Overheard

I overheard fragments of a conversation at a cafe yesterday. What I heard blew me away in its simplicity and directness, although I suspect that the words spoken were not quite the ones I heard in my mind. (This was a manager having a meeting with an employee. I was very impressed with how she seemed very attentive, at ease, authentic - someone who fully lives her insights).

We are all degrees of all people

Each of us are degrees of all people. We contain in ourselves whatever we see in any other person, to varying degrees. Whatever we see in the outer world, is also there in the inner - unfolded or as a potential. And each of us are also all degrees of any other person - the potential is there for the qualities to be unfolded to any degree.

When we see something in another that brings up attraction or aversion in us, we can ask ourselves: How am I that person? Can I find the same qualities in myself? How are they lived and expressed in my everyday life? Why I am not as aware of these qualities as I could be? What blocks me from seeing these qualities in myself? Do I have ideas and ideologies that prevent me from seeing this in myself? How can I be more comfortable with these qualities in myself? What would it mean if I were to fully accept them in myself?

[...] and they are all right. It is very simple.

Any statement contains truth. And any statement can be turned around in any way, and each of the new statements contains truth. Any statement says something valid about Existence.

Existence is beyond all dualities, and statements are by their nature dualistic - so we can flip them around any way possible and each of the new statements also contains truth. Together, these statements brings us closer to the fuller picture, and helps us unstick from any one partial view/position.

We can take a statement that we identify with (that is a belief, or a common thought pattern for us), and flip it around in any way possible. Then, we can ask ourselves - how is this new statement as true as the original one? If we are not quite able to see it, or resist the truth in it, it tells us something about where we are stuck. Where we are stuck in ideas, in half-truths, in a partial experience of Existence.

Examples from my own life:

He is noisy. >>> I am noisy (yes, I am mentally noisy when I get caught up in frustration about his noisiness). >>> He is not noisy (yes, he is often quiet, and he could be much more noisy). >>> I am not noisy (yes, when I see my mental noise in this situation, I can allow it to go).

They are judgemental and narrow minded. >>> I am judgmental and narrow minded (yes, I judge them and am narrow minded in regards to what is "acceptable" behavior.). They are not judgemental and narrow minded (yes, they are warm hearted and inclusive in many situations, even more so than I am). I am not judgmental and narrow minded (yes, I can allow it to drop when I see it, and there are many situations where I often am inclusive and open minded).

She is inattentive. >>> I am inattentive (yes, quite often - and also right now since I get caught up in this idea/judgment). She is not inattentive (yes, she is quite often attentive, and often more than me - although in different areas of life). I am not inattentive (yes, I am quite often attentive, in certain areas of life).