We tend to have problems understanding ourselves daily. We begin our day with confidence, we believe that we can change our situations easily. But we tend to lose our grip towards our goal and start wandering again.
It happens frequently or on days when your mood is off. Why it happens, we tend to know something when we try to settle up ourselves in our own silence.
What are the reasons for this wandering?
So! is there a way to settle ourselves in silence?
The mind derives its character from the activity it decides to do. The mind first constructs an identity, which is the self. The self through its journey in time starts to associate it with some characteristics.
The characterisation of the self gives rise to the invisible ego. “I am a journalist!”, “I am a Professor in Law”, “I am the king”.
It is complex and a continuous process which exists with us throughout our life.
So, in this article, I will be telling you some testing material to implement those ideas which will define selflessness within you. It will contain all practically implementing methods.
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Table of Content
What Heck, Is The Self?
You are ‘the self’, this is the short answer.
A clear and cut answer for understanding ‘the self’. However, we will understand it by going deeper.
You must not make any imagination when inquiring about ‘the Self’. There is a general perception that ‘the Self’ is something that is beyond the body or it resides in the body.
When it is realized it induces some miraculous experiences. Don’t fall for these sayings.
For now, consider what you know about yourself. How do you see when you look and introspect about your identity?
It is a path to introspection in finding the answer. When you start seeing the ‘Self’ within yourself.
You might observe things and activities that make you, you!
So, don’t expect a feeling of ecstasy in finding ‘the Self’. Begin with what you know about yourself. If you identify yourself with a job title or a student or a businessman. It is a good start to begin this identification of yourself.
You are the self. The experience, the ‘I’ part of you associates itself with the objects it sees through its 5 senses.
It is a continuous activity that even functions when you are awake, doing something or sleeping. The only condition for the construction of the self is that it has something to identify itself with.
For example, I am a software engineer working at a big MNC. My working hours are killing me because of this hefty deadline. I think my husband is cheating behind my back.
In all the above examples, the person is being identified with something which is happening around his or her world. Whether, it be working as a software engineer, a person who is fed up with the working hours, or having a suspicion about his life partner.
It all ends with an object. The object is always finite and there will always be a reason behind bonding with it.
These are the characteristics that give rise to the self inside you deeply.
The next part comes is to eradicate the becoming, the self. This will define the selflessness inside you.
In this article, you will learn about 5 methods for defining the selflessness inside you.
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Method 1: Understanding The Self
If you are choosing to read from this part, I highly advise you to read the last section. Because the answer lies over there.
You must first understand the self, before creating selflessness inside you.
It takes time to understand and to carefully watch the activities going on around you.
To master the understanding of the self, and the arise of self-characteristics, one has to build the power of ‘observation’ inside him.
The observation will aware you of any circumstances revolving around you. The reach of the senses becomes fully in control of the observer.
It can be anything where you give full attention to tasks you do daily. Such as your conversation with your boss or your colleague. You running with the ball in the game of football. The list includes all the mundane things we do in our daily lives.
The difference is now that we, give full attention to the task and be fully aware of things.
This is a must because, when we do something our mind occupies the actions we are doing. Thus it becomes the self. In between doing our tasks, we lose our focus and the mind starts wandering around other stuff.
The self is even present during this period and becomes the thoughts that wander in our minds.
Here you start understanding yourself or the self.
Method 2: Review What You are Doing
The first was to gain the skill of observation of what you are doing. The next part is to make choice.
Performing actions is a part of life and it is a founding principle in both Hinduism and Buddhism.
However, making a choice is a very powerful mental action. You have to choose the red pill or the blue pill, just like in the matrix.
Your life will not become like a Neo of the Matrix movie but more than that. On observing whatever you are doing, you become aware of the questions:
‘Am I required to do this task?’
‘Does this task benefits me somehow?’
‘Whether my actions will be judged fairly or negatively?
The questions are part of your review. The review will produce before you the choices. The choices will be either bad or good as per your assessment. It will be upon the wisdom you have learned throughout your life.
This will further your path in defining selflessness inside you.
Method 3: You Must Be Consistent
The further path of development is to be in the path of observation, review and choice. These three steps will define the selflessness inside you.
But the most important thing is to maintain this practice and be consistent on this path. Consistency will bring more insights into the day-to-day action you do.
You become much more aware of the self which is inside you.
However, there will be lists of problems you will face:
1. You will struggle at the first to bring your focus.
2. The practice will take time and you have to be patient with it.
Your practice will determine your consistency. Try doing one activity a day, then increase the number of tasks to gain more focus.
Begin with an easy task, try to observe when you lose focus and gain it back quickly. Awareness is only you need to understand the self and moving towards the selflessness inside you.
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Method 4: Understand the Dissolution of The Self
This is the final path or the peak of the mountain. The focus, insight and knowledge associated with the right choices will open doors to the further dissolution of the self inside you.
You will see the true nature of reality, the senses and the bondages you form within you. You will excel in your tasks because of performing with a fully aware and focused mind.
You will always find new heights that you want to achieve in your life. With the dissolution, you will lose your attachments and focus on the upcoming task in your life.
You will love the things coming to you and will not grieve losing them because you know their nature of it. This will bring you closer to the next path that you must take.
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Method 5: Meditation
The dissolution of the self is a much-anticipated goal. A person thriving for perfection in one action will have to go through rigorous mental training to sharpen himself.
The path of dissolution can also come through meditation. There are many meditation techniques that will bring you much closer to the higher goal you want to achieve.
These techniques are taught by teachers who are smart. Mr Giovanni is one such teacher, teaching methods of becoming Calm and Free, describing it as the first step of beating your anxiety. Meditation brings peace and releases mental stress. By doing meditation a person advances himself in all places.
With meditation, you are able to observe more in silence, the things that occupy your mind. The things you want and don’t want in your life.
The mind is stuck in the entangled loop which needs freedom. Which in result brings you to freedom. Thus, practising meditation helps you in removing the tangles in the mind and become selfless.
Conclusion
Nothing much to read here if you have completely read the above part. Because it is now time to practise. Selflessness meaning is something that your search for yourself. It arises with the actions you perform daily and the thoughts you have in association.
There are a lot of insights when finding your own true meaning because then you become the true experience.
There are many methods for becoming selfless. But it can only be found. When it is found with true labour it becomes truly yours.
You are its only owner and no one can take it from you. It is true wisdom.