does not have representations, beliefs, desires, sensations, emotions, illusions, sufferings, and even attachment to these reflected objects – it only reflects them, realizes when they appear. Try to explore this from such a perspective, this will also contribute to self-knowledge. Find the part of “yourself” that only perceives, realizes, and nothing more.
Try also to work out identities like “I am the body – I am not the body”, “I’m the mind – I’m not the mind”, etc. with the help of techniques of the first level.
Another tool – blurring boundaries and achieving Unity, as you work with this technique, too, the beliefs about yourself, the identities and a bunch of other mental rubbish.
Thanks to God for everything also in a remarkable way eradicates the selfish idea of personal authorship, gradually, step by step.
I used to describe “Exercise” I am “, which is best done in a calm environment, sitting with closed or open eyes (try differently.) Try to pay more attention to the feeling of being,” I am “, than to objects.
How to choose the method of self-knowledge that is right for you at the moment? By the result. You will notice that life is changing for the better. Therefore, you need to try. Not always, of course, the result is noticeable at once, and not always the mind (ego) says that this is a good result. Focus on the sensations. If in life there is more peace, tranquility, less stressing situations, more joy, happiness, harmony, love – then the chosen method of self-knowledge is appropriate and leads to the discovery of Truth. When one method has exhausted itself, and this happens, try others.
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