Self-knowledge is the path to enlightenment and we cannot deny this. We need it to solve colossal problems within our own personality: contradictions, laziness, lack of initiative, and even the fight against depression. This is the path of renouncing unconscious fears, self-pity and groundless worry. We will look at several techniques of self-knowledge and figure out what we should be afraid of in the first place. Let's talk about the feeling of guilt and the burden of responsibility, which we often shift to other people, or we drag the “cart” of affairs on our own. Let's start your journey to self-improvement right now!
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What is self-knowledge?
Self-knowledge of the essence of man is more related to esoteric teachings. There is something mystical in it, borrowed from Eastern religions and sciences, which tell us about the human subconscious, the ability to find Compliance between body and soul . There are many techniques with the help of which a person listens to his soul, thoughts, and finds the path that he really needs to follow.
According to the levels of human organization:
- biological (cognition of a person as an organism);
- social (ability to adapt to environment with the help of knowledge, rules of behavior in society);
- personal (creating your life, correcting your behavior, the ability to make choices).
The presence of stereotypes about men and women, speculation from magazines and books, conflicting opinions, dogmas of psychological schools do not allow you to stop. Take time for your own self-knowledge, your own thoughts, and not the study of others! It is very difficult to construct a standard thought, since a person on the path to knowledge often deviates from the desired direction. Once the path to yourself has been found, life takes on bright colors again. A person strives for new types of activities, becomes more friendly and successful in all areas of life.
Stop the Earth - I will know myself!
People run away from themselves, hide behind work, the importance of completing certain tasks, without understanding how they are losing themselves. The inability to solve one's personal and material problems drives a person into a corner, depression, obsessions, phobias, and self-doubt appear.
Every person faces problems which turn for him into tests of endurance and the ability to adapt. Problems or routine work distances a person from his internal needs. Reality begins to be governed by the mind, without taking into account the desires of the soul. The path to yourself begins with the unknown , reconnecting with the desire of the soul (an abstract concept, for you it could be consciousness or subconscious), and not just the mind.
A person would rather believe what he sees, hears or understands than what cannot be felt through the senses.
At the peak of an excess of negative phenomena, it is necessary to stop and feel the inner silence , think about the meaning of life, your existence, what has been done and what still needs to be done.
It's never too late to stop and rethink your life, change your unloved job, find a new partner to create a relationship, a future strong family. Stop and understand how little love you give to your children and family, and especially to yourself.
Often, self-dislike starts with overtime work, which is physically and mentally exhausting, and time is wasted on self-care. By analyzing your activities and knowing your “I”, after a short stop, you can significantly improve your life and constantly improve it.
Self-knowledge is the path to enlightenment: principle of action
Self-knowledge of soul and body a person can be achieved through certain techniques, the study of esotericism, psychology, as well as. There are no affirmative conclusions that training or meditation is suitable for everyone; everyone must find an individual approach to understanding their inner strength. Human abilities are very great.
Our mind, body, soul are capable of much, but we do not develop what is given by nature. Misunderstanding of oneself, distortion of internal feelings leads to the destruction of personality, and during this period it is important to remember that .
Based on certain techniques, it helps to develop qualities that will help in all areas of life. For example, your favorite business will begin to generate income, and you will no longer need to do routine work. As a result, you can choose a partner who is suitable in character and is also capable of doing great feats to preserve your love, and not enduring mental or physical violence. Various techniques self-knowledge helps to develop morally.
Don't forget about the beauty of your body! After all, everything in a person should be beautiful: ... words, thoughts, and appearance! Don't forget to look after yourself. This is one of the fundamental factors in society. If you look repulsive, it's not that you have a crooked nose, it's that you've let yourself down. You may have an irregular nose shape, but that’s your feature. No one else you know has such an interesting profile. Maybe you should consider visiting a photographer?
Ruthlessly get rid of external irritants. The best thing is to change the environment, go on vacation, turn off your phone, Internet access, and stop watching TV. If you can’t go on vacation, you can do something unusual for yourself, spend a day in a new place where you have long wanted to visit.
Techniques for Using Observation and Reflection
When we realize that self-knowledge is the path to enlightenment and is important stage in our lives, this is where the first steps begin. Stop living in a world of illusions! Get rid of stupid habits - don’t use someone else’s head to generate thoughts, think for yourself.
With a simple technique, you can get closer to the point of awareness. To start using this simple technique, you need to go through 4 steps:
- Stage I. Realize that you are not the body or the mind or even your emotions. Given the laws of physics, the observer cannot be the subject of observation at the same time.
- Stage II. Watch yourself: your movements, thoughts, emotions.
- Stage III. Any creative activity is followed by a stream of reflection. In the third stage, you will have to reflect on your own actions and their rationale.
- Stage IV. In the process of observation, you will come closer to the state called “pure soul”. Get rid of unnecessary thoughts and be able to concentrate. The final stage involves finding the answer. Who are you?
Do you think we forgot to mention the emotion aspect? No, this is not true, it’s just that emotions are a complex extension of the mind. They belong to that part of the unconscious that is born and develops with us. We adopt habits, we even adopt thoughts and reactions.
Perception and awareness of emotional status allows you to dive even deeper into your true self. The person remains an observer and comes to realize the falsity of all identifications. at this stage is equal to your knowledge of pure consciousness without identification.
The mind gets stuck and switches off. It will take a lot of practice to master this technique and get rid of awareness of the body, mind and emotions. With each session, new possibilities for the concept of one’s essence open up, and a person’s self-knowledge appears.
Techniques for using meditation
A special way of perceiving reality, with awareness of the secret content of a person’s inner world, is. With its help, you can balance yourself, find peace of mind and body, and get closer to harmony. Various meditation techniques are aimed at working with certain types of chakras or even at complex work with only one chakra. You can meditate either to special music or in silence. For example, Indian spiritual leader Chandra Mohan Jenin, later known to the whole world as Osho, said that any action can become meditation, the main thing is what degree of awareness of the present is present in it.
The simplest method of immersing yourself in a state of “no thoughts and garbage” is exercise for 15 minutes. Self-knowledge is the path to enlightenment, you understand this, and it is this understanding that should influence your attitude towards meditation. During such sessions, negative experiences of both an emotional and physical nature are brought out.
The subconscious is activated, the flow of thoughts follows a state of well-being and inner freedom. The duration of the technique is selected individually, depending on the problems that worry the person. On average, the self-knowledge technique lasts 10-12 days. If you like the state of meditation and bring tangible results, you can not limit yourself to two weeks, but continue sessions for as long as necessary.
Conclusion: human essence as it is
After realizing his essence, the reunification of soul and body, a person gains good mood, becomes cheerful, full of energy ready for new achievements. After practicing meditation, self-knowledge forces a person to better adapt to stressful situations and not perceive external stimuli that can throw them out of emotional balance.
A man who has come to know his life is like a slave man who suddenly finds out that he is a king.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy
A person learns to influence the outside world using the power of his own intention to influence himself, as well as to heal emotional wounds. Using the techniques described above heals a person spiritually, emotionally, physically. You will stop hiding from the world, expand your understanding of life, of your essence.
Not only meditation can convince us that self-knowledge is the path to enlightenment. Understanding comes with experience that we already have within ourselves. An emotional shock or renunciation of other people's beliefs can give us a desire to move forward. Only by looking into your own face can you understand who you are and what you are worth!
Everyone finds their own path to self-knowledge. It's for everyone. A person’s path to self-knowledge is largely determined by his work, his social position, and his implementation among people.
What is work in modern society? - for some it’s just a way to make money, and nothing personal. For some, work is the meaning of life and the path to enlightenment. For some, work is a way to realize oneself in society, to feel needed by people. In any case, a person’s activity, his work is the lion’s share of life, an incentive for development and acquisition of the necessary skills and abilities, his material and social position in society.
Winter path to self-discovery
In winter everything freezes. Activity too. Probably, in winter you think more, think about the meaning of life, about the path of self-knowledge, about your activities, work... Every morning it is more difficult to push yourself out of the house. Cold. So many people ride the subway with a look of reluctance on their faces. To a job you hate. Many people work just to “make ends meet” at the end of the month. They get up every day and continue to work just to eat, drink, maintain body temperature and somewhere to sleep. If it were their will, they would “hibernate for the winter” on the sofa, in front of the TV, but they want to eat - they have to work...
Do I need to work at all?
Multiple requests for instant earnings on the Internet, frequent cases of downshifting to warm countries of the “third world” indicate that people are tired of work that does not bring them satisfaction and fulfillment.
Someone is trying to find money on the Internet and get away from the hustle and bustle in search of path to enlightenment and self-knowledge.
Some people leave after saving enough money. Returns when they run out. With new experiences, and with new frustrations about my place in this world.
Someone is trying to do business. Not everyone succeeds. Not everyone has it or needs it. After another failed business project, with debts and disappointments, a person returns to work.
Someone constantly “buys” into promises of quick earnings, buying up all the tempting training courses and ways to earn millions quickly. But when the money runs out and no one lends money anymore, a person has to find a job to survive...
What is this? Do people only work “from the whip”? and work is nothing more than a means to survive? How can you pave the way to self-knowledge if you spend all your time just trying to get your “daily bread”?
How to find your own path to self-realization in the modern world, in the society of people, and does someone need it?
Psychology of work and the path of self-knowledge
What is work in modern society? - This is a way of ranking, a way of survival and self-realization in society. Why is it difficult for us to push ourselves out of “our box” and do something useful for others, to be needed by people, receiving money and a feeling of satisfaction for it?
System-vector psychology studies the human psyche, systematically explains all the phenomena occurring in society, their causes and consequences.
Our universe is eight-dimensional. Eight vectors, eight measures. People are born with a certain vector set; this is their “fate,” one might say, since vectors contain desires, reactions to what is happening, inclinations and interests of a person.
Large states also have their own mentality, which leaves an imprint on the development and interaction of this society. In Russia, this is a urethral-muscular mentality. This explains a lot.
The world has entered the skin era of development. That is, the values and priorities of the present time are values skin vector, namely, consumption, benefit-benefit, saving resources, technology, under the conditions of a standardized law.
The skin vector and the urethral mentality of Russia are completely opposite to each other. This manifests itself in such strange contradictions that, for example, we Russians feel uncomfortable asking for money for a job well done, but stealing something right away is normal. “Heat the Sucker”, “Cut the dough”, “Cut the cabbages quickly” - these are all manifestations of archetypal skin that cannot develop correctly in the conditions of the urethral-muscular mentality of Russia.
Russian people sincerely, on an unconscious level, believe that you cannot earn money honestly, only theft and corruption can give you wealth. The law in Russia does not work. We despise the rich and want to be like that. We hate America and the West, but we want to live there.
Skin West regulated by law social life. In Russian conditions this does not work. The urethral mentality of Russians does not accept restrictions and encroachments on personal freedom.
Work and implementation
In the Soviet Union, salaries were approximately the same everywhere, people were looking for something they liked, something they liked. As a rule, they found it. They received a job assignment and left. They lived modestly, not richly, but were satisfied in their fulfillment.
Russia had a hard time transitioning into the skin era of human development, and still many people of the “old school” cannot find themselves in new living conditions that are changing rapidly.
The old values of the anal era of development, such as friendship, mutual aid and support, family and traditions, traditional marriage and marital fidelity, are now gradually disappearing.
New forms of relationships between men and women are widely popularized, such as civil marriage, guest marriage, love for a week and one night. A lot has changed at work as well. It’s becoming less and less common to meet people who work their entire lives at one company, or even for five years. Increasingly, people change jobs every two to three years. More often than not, it is easier to change jobs with better pay than to advance in the organization where you already work.
Where is this world heading? - the world is developing. And all this transition period to a completely new format of relationships between men and women, communication and bringing people together, and work.
The development of the Internet makes it possible to communicate with the whole world without leaving home. Watch life in Paris, New York, London online from Moscow via camera. Look for work on websites and undergo international interviews via Skype. Learn remotely and participate in online conferences, together with participants from many countries. M merged the Internet, which in a matter of seconds allows you to send and receive letters from different parts of the country, translate messages into different languages, and be constantly in touch, regardless of your location.
Who can, works via the Internet. Those who cannot, at least learn to work in it, since these are the requirements of employers, necessary for all positions, even those far from Internet technologies.
Realization of manfast-changing ir
The world is changing. Epochs replace each other. Age of information. Technology development. People's desires are increasing. With each generation, temperament, collective desires and the lack of their realization are greater and greater. Greater pressure and feeling of having to search sound vector. The path of self-knowledge is increasingly becoming relevant for them.
We complicate the landscape. The landscape, in turn, complicates us, requiring greater skills and knowledge necessary to survive in this world. Therefore, now people are rarely born with one vector; basically, we are polymorphs, and combine from 2 to 5 vectors.
Each vector carries desires. If we do not satisfy these desires, we experience shortages and dissatisfaction with life. We are missing something, we don’t feel happy.
Information and rapidly changing living conditions put pressure on people in all directions, sometimes imposing other people’s values on us. Doing work that seems more prestigious to us, but does not bring satisfaction, we often move away from our nature, feel accumulating frustrations and chronic stress.
It is often not clear what we are missing. Why aren’t you satisfied with this, the other, the third job? Searches and self-knowledge bring nothing but still accumulating questions and shortages. We confuse ourselves and everyone around us, tormenting and complaining, in search of who knows what.
All people want happiness, wisdom (true knowledge) and eternity, and you are no exception.
Of course, it was not by chance that you found yourself on this page of the esotericism site, so let's begin to consider the most important topic: let's talk about getting rid of material suffering, liberation from illusions, and about knowing yourself - your true spiritual nature.
The path to self-knowledge is the key to happiness, wisdom and eternity.
The sages say: “Unless you know yourself, you are doomed to further suffering in the material world, which is a prison for the soul.” And there is only one way out of here: to know “Who I really am.” The point is not to take someone's word for it that you are not the body but pure unconditioned consciousness; the point is to experience it yourself - to realize your True Self. This is real and accessible to everyone, which is confirmed by the experience of the sages and saints who achieved liberation while still living in the physical body. Therefore, each of us has a chance, and we can use it.
Self-awareness and liberation practice is a big and important topic, to which the self-knowledge site is dedicated, and in this article we will consider the issue in general terms.
The highest goal of esotericism
The words of the sages are confirmed by the Vedas (ancient knowledge about the true state of things), which read: “The highest goal and destiny of man is self-knowledge.” Man, unlike animals, is given reason, and with the help of reason, man can escape from the cycle of birth and death, ending all the suffering of the material world, and return to the eternal spiritual world, where wisdom (truth) and happiness reign. That's the point human form life.
The ultimate goal of esoteric practice (as written on the main page of the site) is the knowledge of the Absolute Truth. The esoteric path of self-knowledge differs from religious practice, but the highest goal does not change. And this goal is quite achievable.
Self-knowledge site - an esoteric path to yourself
Osho, having achieved enlightenment (spiritual liberation), said: "The path to enlightenment is through disidentification". What does this mean?
We, being pure consciousness (soul), identify ourselves with the body and a host of other things - name, position in society, wealth, social and family roles, etc. Despite all their illusory nature, these identifications force us to consider ourselves a body, think and act accordingly, which in itself keeps us in the material world. Our desires to enjoy material goods attract our subsequent incarnations to us, because, according to the Vedas, all human desires will definitely be fulfilled- if not in this life, then in the next. The only problem is that our pleasures and pleasures entail consequences that are expressed in suffering of one kind or another.
Self-knowledge, that is, knowledge of one’s true immaterial nature, brings liberation to a person - both from illusions and delusions, and from the dubious joys of material existence, which are inextricably linked with suffering.
Spiritual happiness is incomparably higher than material pleasures. This is confirmed by the Vedas, as well as by all the saints and sages. And this happiness is available to each of us.
On the self-knowledge website, in addition to interesting and informative articles, simple and effective esoteric practices are offered that allow you to solve your problems. psychological problems, remove fears, complexes and obsessive desires, get rid of illusions and find more harmony and happiness.
The techniques presented on the site, in addition to all of the above, help to realize what Osho pointed out - disidentification. And on the self-knowledge forum you can read hundreds of reviews and successes of practitioners- this will help you decide whether it makes sense for you to follow this path or look for another.
Spiritual practices and their ultimate goal
Whatever spiritual, religious or esoteric practice you engage in, remember that the highest goal of such practices is self-realization and comprehension of the Absolute Truth. All other goals and directions are only intermediate steps on the path to true liberation - the acquisition of one’s original being.
Until man attains eternity, knowledge and bliss(the ultimate goal of spiritual practice), he will never be satisfied. You can “get by” with material substitutes for happiness for a long time, but the feeling of dissatisfaction will sooner or later lead you to the need to engage in self-knowledge, which will ultimately lead to liberation from the prison of the material world.
As soon as a person begins to clearly understand that nothing in this mortal world can replace eternity, wisdom and true happiness for him, he begins to realize the highest goal of life, and then his true spiritual path begins. And everything he did before now seems to him a pointless waste of time.
Welcome to the updated site «
This book is Osho's message on how to become an individual. “Be yourself - good or bad, acceptable or not acceptable, prestigious or not prestigious,” says Osho. This book will help you not to lose confidence in your own importance and be able to express your “I” without looking at authorities and opinions. Don’t become someone’s copies, but strive to accept yourself as you are - and then your spiritual quest will lead you to yourself! Before you can know yourself, you must be yourself. The hardest thing is to take the first step; The second step is very easy to do. Close your eyes and you will see who you are - because there is no one else inside.
A series: Life Lessons (All)
* * *
by liters company.
Your life can be full of bliss. But there is only one way: you just have to be yourself, no matter what you are. Accept yourself. Accept yourself as a gift that existence has brought you; be grateful and start looking for something that will help you grow, will help you not become someone else's copy...
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Why am I afraid to accept myself as I am?
All people are in the same position. Everyone is afraid to accept themselves as they are. This is the conditioning that the centuries-old past of humanity instills in every child, every human being.
This strategy is simple, but very dangerous. The strategy is to judge the person and give him ideals, thus encouraging him to constantly try to become someone else. The Christian tries to become Jesus, the Buddhist tries to become Buddha - and it seems that this mechanism of leading a person away from himself is so effective that even the people who use it may not even be aware of it.
What Jesus said on the cross, his last words to humanity, are infinitely important, especially in this context. He prayed to God: “Father, forgive these people, for they do not know what they are doing.” This applies to every father and every mother, to every teacher, to every priest and to every moralist - to all those people who govern society, culture, civilization; who try to cast each individual into a certain form of existence. Maybe these people also don’t know what they are doing. Maybe they think they are trying for your good. I do not question their good intentions - but, of course, you must understand that these people are ignorant; that they are unconscious.
Having been born, Small child falls into the hands of an unconscious society. And the unconscious society begins to mold the child into a mold that corresponds to its ideals, forgetting the most important thing: the child has his own, unique potential; the child was not born to grow into Jesus, Krishna or Buddha, he was born to grow into himself. If he cannot grow into himself, he will be completely miserable all his life. Life will become a real hell for him, a real curse, and he himself will not know what happened to him. From the very beginning he was misdirected, pushed in the wrong direction.
The people who pushed him in the wrong direction are the very people he considers loving. He considers them his benefactors, when in fact they are his greatest enemies. Parents, teachers, priests, leaders of society are the greatest enemies of every individuality that has been born so far on this Earth. Without knowing what they are doing, they are taking you away from yourself.
And in order to take you away from yourself, you need to implant in you absolute conditioning in only one thing: as you are, you are worth nothing, deserve nothing, are not good for anything. Of course, you can earn respect and gain dignity if you follow other people's rules and regulations. If you manage to become a hypocrite and remain one, you will achieve a prestigious position in society.
But if you persist and remain sincere, honest and real; if you insist on being yourself, everyone will judge you. And to withstand universal condemnation requires the greatest courage. You need to have an inner core and be iron man, so that, being left alone against everyone, stand your ground: “I will be myself and no one else - good or bad, acceptable or not acceptable, prestigious or not prestigious. One thing is certain: I can only be myself, no one else.” This requires an absolutely revolutionary approach to life. This is the first and main rebellion necessary for everyone who wants to free themselves from the vicious circle of suffering.
You ask: “Why am I afraid to accept myself as I am?” Because no one has ever accepted you as you are. This is where this fear comes from, and now you are afraid in advance that if you accept yourself, you will be rejected by everyone. Every society, every culture that has existed so far sets an immutable condition: either you accept yourself - and everyone rejects you; or you reject yourself - and receive universal respect, honor, respectability in society.
The choice is really difficult. Obviously, the majority will choose respectability - but with respectability comes all sorts of anxieties, inner melancholy, a sense of meaninglessness; and life seems like a desert, where nothing grows, where the grass never grows green, where the flowers never bloom; where you can walk and walk endlessly, but never meet an oasis.
I remembered Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy describes a dream that he had many times, and which psychoanalysts of various schools have been trying to interpret for almost a hundred years. The dream was very strange - strange for everyone except me. In my opinion, to interpret it you need not psychoanalysis, but a simple common sense. The dream was often repeated over many years, a strange nightmare, and each time Tolstoy woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, although there was no danger in this dream.
But if you understand the meaninglessness of this dream... the dream was terrible in its meaninglessness, and because of its meaninglessness it turned into a nightmare. This dream symbolically depicts the life of everyone, almost every person. Not a single school of psychoanalysis has been able to unravel this dream, because there are no parallels or precedents for it.
Each time the dream was repeated exactly: an endless desert, as far as the eye can see, a desert without end... and a pair of shoes, which Tolstoy recognizes as his own, they walk and walk through the desert. He himself is not there... you can only hear the sound of footsteps on the sand, the sound of shoes stepping on the sand; and the sound goes on and on without end, because the desert is endless. Shoes never come anywhere. Behind him he sees footprints stretching for miles; in front of him he sees shoes that go on and on.
At an ordinary glance, such a dream is unlikely to seem nightmarish. But if you look a little deeper... Every day... every night the same dream - about complete futility, about the road to nowhere. There seems to be no purpose... and there is no one to walk on the sand - the shoes are empty.
Tolstoy told this dream to all the famous Russian psychoanalysts of his time. And no one could unravel its meaning, because in no books there was a description of a dream that would be even a little similar to this one. He is completely unique. But, in my opinion, psychoanalysis has nothing to do with it at all. This is a simple dream and it symbolizes the life of every human being. You are walking through the desert because you are not walking towards a goal internal to your being. And you will never get anywhere. The further you go into the desert, the further you get away from yourself. And the more you search for meaning... you will find utter emptiness and nothing else. That's the point. There is no person; shoes walk empty.
You are not in what you do.
You are not what you are.
You are not what you pretend to be. Sheer emptiness, pure hypocrisy. But such a situation is created very simply: tell all people that, as they are, they are unworthy, unworthy even to exist. Such as they are, they are ugly - an unfortunate mistake of nature. Such as they are, they should be ashamed of themselves, because there is nothing worthy of respect and honor in them.
Naturally, every child begins to do what is considered worthy. He becomes more and more false, more and more unreal, more and more distanced from his true reality, from his very being - and then fear arises.
As soon as the desire to know oneself is born within, it is always followed by the strongest fear. Fear that if you find yourself, you will lose respect for yourself - even in your own eyes.
Society puts too much pressure on every individual. It tries its best to condition you so deeply that you think that this conditioning and there you are. You become part of society despite your own being. You become a Christian, you become a Hindu, you become a Muslim, completely forgetting that you were born just as a human being - without a specific religious, political, national, racial identity. You were born with pure opportunity, potential for growth.
In my understanding, the spiritual search should lead you back to yourself - no matter what the risk, no matter what the risk. You must return to yourself. You may not find Jesus within yourself, but that doesn’t matter. Jesus alone is enough. Maybe you won’t find Gautama Buddha inside – and that’s great, because if there are too many Gautama Buddhas in this world, it will simply be boring. Existence does not want to create anyone twice. Existence creates people in the most creative way possible, bringing something new into each individual: new potential, new opportunities, new heights, new dimensions, new peaks.
To become a true seeker is to rebel against all society, all cultures and all civilizations; rebel for the simple reason that they are all against individuality.
I am all for individuality. I am ready to sacrifice all societies, all religions, all civilizations of the world and the entire history of mankind for the sake of one single individual. Individuality is the most valuable thing because individuality belongs to existence.
You will have to put aside fear. It was forced on you, it is not natural. Look at any small child: he accepts himself perfectly; he does not condemn anything about himself. He doesn't want to be anyone else at all. But as they grow older, everyone moves away from themselves. You'll have to be brave and come back to yourself. The whole society will try to stop you; you will be judged. But even if the whole world condemns you, it’s still much better than remaining unhappy, unreal, fake and not living your own life.
Your life can be full of bliss. But there is only one way, there is no second way - and this is the only way: you just have to be yourself, no matter what you are. From here, from this deep acceptance of yourself and respect for yourself, you will begin to grow. And you will bloom with your own flowers - not Christian, not Buddhist, not Hindu - and your own, unique flowers will make a new contribution to the treasury of existence.
But immeasurable courage is needed to take the path alone, separating from the entire crowd and leaving the beaten path. Staying warm and cozy in the crowd; Being alone naturally becomes scary. The mind inside constantly proves that all of humanity cannot make mistakes: “Are you leaving, alone? It’s better to stay in the crowd because if anything happens, you won’t be responsible.”
The whole crowd is responsible. Once you separate yourself from the crowd, you accept your share of responsibility. If something happens, you will be responsible.
But remember something very important: responsibility is one side of the coin, the other side is freedom. Either you have them, both at once, or you don’t have either. If you don't want responsibility, you can't have freedom. And without freedom there is no growth.
So you will have to take responsibility and live in absolute freedom so that you can grow, whatever your potential may be... Maybe you will grow into a rosebush; maybe you will grow into an ordinary daisy - or into a nameless wildflower... But one thing is for sure: no matter what you grow into, you will be immensely happy. You will be as blissful as humanly possible. Perhaps you will not receive respectability - but, on the contrary, you will receive universal condemnation. But deep within you there will be such jubilant joy as only a free individual can feel. And only free individuality is capable of growing towards higher levels consciousness, capable of rising to the heights of the Himalayan peaks.
Society does everything possible to ensure that all its members are in a mentally retarded state, so that everyone is as stupid as possible. Society needs idiots; it takes measures to prevent intelligent people from somehow getting into it. It is afraid of reason, because reason always rebels against slavery, against prejudice and superstition, against exploitation in any form, against stupidity in any form, against discrimination in any form - national or class, race or skin color.
The mind is always rebellious. Only idiots are always obedient. Even God wanted Adam to be an idiot... - because his vested interest demanded that Adam and Eve remain ignorant: otherwise they would stop worshiping him.
I consider the devil to be the world's first revolutionary, the most significant figure in all of history. In terms of civilization and progress, we owe a lot to the devil - and not at all to God. Only stupid Adam and stupid Eve were pleasing to God; If Adam had listened to God then, you would all still be chewing grass in the Garden of Eden! Man began to develop because he rebelled against God. God behaved like an authoritarian regime - God symbolizes regime, authoritarianism, power, domination. No intelligent person can be reduced to slavery; he would rather die than become a slave. A rational person cannot be exploited; and no force can force him to retreat from his own center.
The only religion I believe in is the religion of rebellion. Apart from it, nothing is religious; Apart from it, your consciousness does not have the opportunity to rise to the very heights of the potential that you, like sleeping energy, carry inside.
Paddy, who had recently joined the local skydiving club, was sitting on the plane awaiting his first jump. Everything was going great until it was Paddy's turn to jump.
- Stop! Stop! – the instructor shouted at him. – You didn’t put on a parachute!
“No problem,” Paddy replied. – We’re still just training, aren’t we?
Society needs such idiots. They are obedient, they obey unquestioningly, they are ready to allow themselves to be exploited, they are ready to allow themselves to be reduced to an almost bestial state.
So, don't be afraid to accept yourself. It is in acceptance that your real treasure is, it is in acceptance that your home is. Don’t listen to the so-called sages - these murderers who have poisoned millions of human lives, who have broken millions of human lives, who have robbed them of all meaning and significance...
It doesn't matter who you are. The important thing is that you remain yourself, exactly as you are, because that is where growth begins.
Here are some sutras for meditation... maybe they will give you courage, help you become a little smarter.
All are equally ignorant, but each in his own area.
That is: do not worry about your ignorance, all people are like that.
All people are born free, but some marry.
Be on your guard, that’s all – and your freedom is guaranteed!
Illusions are the greatest of all pleasures.
Remember, the life of growth is higher and deeper than the ordinary life of pleasure. Pleasure is not that important; it's like scratching where it itches: it's quite pleasant, but not for long. If you don't stop, you'll scratch until you bleed, and then the pleasure will turn into pain. And you all know that all your pleasures turn into pain.
A man of reason is looking for something that never turns into pain, suffering, anxiety, melancholy. What I call bliss is not pleasure, because bliss cannot be turned into its opposite. Bliss has no opposite.
The search must be directed towards the eternal; and everyone is potentially capable of experiencing the eternal. But the joys of the physical body, the satisfaction of biological urges, the pleasure of food take up too much of people’s time. short term, what was given to them on this earth for growth.
I heard…
A visitor came to the psychiatrist.
“I’m very worried,” he said. – My wife eats constantly. All day long she sits on the sofa and watches TV, and even in front of the TV she continues to eat - some kind of ice cream, for example. And if she doesn’t eat anything, she still chews gum. Her jaws just can't stop... She's lost all her beauty; She turned into some kind of shapeless mass! What should I do?
“Try one remedy,” said the psychiatrist. “Success is guaranteed: I have already tested it on many of my patients,” and with these words he gave him a photograph of a beautiful naked girl.
- My God! - exclaimed the visitor. - How will this photograph help?
“Don’t worry, understand our strategy first,” said the psychiatrist. – You should hang the photograph in the refrigerator. Glue it so firmly that your wife cannot tear it off. Every time she opens the refrigerator, she will compare herself to this beautiful girl... And, most likely, he will begin to lose weight. Give her only a sample for comparison.
Three or four months later, the psychiatrist, without waiting for his visitor to return, came to his home himself, wanting to find out what had happened. An incredible picture appeared before his eyes! The visitor, who had become incredibly fat, was sitting on the sofa, watching TV and chewing gum.
-What's wrong with you? – asked the psychiatrist. - What's happened?
- It's all a damn photograph! Because of her, I started opening the refrigerator every now and then to take another look. And when you open the refrigerator, naturally you want to have a snack: it smells so delicious... and so: now all I do is open the refrigerator, and after opening the refrigerator, I start eating. Your remedy worked, only the effect was the opposite of what was intended.
People live so stupidly. Someone, for example, eats continuously - doctors forbid it, everyone talks about the dangers of overeating - and what kind of pleasure does this person get? Taste is felt only by a small area of the tongue; as soon as the food passes this area, you no longer feel the taste, you no longer get pleasure. This is sheer stupidity! But people chase after all possible pleasures, without even realizing that they are wasting precious time. During this very time, someone could become Gautama Buddha, during this very time, someone could become Socrates. The same time, the same energy, the same potential... And you waste it all in pursuit of completely meaningless things.
Very few people have mastered the art of sometimes doing nothing. Without doing anything, you are just pure being. Doing and being are two ways of living life, two possible ways of living. The life of “doing” is ordinary; the life of being is sublime, divine. I am not saying that you should stop doing anything, I am saying that “doing” should be secondary in your life, being should be primary. "Doing" should be for the satisfaction of immediate needs only, and being should be your real luxury, your real joy, your real ecstasy.
Ignorant people seem very happy because they do not know what they are living for. They don't know that there is a specific task that needs to be completed. They are like children endlessly playing with a teddy bear. Your teddy bears can change: someone's teddy bear turned into money, for some women became teddy bears, for others men became teddy bears. But no matter what you do, and you feel happiness because there is more money, that you have found a new girlfriend, that you have been promoted, you are at the peak of happiness. Such happiness is impossible without some mental retardation.
A reasonable person will certainly see that all these little things in life prevent you from developing your inner potential to its highest point. Because of them you waste time, because of them you lead a life that can be described as a gradual progress towards the cemetery, where it will end. A reasonable person asks a question - and this question becomes the main task and search of his life - “Is there anything other than a cemetery on the other side of death? If there is nothing but a cemetery, this whole life is illusory and meaningless. There can be meaning in life, there can be meaning in life, only if there is something else on the other side of death.”
But a fool becomes delighted with any toy that society provides him. Don't be stupid.
A few more sutras:
Humans tend to make mistakes; and admitting mistakes is simply divine!
All people make mistakes. When you admit a mistake, without any feeling of guilt - simply admit that nothing human is alien to you, including the ability to make mistakes - your being is transformed. Something of the divine, something of the beyond begins to unfold in you.
Whatever is done, everything is for the better, including the worst.
If it were not for the optimist, the pessimist would never have known how happy he would never be.
People constantly compare themselves to each other. Because of comparison they become happy, because of comparison they become unhappy.
I once met a very revered Hindu saint. He invited a few more people to listen to our conversation. He said:
– The secret of happiness is to always look back at those who are unhappy. Look at a cripple and you will be happy because you are not a cripple. Look at a blind man and you will be happy that you are not blind. Look at a beggar, and you will be happy because you are not vegetating in poverty.
I had to interrupt him. I said:
– You are missing one simple fact. Once a person begins to compare, he can no longer stop and compare himself only with those who are unhappy. He will begin to look at those who are richer than him, stronger, more beautiful, more respectable. And then he will be unhappy. You are not giving a person the secret to happiness; your secret will make him absolutely miserable.
And this has been taught for centuries - in different words; but essentially the secret is the same - almost all religious scriptures say: “Rejoice, because there are people who are more unhappy than you. Thank God that you are not so unhappy."
But the process cannot remain one-sided. Having learned to compare, you can no longer compare yourself only with those who are worse off than you. You will inevitably have to compare yourself with those who are better off than you - and then complete unhappiness will reign.
It's completely wrong to compare. You are you and there is no other person to compare you to. You are incomparable. Just like any other person.
Never compare. Comparison is one of the reasons that entangles you in the net of everyday life, because comparison generates competition, comparison generates ambition. Comparison never comes alone; it brings with it all its companions. Once you start competing, there is no end to it; the end will sooner come for you. By becoming ambitious, you will direct your life along the stupidest path.
Henry Ford was once asked a question... - perhaps he was one of the most wise people of his century, because there is a lot of depth and meaning in his short aphorisms. He was the first to call history nonsense, and quite rightly so. He was asked, “What have you learned from the experience of a life of such success?” - and he was one of the most successful people you can imagine; coming from a poor background, he became the richest man in the world, and his response was remarkable. Henry Ford replied:
“In all my successful life I have learned only one thing: to climb ladders, to climb ladders.” But now, having reached the last step, I feel very stupid and very awkward, because there is nowhere to go further.
“For people who follow me up the same ladder and who have to fight for every step, I cannot advise them to strive for its top - at which I feel so stupid. What did I fight for?.. - but no one will listen to me if I say: “Wherever you are, stop. Don't waste your time - because there is nothing where you are trying to go. Once you're on top, you're stuck. You can’t go down because it’s like retreating, and you can’t move forward because there’s nowhere to go further.”
Presidents and prime ministers feel that they are stuck. They know that now there is only one option left for them: fall. There is nowhere to go further; from the place where they find themselves, there is nowhere to advance - they can only fall. And they cling to their posts. But such a life cannot be called correct. First you climb ladders, fighting with others for every step, only to end up stuck on the last step of the ladder and clinging to it so that no one else can take it away! What is this, a madhouse?
Man has turned his planet into a madhouse. If you want to stay sane, first of all be yourself, without the slightest feeling of guilt, without the slightest condemnation. Accept yourself - in simplicity and modesty.
Accept yourself as a gift that existence has brought you; be grateful and start looking for what will help you – as you are – grow; will help you not to become a copy of someone, but to simply and truly remain yourself.
There is no greater ecstasy than truly being yourself.
What is the difference between modesty, shyness and fear-induced withdrawal?
The difference between modesty, shyness and fear-induced withdrawal is very great. But people are so unconscious that they cannot even understand their own actions, their own responses to situations; otherwise the difference would be so clear that all need for this question would disappear.
First you need to understand the word “modesty” more deeply. In all religions this word has been misinterpreted; “modesty” was understood only as something opposite to “selfishness.” But this is not true. Even the complete opposite of the ego will still remain the same ego, only hidden behind a new façade. Sometimes this can be observed in so-called modest people: they consider themselves the most modest in the world - and what is this if not the ego? Modesty does not know such language.
I have already told a story about three Christian monks. Their monasteries were in the mountains, not far from each other, and every day the monks met at a crossroads. One day, when it was especially hot, they decided to take a break and talk a little. After all, they were all Christians; although they belonged to three different movements, Christianity was the basis of all three.
They sat down in the shade under a tree, and the first monk said:
– Undoubtedly, your monasteries are not without some merits, but such wisdom, such learning as in our monastery cannot be found anywhere else.
“Since you’ve already started talking about this,” said the second, “here’s my answer: even if your monastery is a storehouse of learning, the main thing is still different.” Nowhere will you find such discipline, such asceticism as we have in our monastery. With our asceticism we beat everyone, and on the day of judgment, keep in mind, no amount of learning will count for you. Only asceticism will count.
The third laughed and said:
“You are both right, and both of your monasteries are good, but you do not understand the true essence of Christianity: it lies in modesty.” And in modesty, undeniable superiority belongs to us!
Modesty and excellence? – that means it’s just a suppressed ego. If you promise a person heaven with all its pleasures and delights, he is able to suppress his ego and become modest - out of greed, out of the greatest greed. Before I can explain to you what true modesty is, you must understand what false modesty is. Until you you will understand the false, it is impossible to define true. Moreover, when you understand the false, the true itself becomes clear in your And Denia.
End of introductory fragment.
* * *
The given introductory fragment of the book Become yourself. The path to self-knowledge (B. Sh. Rajneesh (Osho)) provided by our book partner -
This book sets the task of providing spiritual and scientific knowledge about the human being. The presentation is conducted in such a way that the reader can grow into what is being presented so that as he reads, it becomes for him, as it were, a kind of conversation with himself. If this conversation develops in such a way that it reveals hitherto hidden forces that can be awakened in every soul, then reading leads to real inner mental work. And the soul can see itself gradually forced into a spiritual journey that truly takes it to the contemplation of spiritual worlds. Therefore, what is communicated is given in the form of eight meditations that can actually be performed. In the latter case, they may turn out to be suitable for revealing to the soul, through its own inner deepening, what they say.
The purpose of this book is, on the one hand, to give something to the reader who is already more thoroughly acquainted with the literature and work in the field of the supersensible, as it is understood here. Thus, someone familiar with supersensible life will find here, perhaps in the very method of presentation, in the direct connection of the message with mental experience, something that may seem important to him. On the other hand, some will find that precisely thanks to this method of presentation, the book can also be useful to people who are still far from the achievements of spiritual science.
In relation to my other works in the field of spiritual science, this book should serve as a complement, as well as an expansion. However, it can also be read as something independent.
In my “Theosophy” and in “Essay on Occult Science” the task was set to present things as they appear to observation directed towards the spiritual. The presentation in these works is descriptive; its course was prescribed by the pattern that is revealed from the things themselves. In this “The Path to Self-Knowledge of Man” the presentation is different. It talks about what a soul can experience when it enters in a certain way on the path to spirit. Therefore, this essay can be looked at as a transmission of emotional experiences. It is only necessary to take into account that the experiences that can be experienced by a person in such a way as they are described here must take an individual form for each individual soul, in accordance with its characteristics. The author tried to comply with this condition; therefore, one can also imagine that what is described in the form in which it is presented here was exactly experienced by some specific soul (therefore, the title should be understood in the sense of a certain “Path to Self-Knowledge” - “Eip Weg zur Selbsterkenntnis”) . For this reason, what has been stated can serve to ensure that other souls can become accustomed to its content and achieve corresponding goals. Thus, this work is a complement and expansion also of what is contained in my book “How to achieve knowledge of the higher worlds?”
Only a few selected basic experiences of spiritual science are set forth here. The author considered it necessary to refuse further communications of the same kind concerning other areas of “spiritual science” for the time being.
Rudolf Steiner
Munich, August 1912
FIRST MEDITATION
The meditator tries to get a correct idea of the physical body
When the soul, through the feelings and through their ideas, gives itself over to the phenomena of the external world, then when the thought actually turns to itself, it cannot say that it perceives these phenomena or that it experiences the things of the external world. For, in truth, while giving herself to the outside world, she knows nothing about herself. Sunlight, spreading in a variety of color phenomena from things in space - in essence, it is it that outlives itself in the soul. Whether the soul rejoices at some event, in the moment of rejoicing it itself is joy, since it knows about it. Joy lives itself out in her. The soul and its experiences of the world are one; she experiences herself not as something that rejoices, is surprised, admires or fears. She herself is joy, surprise, admiration, fear. If the soul could always admit this to itself, then the times when it moves away from experiencing the external world and moves on to observing itself would appear to it as a life of a very special kind, and above all, completely incomparable with the ordinary life of the soul. In this special kind of life, the mysteries of mental existence begin to arise in consciousness. And these riddles are, in essence, the source of all other world riddles. The outer and inner worlds appear before the human spirit when the soul for some time ceases to be one with the outer world and goes into the loneliness of self-existence.
This departure is not a simple event that, having happened once, could then be repeated in the same way. This is rather the beginning of a journey into hitherto unknown worlds. Once the journey has begun, every step taken becomes a reason for further ones. It is also a preparation for these further ones. For the first time it makes the soul capable of subsequent steps. And with each step you learn more and more in terms of answering the question: what is a person in the true sense of the word? Worlds are opening up that remained hidden to the ordinary consideration of life. And yet, only in them alone is contained what can reveal the truth also regarding this consideration of life. Even if not a single answer is comprehensive, final, then still these answers, obtained through internal, spiritual wandering, surpass everything that external feelings and the reason associated with them can give us. And a person needs this other thing. He notices that this is so when he actually turns his thought to himself.
This journey requires, above all, sober, dry reflection. They provide a reliable starting point for further movement forward into the supersensible regions, which are, after all, the soul’s goal. Some souls would like to do without this starting point and immediately penetrate into the supersensible. But a healthy soul, even if at first it avoided such thoughts, having no inclination towards them, will subsequently surrender to them. For no matter how much a person learns about the supersensible, starting from a different starting point, solid ground under his feet can only be gained through such reflections as the following.
There may come moments in the life of the soul when it says to itself this: you must be able to withdraw from everything that the outer world can give you; otherwise you will be forced to a confession that you cannot continue to live with, namely, that you are just a self-expiring contradiction. What you perceive on the outside exists without you; it was without you and will be without you.
Why do you feel colors in you, since your sensation may not have any meaning for them? Why do the substances and forces of the external world build your body? It comes to life, forming into your outer appearance. The outside world folds into you. You notice that you need this body. For without external feelings, which only this alone can create for you, first of all, you could not experience anything within yourself. As you are now, you would be empty without your body. It gives you inner completeness and content. And then those reflections can arise, without which human existence cannot do, if it does not want to enter into an unbearable contradiction with itself at certain moments that come to every person. This body, it lives in such a way that it is now an expression of spiritual experience. Its processes are such that the soul lives by it and experiences itself in it. This will never be the case. Over time, what lives in the body will be subject to completely different laws than now, when everything in it flows for me, for my spiritual experience. It will be subject to those laws by which one addresses the external nature of matter and force - laws that no longer have anything to do with me and my life. The body, to which I owe my spiritual experience, will be accepted into the general circulation of the world and will remain in it in such a way that it will have nothing in common with everything that I experience in myself.