Do You Know Yourself?
All loving relationships start with knowing. All problems stem from a lack of understanding. If we are to love ourselves, love others as ourselves, and eliminate internal and external conflict, we must know ourselves.
The wisdom that arises from understanding who we truly are cannot be told to us. Just as we cannot develop a good relationship with another person by simply reading about relationships, we cannot develop a good relationship with ourself by reading or listening to someone else.
A teacher can help you build the telescope, point it in the right direction, but you must look through the eyepiece yourself.
Strange as it may sound, most of us spend very little time with ourselves. The mind, afraid to be explored and investigated, fills up every minute of our day with tasks, distracting thoughts, and constant entertainment.
Study your mind and you will understand yourself, other people, and the nature of illusory problems. We must each become experts of our own mind. Only when we understand what we do and why we do it, will we be free to actually make a choice. Otherwise we will just be like a dog chasing a mail truck with no idea why, no idea what we’ll do when we catch it, and no way to stop ourselves.
Couples have date nights. Friends hang out together. Even coworkers bond outside of work. Even more so, we need some quality time with numero uno.
Thoughts aren’t commands that dictate what we must do and how we must feel. It only seems that way because we have never truly explored these ever arising and passing away thoughts.
If the unexamined life is not worth living, the unexamined mind is not worth having.
How do you find yourself spiritually? The answer to this question, like all questions, lies within. When we turn our attention inward, which is as simple as closing our eyes, we reconnect with that awareness that lies beyond the physical dimension. This is where our spiritual nature can be found.
Everything physical is temporary. Most of us spend most of our lives attached to temporary physical phenomena and physical pleasures. This attachment to impermanence inevitably causes suffering.
Uncovering the Stillness Within
The key is to realize the empty space and stillness within and around us. This is the changeless, eternal calm from where lasting peace and joy arise. This is our spiritual nature.
There is more empty space all around us than there is stuff. There is more silence than there is sound. Yet that little bit of stuff and sound tend to take up all our attention. They fill up our entire field of conscious awareness and we lose touch with the deeper truth of our existence. If you ever wonder why do I feel disconnected from everything, it is often because this surface noise pulls us away from that deeper space of stillness.
THE SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE:
To be spiritual is to see the larger perspective. It is to expand our consciousness beyond objects. It is to see relationships, energy, how things are connected, how the law of cause and effect plays out, all of which ultimately gives us the fully expanded view of oneness that we can all awaken to.
How to Embark on a Spiritual Journey to Find Ourselves
There are many paths to the top of a mountain. Some may be easier and quicker than others, but there is no shortcut and there is no one else who can hike that mountain for you. There will be guides along the way who can share the path that worked best for them. But everyone is different.
The spiritual journey is one of self-discovery. To know the Self is to know the universe entire. We learn who we are both in how we engage with the world, and in how we engage with ourselves. We do not have to leave our city or country. We only have to enter our self.
Unlearning and Reconnecting with Our True Self
Ironically, we are all born enlightened beings, like every other animal on the planet. So to go on the spiritual journey, we first have to unlearn the things that separated us from our true selves, including societal conditioning. We need to let go of the baggage we’ve accumulated throughout our lifetimes. Like an onion, we have to unravel the layers that we have built up that obscure the truth of oneness.
In meditation, we can practice wisdom beyond thinking. In this state of being, there is no doubt or uncertainty. There is only peace, knowing, and love.
Practicing Daily Presence and Building Mindfulness Habits
By practicing presence throughout our day, we can let go of the past and the future. We can flow with ease through our day and through our lives. We can maintain awareness of our thoughts, emotions, and tension in our body. And we can never again lose ourselves to the heavy emotions of anger and fear.
It is simply a matter of habit. How often do we catch ourselves thinking mindlessly? How often do we remember to be where we are? How often do we remember to relax our body and calm our breathing? The more we practice, the quicker it becomes a habit.
Sometimes going on a meditation retreat or getting out of our ordinary lives can help us get started. But if we don’t incorporate what we’ve learned into a daily practice, we will fall back into old patterns very quickly. So in this way, it can be even more advantageous to begin a daily spiritual practice in your regular everyday life.
PRACTICAL DAILY STEPS TO FIND YOURSELF SPIRITUALLY:
Some meditation in the morning and evening (start small and work your way up slowly), a gratitude before each meal and then more often throughout the day, and as many mindful conscious breaths as you can remember. Set up mindfulness reminders around your home and on the homescreen of your phone. They can be personal notes or Buddha statues or even Jesus. Whatever reminds you to take a mindful moment to breathe is all you need.
Shift from the Chaotic Thinker to the Silent Observer
Stay mindful of attached, desirous thoughts that take you over. Stay mindful of stress and worries. As you do this, the ego — the thinking mind — becomes less powerful, and your higher wisdom becomes stronger. Naturally your intentions, thoughts and actions will become more aligned as you break free from the likes and dislikes you once identified with. You will become the ever silent, peaceful watcher, rather than the chaotic thinker that you witness.
As we detach from our thoughts and from material possessions, from greed and selfishness, and as we become more selfless and loving, we will no longer be imprisoned by this physical world and we will experience heaven on Earth.
3-STEP DAILY MINDFULNESS ROUTINE:
- Morning & Evening Sitting: Start small with 5–10 minutes of watching thoughts without judgment.
- Mealtime Gratitude: Express silent thanks to every person, element, and farm that brought food to your plate.
- Anchor Reminders: Place visual cues around your workspace or phone screen to take 3 conscious, deep breaths.
ALONENESS TO ONENESS
A transformative documentary on stepping beyond the ego, shifting from loneliness to aloneness, and recognizing our shared interconnected nature.
“Loneliness is when being alone causes suffering, but aloneness is ultimately recognizing others as yourself—realizing that you are one with everything.”
Weekly Writings from the Desk of Todd Perelmuter
Don’t Just Be Materially Wealthy, Be Spiritually Wealthy
