The Medium of Being

Spring beauties, Piermont, NY.

April 23.

We arise and are created as Self; and we meet life, which is not-self.

The experience of life—the conjunction between self and not-self— consists of impressions. 

Impressions are what is pressed into us; that is, they leave a mark. The mark that they leave is, put in general terms, in our psyche; yet our psyche is not just one aspect of sensory experience. It is made of three different kinds of experience: the physical experience of sensation, the psychological experience of the intellect, and the emotional experience of feeling.

In the arts, what makes or receives a mark is called a medium. Dust, ink and paper or oil and canvas are mediums.

If the medium that I receive my life and the impressions of it in is my intellect, my thought, the medium is ephemeral and fleeting. It doesn't have the substance to receive an impression and record the mark deeply in Being. 

Perhaps this one observation alone can instruct us on why we don't work; nothing in us becomes permanent enough to sustain its action.

If, however, the medium that I receive my life in is sensation, the body, it leaves a much deeper mark. 

The medium that being grows in is sensation. 

This is why the Vedic sage Kasyapa ordered his verses about three-centered work (see the post of July 24) beginning with the work of the three centers, and focusing on sensation first (inward breath—outward breath—diffusive breath.)

I could belabor this point, but I think it’s simple enough.

Go. and sense, and be well.

Lee

Lee van Laer is a Senior Editor at Parabola Magazine.