Insight is an interesting word. In-sight indicates:
- perceiving that which is within: within one’s self, an emotion, a thought process, a moment or circumstance, or within current perceived reality
- to look within: to have an interest in or curiosity about underlying meanings, purpose, infinitude or voidness
- that within sight is greater sight, within vision is greater vision. The same is implied for all the senses.
The experience of insight is our evidence of any or all of the above. This is important because without insight we would remain like the people in Plato’s cave: stuck in erroneous perceptions therefore imprisoned in a false reality. But insight, had by anyone/everyone about anything, is the mother of inventions, of illustrations of the inner worlds of physics, anatomy, botany, and the esoteric anatomy of people, as well as the deconstruction of thoughts, beliefs, emotions, up to the sense of self that experiences and believes in it all.
With the revelation and incremental dissection of the sense of self comes a juncture. It is a fork in the road that we approach countless times a day as desire arises and each of us chooses what to do with it. The desire could be to have a part of one’s body work or look like it used to, or to be accepted for who one is -accepted on one’s merits, or a food desire, distraction desire, desire to be hugged or heard. Each of these moments is a dual moment; one not merely about yes or no, have or have not, do or don’t but one of essential being and how we live that dualistically. This, then, gives rise to all lesser desires, avoidances, preferences, and divisions in our mind. The duality is that of partial presence and Presence; said otherwise, it is habits of perception within the background of openly perceiving. The former is a functioning by-product of the sense of self, the latter is the function of innate, present Awareness. This is the juncture engaged countless times a day.
One feature of habituated duality is that it presents as the superficiality of immediacy such as immediate gratification, temporary satisfaction, fleeting happiness of the moment over anything. The patterned consciousness mistakes these to be what to strive for, what to achieve or surround one’s self with. Fundamental duality also presents as the space that is the juncture between this and that, have or have not, do or don’t. Awareness is that space, that non between two apparent objects of consideration.
Awareness is the presence of mind or emotion or both that IS each moment for us. The deconstruction of the habituated self occurs within these moments, these junctures. Are there also prescribed processes of dissecting the personality? Sure, but they all essentialize to being present and honest with one’s self as frequently as possible. Both will illumine the habits of perception that codify one’s sense of self and will make plain that the sense of self is a by-product of our own making. As such, it is limited and limiting just like the size room that you are in now. It is that size not another and it cannot arbitrarily expand. We can work with the space of the room, rearrange furniture or remove some, but the room cannot magically grow bigger. Personality is like this. We rearrange ourselves all the time! But personal self is not bigger as a result.
Abiding allows insight. Other words for abiding include: resting the mind, resting the self, being present, allowing, softening and opening, letting or letting be, being neutral or impartial, altitude, and simply being. You probably have additional words or phrases. What’s important is to notice through our day that when we choose the space in the juncture of a moment, that abiding allows clarity to arise. It might or might not seem like insight, but all clarity is.
This meditation is almost completely silent.
In learning to be comfortable with the present moment, we develop new habits of consciousness, one’s of present Awareness and open perception.
