The Tao Te Ching
Part One
We identify with our body - material, substantial and concrete. This is embedded belief, and we rarely question it. Inevitable conditions of old age come out of believing that we are our body. We pay a high price whenever we believe in false perceptions. This perception is not just held individually. It is held by the collective society. At a very early age we are indoctrinated into the notion of self as the body. Our normal, every day perception of each other is governed by a false identity and then strengthened and enforced by the language we use.
We are living in an age when people are disconnected from their true identity. Everyone is craving a perfect body and seeking it in others. Magazines display pictures of people in a perfect, idealized youthful form. It is difficult to resist these messages, and they validate this sense of mistaken identity - this body is really who we are. Given the tendency to establish a perfect idealized standard, many people suffer from pride, narcissism, arrogance, shame, guilt and self-hatred because of their relationship with their body and their ability or inability to reflect this perfect standard.
There is no need to hold onto this. There is the possibility of transcending identification with our body. It is only when we drop these judgments that we will recognize that everyone is divine in their uniqueness. Ego is always comparing self with others because it believes itself to be a separate entity and it uses body as the dividing line between self and other.
We are non-material and insubstantial. The very essence of who we are goes beyond the conditions of decay and impermanence. Our body is impermanent but our true nature is not impermanent. Our true nature is deathless and divine. When someone manifests their true nature they live out of love, kindness and joy. When you meditate, sooner or later you are going to discover that this is not just abstract theory. This is reality.
What is our true nature if it is not this body? There are many words we can use to describe what our true nature is. The simplest word is Buddha nature. The definition of Buddha nature is that we are enlightened and perfect as we are. Our true essence goes beyond birth and death. It can never get sick. It can never get old. It is beyond all conditions. This is not a theory. This is the truth that can only be realized in the realm of enlightened consciousness. This consciousness is accessible to each of us.
When awakening happens there is no longer any desire to become different than we are. Every previous idea of who were are vanishes, and along with it pain, guilt and pride. In Buddhism this is called no self. This is the only true awakening. This awakening is what you should be aiming toward from the very beginning of being on the path. It will rescue you from falling into unnecessary spiritual traps. When we are open hearted and ready to drop our previous perceptions of self, spiritual awakening can happen.
Imagine a dark cave that hasn't been illuminated for a million years. One day someone brings a candle into the cave. Instantaneously the darkness vanishes. Like that, when your true nature is realized there is no longer this "I" searching for anything else. The awakening has nothing to do with whether you have been meditating for a long time. It has nothing to do with meeting impressive gurus. It is simply dependent on whether or not you are open to it.
This opening, this receptivity is related to our ability to resist arming the ego with concepts and ideas. A true spiritual path transcends all concepts and belief systems. It is not about re-enforcing the mind's illusion of self as an identity. It is not about being a Buddhist, a saint, or a better person. It is really about deconstructing all of our illusions without any mercy.
It is important to look into your mind to see what you are looking for, what you are seeking. This is especially relevant when you are going to receive spiritual teachings. When a spiritual teacher impresses you, you might discover that your desire is completely antagonistic to authentic awakening. Perhaps your mind is looking for comfort, for validation, for a spiritual high or new set of beliefs. Sometimes your ego convinces you that you are realizing this sense of no fixed self but simultaneously you are holding on to another concept like being sacred or being spiritual. Holding on to concepts while we are working towards transcending self-attachment is very subtle.
Perhaps this sounds like a lot of work. It isn't when you find the secret ingredient. That is to know that this "I" is a fictitious entity that is always ready to whither away the moment you stop sustaining it. You don't have to go to any holy place to experience this. All you have to do is simply sit and pay attention to your breath, allowing yourself to let go of all fantasies and mental images. Then you can experience connecting to your inner world.
As you rest and pay attention you begin to see everything clearly. You see that the self has no basis. It is a complete mental fabrication. You realize that everything you believe to be true about your life is nothing but stories fabricated around false identifications. "I am an American. I am thirty years old. I am a teacher..." Whatever. All of these ideas or identities are stories that never really happened in the realm of your true nature. Watching the dissolution of these individual stores is not painful because what is being destroyed is nothing but this sense of false identities. They were never real.
Pay attention to your breath in silence. Look at your mind. Immediately you see that thoughts are popping up. Notice that there is a space between the place where the last thought came to an end and the next one hasn't arrived yet. In this space there is no "I" or "me". That's it.
It might be hard to believe how simple it is to realize the truth. The reason we don't realize the truth is because it is so simple.
Try this simple inquiry whenever problems arise. If you feel angry or disappointed, simply ask who is the one being angry or disappointed. In such inquiry, effortlessly inner serenity can manifest. In a true sense this is the only solution that helps us.
When all the layers of false identity have been stripped off there is no longer any version of that old self. What is left behind is pure consciousness. That is your original being. This is your true identity. Your true nature is indestructible - it always remains divine and perfect. When you realize your true nature, your life will be transformed in a way you could not have imagined. You'll realize the meaning of your life and it will put an end to all searching.
Many people are looking for the perfect life in the distant future. We should remember that each moment is a threshold to perfect awaking. Awakening to our true nature is the key to unlocking the door of the paradise that lies within each of us. Paradise is not some kind of spiritual Disneyland. It is our primordial pure consciousness, free of all limitations and embodying the infinity of the divine. Paradise can happen right here, right now while we're in this human incarnation. It is our choice.
Note: Anam Thubten was born in Golok, Eastern Tibet and undertook Buddhist training in the Nyingma Tradition at an early age. He has been teaching in the West since 1992 and is the spiritual advisor and Dharma teacher for the Dharmata Foundation. He will be presenting Dharma talks in Ajijic the weekend of February 22-24. For more information, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 766.2312
