Where are we Looking from
A shift in perspective
This is an unusual question. Until we investigate this question we assume the answer is obvious; we are looking through our eyes and seeing the world as it is. But in fact for most of our lives what we are seeing is our own unique separate interpretation of ourselves and the world.
For most of our lives we look at the world through the lens of the separate self; through our conditioning and our patterning. Whatever life hands us we interpret through this lens. If someone forgets our birthday, we may think that they are angry at us, and try to figure out what we did to cause them to be angry. If someone cancels an appointment we may think that they no longer like us. Etc. We see the world through this filter and then react as if this is occurring. The world then responds to us based on our reaction. This pattern of making meaning or interpreting actions, and then reacting to our interpretations, goes on and on. We don’t really know what is real, on this level. But we do believe that the way we see things is what is real.
As we work on ourselves there is more space around our perceptions and our reactions. We can see them arise within our minds, we can see our emotional reactions to these perceptions. We may even know that on some level we are making up the whole story. When there is space around something that appears in our mind, there is a sense of watching the drama from a slight distance. At this point we are looking from here, from the one watching the drama. We may still react habitually, the way we always have, but we can see more clearly now.
Another step back is conscious awareness of the one watching. When we first begin observing, we believe that we; the separate or personal self is observing. As we continue to investigate we come to realize that all of this is known in consciousness. The whole interplay, drama, action, reaction, and the one observing, etc. is appearing in something much more spacious, boundless.
Everything is appearing in consciousness. This is an amazing shift. Now the looking is happening from consciousness, everything is seen and known in consciousness, nothing exits outside of consciousness; everything is therefore made of consciousness.
There is a sense of backing up into something that is not seen by anything, in which everything is known. Into something that cannot know itself, is not anything, it just is. And It is known that, this is what I am.
When looking comes from consciousness, there is no judgment, no extra meaning is made, no interpretation occurs. Just what is, is seen as it is, with no embellishments. It is not filtered through our conditioning and our patterning. Therefore our response is spontaneous and immediate. There is freedom.
