Moving Into Stillness - Self-Realization (Erich Schiffmann)

[Guest guest]

Self-Realization

 

FIRST DIMENSION

 

Yoga can be seen as having three interwoven themes or dimensions. The

first involves getting down on the floor and actually doing the

exercises. The exercises purify and heal your body by making you

balanced, strong, flexible, sensitive, energized, and relaxed. They

promote radiant health. They also increase your mental stamina by

training your mind to concentrate and sustain a focused attention. In

combination, these culminate in the experience of stillness and

peace. This is why I refer to the practice of yoga as a way of moving

into stillness.

 

This first theme is exceedingly important because when you experience

yourself in stillness and feel the peace within you, you will come

upon a new awareness of who you are. This new awareness will convince

you that " you " are part of a greater whole, that you are not a

separate energy nor a separate consciousness. You are an individuated

and specific expression of one energy, one Consciousness, one

Infinite Mind - much like a single wave on the ocean is a specific

expression of that ocean. Waves are not separate energies. They are

individuated and unique, one of a kind, but they do not exist apart

from the ocean.

 

Similarly, we are not separate entities somehow disconnected from the

One and Only, the All. We are individually specific and unique, yet

inseparable from the whole. We are individuated conscious expressions

of Infinite Conscious Being, Infinite Mind, God, the Father-Mother,

the one I Am, the Self. There is no " you " or " me " apart from It. We

are It in specific manifestation. We are Consciousness being

specifically conscious.

 

Ego is when the wave - you or me - mistakenly believes that it stands

alone and that, somehow, it is essentially separate and different

from the ocean and from other waves. The ego sense is not real, not

accurate. It is not an actual energy or presence. It is imagination,

misunderstanding, a false sense of Self - the result of an incomplete

perception of who we are. It is a misidentification, a limited

understanding of the facts based on our conditioning and the data we

receive from our five physical senses only. It is thinking we are one

thing when we are really something else. It's how we define ourselves

prior to knowing what's really true.

 

It is not surprising that misidentification occurs, because from the

wave's vantage point on the surface of the ocean, it does look

separate. It looks out, sees other waves, and defines itself as one

among many. The underlying sameness is not obvious at first glance.

This is how we feel, mostly. We feel separate and distinct from one

another, alone in a vast universe, with our underlying sameness not

readily apparent. We look out and see " others. " Separateness is

what's obvious. But when the underlying oneness begins to be obvious,

it will steadily become more obvious, and pretty soon there will be a

complete transformation both in the way you think about yourself and

the way you see your world. Your existence will then be different,

more in harmony with life, because you'll be seeing yourself and the

world in a new way.

 

We are both the wave, individual and unique, and the ocean. Both. At

the same time. We are Consciousness, Infinite Mind, God, in specific

expression. Because we are Consciousness in specific expression, we

are each our own best contact point with that Consciousness. Your

mind is your personal best entry point into the awareness of Infinite

Mind, your own closest touch point with the creative God Force, which

is the life of you and everything else - just as a wave's closest

contact point with the ocean is itself. When you realize this, and

then take the time to immerse yourself in stillness, you will

experience this Godness-Goodness within you as you. As you do this,

you awaken to the spiritual meaning of yoga and the spiritual essence

that is the real you.

 

SECOND DIMENSION

 

The second dimension of yoga deals with meditation and communion.

This involves an enhanced way of using your mind based on your newly

emerging perspective of yourself as a mind in Mind, and it is the

direct result of having experienced yourself in stillness. This " new "

way of using your mind is the basis for expanded thinking, for

experiencing personal power, for obtaining inner guidance and

insight, for intelligent decision making, and for the sure conviction

of the inherent goodness of life. It involves voluntarily giving up

your own limited knowledge in glad exchange for the wisdom of the

whole. This is the wave asking the ocean, your mind asking Mind.

 

When you experience yourself in stillness - that is, when your mind

is at its most focused, energetic, present, alive, relaxed, and

wholehearted - you will " hear " the voice of God whispering in the

depths of your being. You will recognize this " voice " - sometimes

called the inner voice or little voice - as the voice of your Soul,

the voice that speaks your deepest and most genuine desires.

 

You will then intuitively understand that the Will of God, or the

intent of the universe, and the desires of your heart are one and the

same. They are not at odds with one another. They do not conflict. In

fact, and this is the point, they are not two. This realization, by

the way, is tremendously reassuring. It quells fear and restores

faith. You will then know that your mind is part of the one Infinite

Mind, the Mind of God, that there is no difference, and that there

really is an inner voice happy to guide and direct you throughout

your life. You will also know that it is in your best interest to

listen most attentively to that voice, that it is none other than

your own deepest wisdom.

 

THIRD DIMENSION

 

The third dimension is the natural consequence of having clearly

experienced your truth: The more familiar you are with the creative

God Force in you, the more you will see It and recognize It in

others.

 

This is a monumental theme, and this idea has the power to transform

both your individual world and the world at large. No longer will you

see an evil, hostile world filled with alien and antagonistic forces.

And no longer will it seem reasonable to complain, criticize, and

condemn everything you see for being so blatantly imperfect. Instead,

you will smile inside as you begin to see the very same creative

energy with which you have become familiar within yourself as the

energy and life of all things and people. All the world will take on

a friendly and non-threatening glow as you see " your " energy

everywhere.

 

When you see your energy in someone else, you will have a sudden

moment of recognition. At first you may be confused, not knowing why

you recognize them or who they are. Then it will dawn on you. You are

seeing yourself. You are seeing the thing in you that you call " you, "

but you are seeing it in them! It's exactly like seeing your

reflection in the store window as you walk by, or looking into a

mirror and clearly seeing yourself.

 

When you see yourself in someone else, you are seeing the Self. The

term Self-Realization is actually a very accurate description of what

happens when you understand the deeper meaning of yoga. Realize

means " to make real. " When the Self becomes real to you - and it will

when you experience it within and then see it without - then the

notion of a shared Self and common Source will become a conscious

reality for you. You will realize that both you and " others " are

simply different faces of one infinite Person, one Infinite

Consciousness, one Infinite Mind or Being, God. The spiritual

overtone of life will become supremely evident. You will see no

difference between yourself and others.

 

Moving Into Stillness - Self-Realization (Erich Schiffmann)

www.movingintostillness.com/index.html