Download PDF - Stillness Speaks

“As dawn dispels darkness before the sun appears,the Self rises in the sky of the Heart when right knowledgedispels the darkness within.”(42)“Though an ever-present reality,the Self is not realizeddue to ignorance.Its realization is likethe discovery of a lost object.”(43)THE SEEKER IS THE SOUGHTWhen we begin to walk the spiritual path how are we to know thatwhat we’re seeking is ourselves? In the mistaken belief that circumstanceswill materialize it we often set out to follow an alternative way of life, enterinto a relationship with a spiritual person, or take up mystic and religiouspractices. Yet no matter how relatively peaceful our situation becomes, weinevitably have to admit that the ultimate goal, Enlightenment, remainselusive and distant. For many years the Buddha tried unsuccessfully to findenlightenment in asceticism and other practices, for example. Not until he satdown under a tree and renounced all effort did he discover that he was whathe was seeking.A trick painting shows a black vase on a white background. However,if one relaxes the mind as one views two faces in profile appear as the as theoutlines of the vase.A secretary put a pencil behind her ear when the phone rang. During along conversation she forgot where she put it, instigating a frantic search. Aco-worker, noticing her agitation, pointed out its location.Because the seeker is the sought this subversive verse is pointing outthat the search itself is a big joke."The Self seems conditionedbecause of ignorance. The ego-centric misconceptionis destroyed when the ego realizes80