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| Self (2) | ||
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Self-stimulation
People enjoy having their self-image acknowledged, accepted and
respected. Courting praise is commonplace; inviting others to aid you in stroking your
ego,
and in turn stroking theirs...
This is a mutual appreciation game in which neither
party gives anything.
The entire exercise is essentially self-serving.
Conscious
The conscious mind is the part of our brain that is
paying attention to what
is taking place right now.
Or at least it should be.
For many people things are quite different.
Cuckoo
A cuckoo lays it's eggs in the nests of other birds.
The eggs hatch and the baby cuckoo ejects the other eggs/hatchlings from the
nest.
This is the role of the 'self' in your mind.
It is the cuckoo.
Hijacking your brain
Media, politics, the news, gossip, TV, distractions, worrying, anxiety,
opinion,
memories and so on have
usurped your
consciousness.
Instead of seeing what is right in front of you, there is a chorus of
voices, the chattering of
the monkey. Rather than pay attention to
what is, your mind is
clouded.
Unconscious
The unconscious is the 99.9% of things taking place that we are
unaware
of.
Our circulatory system, the neurons in our brain, the countless gigabytes of
data being employed by our brain just to keep us functioning.
We are conscious of so very little.
The unconscious is in charge
With so much our body, brain and life operating outside of our conscious
awareness, it is easy to recognise that the unconscious is the boss.
The problem is that our self-image keeps getting in the way.
We do not eat right, nor
exercise.
Our knees hurt or there is
a back problem.
These are the outcome of distraction, carelessness, wilfulness, the
ego...
Tai chi
Tai chi teaches the student to
set-aside
self-image and trust the unconscious.
All aspects of
the training were designed with this in mind.
It is not possible to advance to a
high level unless the
ego has been subdued.
Conflict
The battle
waged within our lives is not between self and other but between idea and
reality.
In Zen in the Art of Archery Eugen Herrigel stated:
Fundamentally the marksman aims at himself.
This insight refers
to the true purpose of
martial arts training.
Your aim is not merely
to vanquish an opponent, but to
ultimately
conquer your own demons
- a far more insidious and destructive foe.
Vulnerable
A well-adjusted person is honest with themselves and
other people - they are not afraid to say that they don't know or that they have
doubts.
Nobody is perfect.
We all make mistakes. We are all vulnerable. We all fall ill. We all feel pain.
We all experience fear. And we will all die.
This is what it means to be human.
Courage
The glory of the human spirit lies in our capacity to admit our fears and
proceed regardless.
We call this 'courage'.
Loss of 'self'
Meditation speaks continually about loss of self. What does this mean? It refers to the
shedding of our persona. Getting rid of the
past.
Setting aside our opinions, bias, pride, conceit, arrogance,
knowledge and
guilt.
Authentic self
Meditation is concerned with the unveiling/releasing of the authentic self; the
real you.
The 'you' that was born all those many years ago.
Long before society, parenting and
education
taught you to become somebody else.
Page created
21 February 1995
Last updated
04 May 2023
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