Seeing the Perfection Behind the Apparent Imperfection
As we gradually become more familiar with our own nature, we gradually learn to recognize it behind our own apparent imperfection and that of others.
This happens in many ways and at several levels.
Conventional
At a conventional level, we learn to recognize how fear, confusion and so on often cover up our natural compassion and sense of shared humanity. And we see how this also happens for others.
One way to explore this is through projections. Every quality I see out there is also in here. Every characteristic I see in the wider world is also in my human self. Through this exploration, we naturally open for a certain degree of clarity and compassion - with ourselves and others.
We see how we all have the same range of human qualities, and the blindness and suffering that happens when we are not familiar with these in ourselves. This is the same for everyone, and everyone has access to this clarity, compassion and wisdom when the interest in working with projections this way is awakened.
Early transcendent
At an early transcendent level, we become familiar with ourselves as stainless awareness - as this awareness within which this human self and the whole world of form arises.
And from this new ground, there is a new release from content and a new sense of spaciousness, clarity and some wisdom. We begin to taste the clarity which is the nature of mind, and the compassion and wisdom that comes out of that.
No I
Then, we become familiar with ourselves as having no "I" anywhere. It is all Buddha Mind, God, Brahman, Spirit, the Dao expressing itself in myriads of forms. We see how all appearances come from this, and we know that what is behind the apparent imperfection of ourselves and others is this perfection. This stainless clarity that is behind all the confusion, and this universal consciousness expressing itself in and as all there is.
Side-effect only
This recognition of the perfection behind the imperfection usually comes gradually.
And it comes mainly through familiarizing ourselves with who and what we are. It is a side-effect of this exploration. Nothing more.
It is not something we need to seek for its own sake.
As we gradually become more familiar with our own nature, we gradually learn to recognize it behind our own apparent imperfection and that of others.
This happens in many ways and at several levels.
Conventional
At a conventional level, we learn to recognize how fear, confusion and so on often cover up our natural compassion and sense of shared humanity. And we see how this also happens for others.
One way to explore this is through projections. Every quality I see out there is also in here. Every characteristic I see in the wider world is also in my human self. Through this exploration, we naturally open for a certain degree of clarity and compassion - with ourselves and others.
We see how we all have the same range of human qualities, and the blindness and suffering that happens when we are not familiar with these in ourselves. This is the same for everyone, and everyone has access to this clarity, compassion and wisdom when the interest in working with projections this way is awakened.
Early transcendent
At an early transcendent level, we become familiar with ourselves as stainless awareness - as this awareness within which this human self and the whole world of form arises.
And from this new ground, there is a new release from content and a new sense of spaciousness, clarity and some wisdom. We begin to taste the clarity which is the nature of mind, and the compassion and wisdom that comes out of that.
No I
Then, we become familiar with ourselves as having no "I" anywhere. It is all Buddha Mind, God, Brahman, Spirit, the Dao expressing itself in myriads of forms. We see how all appearances come from this, and we know that what is behind the apparent imperfection of ourselves and others is this perfection. This stainless clarity that is behind all the confusion, and this universal consciousness expressing itself in and as all there is.
Side-effect only
This recognition of the perfection behind the imperfection usually comes gradually.
And it comes mainly through familiarizing ourselves with who and what we are. It is a side-effect of this exploration. Nothing more.
It is not something we need to seek for its own sake.