Life—receiving itself as itself, part II

This idea of receiving life itself as itself is closely related to this idea of the feeling basis of existence. Receiving life is above all an emotional experience. The more intimately I reside within the stillness of my own being, the clearer this becomes.

My ego is a completely insensitive creature with no regard whatsoever for others, except in terms of what it thinks it can get from them for itself. The only true compassionate action that arises within me comes from a different place, where the ego is in the back seat and doesn’t get to direct the vehicle. In fact, it always costs something to act from any place other than the ego. And the ego hates to spend its capital on anything but itself. So if I don’t want to do whatever it is that’s in front of me, I can be reasonably certain it’s my ego providing the resistance. This is why Gurdjieff said, “like what it does not like.”

There is nothing for the ego in the process of receiving life as itself, for itself. So of course it has no interest in that process and does everything it can to distract from it and prevent it.  The stillness within me has no place for the ego to live. It’s very much like Swedenborg’s heaven; there is no home for the selfish there. So we might liken this place of silence and stillness within us to the kingdom of heaven; and indeed, it is exactly where the kingdom of heaven is born. The kingdom of heaven begins where life receives itself as itself.

In this place, every impression becomes precious. Every impression is the deepest kind of food. Every moment can be seen as the manifestation of the sacred force of the Holy Spirit.

Wishing the best for you on this day,

Lee

Lee van Laer is a Senior Editor at Parabola Magazine.