The Art of Being

Before we delve into the art of being, we must first clarify a few of the recognized dimensions of human experience, as perceived by the senses and agreed upon as fact by the evolution of human thought.

Most people believe that they are their body, mind, thoughts, experiences, history, occupation, gender, marital status, etc. It is accepted practice to combine all these things into a neat package that people use to communicate their story to others. The package is I or me. "I am an accountant" or "I am a mother" or "I know" or "What about me"?

But could there be a flaw in in the way humans view themselves, or if not a flaw, perhaps an omission? Quite possibly. When people describe a part of their body as ailing, such as their foot, they say "My foot hurts." But who exactly is the owner of the foot? Is it the brain or maybe the thoughts, or how about the person's name? Who exactly is it who refers to the foot as mine? If one does refer to their foot as "My foot", then it would follow that the one saying "My foot" is not the same as the foot.

There is you, and there is your foot. What about your brain? Are you your brain, or would you refer to it as "My brain"? By the very use of referring to the body as "My body", it follows that the one doing the referring considers themselves as separate from the body, or at least not the body per se.

Ok, moving on. What about "I think"? Is the brain doing the thinking or is it the "I" again? We already decided that you are not your brain, nor are you your foot, so what about a thought? Well, if you say, "I think it is warm today", you are still the I, and the thought is that it is warm. Again, there are two, the I, and the thought. The thought does not think itself, it is the I who thinks the thought or makes the observation based on a personal definition of warm. It may not be warm to someone else, so the statement is subjective, meaning it is merely an opinion or a judgement.

So if not the foot, the brain, a thought, who is this "I"? How about the occupation? No, that's just a description of an activity. The statement: "I am an accountant", does not describe what or who the "I" is, but merely is a label for how they make a living. So who exactly is this entity that we all refer to as I? It certainly couldn't be a name, could it? Could the word Bill or Betty possibly describe the "I" who says, "I'm Bill"? Nope. Just an arbitrary label that really means nothing. It's a number made with letters, and based strictly on the whimsy of your parents, nothing more.

Hmm. If the "I" is none of these things that most people assume themselves to be, how about their uh, their crotch? Why do humans refer to their reproductive organs as a "self"? The phrase "play with yourself" or the song: "I touch myself" is absolutely ridiculous. I am not my schlong, are you? Or your hooha? What is that all about? The same goes for "I am male" or "I am female".

Earlier we determined you are not your foot or brain or thoughts, and now we know you are not your name or your crotch, could it follow that the "I" is not the body at all? What if the I was not a product of the body? What if the body was the product of the "I"? And if the "I" came first, as it would have to, then who or what exactly is it? Near as I can come up with, it's consciousness. It is awareness. No, not the consciousness that is based on sense perception or being awake as opposed to knocked out, but pure knowing and awareness of--being.

And how would the "I" who knows their true essence describe themselves? They would say, "I am." That would be the closest description to the truth for all humans, that they could possibly get. "I am" is a statement of being. Because there is an "I" in you, you are. You exist. You are not your foot, your brain, your thoughts, your name, or even your crotch. Nor are you your occupation. Gee, it seems that however you attempt to describe who you are, it always comes out as something that you really are not.

Some say that there is only one "I", and that "I" experiences the world of form through the filter of each separate state of itself. Each human, each animal, each rock, bug, plant or hot dog is different, but is still a state or dimension of the one being. In the bible, this one being was described as "I am".

Theories such as these, as impossible to prove right as wrong, give us a viable starting point beyond religion and science, upon which we can make a guess as to the true nature of reality, and at face value is no less likely to be true than any traditional religious or scientific descriptions. Though most established religions were rooted in the idea of being, the idea has been distorted and misinterpreted, even misrepresented to the point that modern teachings may be missing the whole point. And though science is getting closer every day, they too must rest on faith that before the big bang was the singularity, completely at a loss as to how or why it even existed.

Don't give up, the payoff is near! Like religion and science, we will list our givens, and work toward the art of being from there. The first given is that we exist, either individually or as a state of the one--it doesn't matter which way you lean, the fact is that you are. You are a being of some sort. And, the being that you apparently are, is not the body or thought or gender or job that you describe yourself as, but your "I" is driving the body that is apparently you. Your "I" may be your own or it may be the same as mine--that's for you to work out.

So here it is. As a human, there are certain things you are required to do to fit in to society and live a relatively enjoyable and pleasant life. That is where most people dwell 99% of the time--in doing and surviving. They relegate an hour a week to being, if they go to church, though they may be missing the intent of the teachings. Otherwise it's all about doing.

What the art of being is attempting to establish is a way to live a modern lifestyle with more emphasis on being, even while you are going through the motions of being human, as opposed to getting caught up in the world of doing and allowing events and circumstances to dictate your level of enjoyment and happiness.

Step number one--Remember that you are, you exist. Say "I am". Realize how amazing it is that you exist, and think of what it would be like if you didn't. This will bring about an appreciation for your very existence. Keep in mind that your existence, your true being, though inhabiting the body, is not the body. Bodies are born, wear out, and the atoms that comprised it move on to the next form they will take. Being does not.

Step number two. Remember that being just is. It does not cease to exist.

Step number three. As you go through your day, doing all the things you do, be aware of all that the senses can take in, in addition to doing your work or cutting the grass or whatever. Smell the smells, note the colors, feel the textures, hear the sounds, taste the food--not in the normal sense, but as a more aware presence. They were all put here for your enjoyment, and you were put here for theirs. When walking from your car to the store or office, look at a bird flying or a leaf skittering along the ground or the clouds or a painted sign. Notice everything--how it feels to breathe in then breath out. Notice the feeling when putting on socks or cutting vegetables with a sharp knife. It's all free.

Step number four. Engage the people you come in contact with. Be interested in what they have to say, not what you have to say. Most people act out of fear, and then fear things that haven't happened. Use your words to ease their fear whenever it's right. Love freely and without fear of not being loved back. You love because that's what being does, and real love is unconditional. Most people's idea of love is more a selective attachment based on blood or familiarity. There is nothing or no one that true being does not love. The love of true being is not romantic, though romantic love is rooted in being. It is a recognition of oneness. To smile at a stranger is a projection of real love.

More to come...