One of the first blogs I ever wrote on this website was about the power of meditation, and it is becoming clearer to me now that going within and realising the true Self is the most important and amazing discovery that a human being can make.
As the world around us vies for our attention, and there appears to be so much angst, conflict, turmoil and uncertainty, the ability to place our attention in our own hearts is fundamental to being grounded, aligning with our true nature and transcending this limited mode of consciousness.
At its most fundamental, meditation is about becoming conscious of the awareness that you are. Your awareness is quickly being pulled by the mind into whatever thoughts arise or come into your perception, but the truth is that you are not your mind and the thoughts that arise within it. Instead you are the consciousness that is aware of the thoughts, or any phenomena that arise within the field of perception.
This can be difficult for the individual person to grasp, especially when they've spent their whole life completely identified with the voice in the head, the attention pulled into whatever thoughts are arising.
When we’re born, we are given a name and later acquire an identity. This identity consists of belief systems, religions, ideologies etc. but none of these things are authentic to us; they are all learned, and many of these things are in a constant state of flux. There often comes a time in life when you realise that it's actually exhausting keeping all of these things alive, and peace and relief is craved. This relief is simply the peace and silence of your own Being.
The question becomes, if all of these thoughts and identifications were removed entirely, who would you be? Is it possible to let go of all identification with thought forms?
The answer is yes. introspection and meditation allow for the release of all of the baggage of egoic identity, and the discovery of your true, pure Self. There is a silence or emptiness that exists prior to any thought form, and this is your true, authentic nature. It has been called by many names including Being, God, Source, Unmanifested Consciousness, Presence, and many others. This thing is actually no thing at all, but allows everything else to exist. This no-thing is our true essence and the very power that shapes and moves the entire Universe. It is birthless, deathless and timeless.
Through meditation and the practice of letting go, we can discover this truth within ourselves, and move into our true power. This is not a power of the ego, i.e. the individual identity, but the power of the whole. When we realise this, the world begins to work with us, we flow with life, and we no longer place our need for happiness or fulfilment on the external world, with its constantly shifting and changing landscape. We know instead that there is a wellspring of joy, peace and love within us, which is our true home, and we return there.
Namaste