Undefined Abstraction
He who defines himself,
can’t know who he really is.
If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold onto.
If you aren’t afraid of dying,
there is nothing you can’t achieve.
My practice is letting go. The more I let go the more I become free. Realize that self-definitions are merely concepts or symbolic labels, nothing more than a freeze frame of a moment in time. When you realize this it becomes easier to let go of our own self-imposed self-definition and just be, to just flow with existence.
Nor are you defined by such limitations as your country of birth, the state you live in, your religion, what you do for work, the type of hobbies you have, the education you experienced, the possessions you own or the childhood you had. These factors may be a part of you. However, they are not the whole you.
The whole you is as indescribable and ungraspable as the Tao itself.
There is no “other” without a “me”. There is no “me” without something to grab hold of.
You may try to grab hold of something. Trundle it out, dust it off and say hey look at that there, that’s me. But all you did was put yourself in a cage. Unfortunately, we try to put other human beings in cages to.
She or he who defines others,
as this or that;
will forever fail,
to know whom they really are.
Of course to truly let go I need to let go of letting go. But I find this isn’t so hard. After all practice makes perfect. Letting go isn’t like doing something anyway. It’s more like non-doing.
Letting go is not holding on. Things change, as it is their nature to do so. Simply letting them do so is letting go. You don’t actually need to do anything. Why struggle against the flow of the universe? What you burn up your life energy to grasp at is as ephemeral as a dream of a spring breeze playing in the morning sunshine.
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October 7th, 2009 at 1:13 am
It may sound trite, but when you stop having expectations of people you’ll be much happier.
October 7th, 2009 at 1:37 am
I agree and I would take that even further and say that when you cease having expectations regarding anything you’ll become much happier. And that’s not a negative thing it’s simply a no-thing.
The master does their work and steps back. They thereby achieve great things will no effort.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Annaly!
Stephen
October 7th, 2009 at 11:17 am
I don’t comment ever, but keep up the good articles,
thanks
October 7th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Hey James,
It will be my pleasure to continue to write good articles. Thanks for your support!
Stephen
October 17th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Beautiful.
Deepak Chopra said something like, “All efforts to improve self image is futile because as soon as the image is updated, it’s old. It’s not the true reflection of who you are now.” The true self is not something we can grasp, we can only live / be it.
Which leads to thinking, “What is this thing that I think as me?” Where is the border of me and non-me, or is there such a border?
October 17th, 2009 at 3:59 am
Thanks Akemi! Glad you found this post ok
Concepts of self are simply that - concepts. When one looks closely and goes deep looking for them they can’t be found. They can’t be grasped at. There simply is nothing there.
It’s all about having leaky boundaries.
Stephen
October 21st, 2009 at 12:24 am
I really like the parts of Letting go and leaving oneself undefined. My question to you is if we leave ourselves undefined and flow with the universe which is a good thing I will say… where does the sense of direction come in? We are undefined… flowing… being… yet we still need our direction, so we aren’t “lost” or flying like a fruit loop in the sky. So another point I have is… I think many people tend to define themselves or make a label for themselves because it gives them a purpose, or a sense of direction. Where does the freedom of self compare to our direction? Another question I have is your statement on concepts of self~ well, you say if someone really goes digging~ there isn’t anything there…. well I think digging deep may be the best part… hm, I just think nothing isn’t a word, I believe there’s something in everything~ in every thought, every motive, every dig… what if there are no boundaries? What if there are no limits? How far can a person dig? What if it is to infinity?