or “achieve”. To understand what I am saying, it is necessary to step back and ask ourselves who is the “doer” in me that works so hard to get ahead. If we reflect seriously on this question, it will become clear that the “doer” is my ego-based self, or as Tim Gallwey calls it “Self 1”.
Self 1 or the “doer” in me (which I identify as me) always wants to be in control. I (the “doer”) may intellectually understand the concept of self-transcendence, and even like the idea. If that is the case, I will set out to “achieve” self-transcendence as I have done with every other goal I set for myself. However, in this instance, I will fail. Why? Because the doer in me is the very thing that will prevent self-transcendence from occurring. Yet, my embodied way of being will encourage me to try even harder because the doer and achiever in me does not abide failure.
Self-Transcendent Coaching
One who coaches others in the art and practice of self-transcendence is an advocate for the Self 2 in each of us. For most of our lives it has been screaming to be heard. Now that I am finally listening to my inner knowing, Self 1, my ego and fear-based self, feels threatened because it is losing control – a state of affairs it cannot and will not tolerate. It must squelch Self 2 at all costs. This is a crucial period in a person’s transformation. Self 2 needs protection from Self 1’s desire to kill it (metaphorically speaking). A self-transcendence coach never tells a client what to do, for that would infringe on the client’s free will. Nevertheless, the coach serves as the client’s independent observer of the struggle taking place between Self 1’s desire to be right, and Self 2’s inner-knowing of what is in the client’s best interest. In time, the client will learn to recognize and trust that place inside of him/her that “knows”. Why? Because Self 2 is connected to the client’s transcendent self. When Self 1 gets out of the way, an energetic space opens-up inside the client that “allows” Self 2 to become fully present. Self 1 still has a place, but that place is subordinate to and at the service of Self 2. In other words, Self 1 must be disciplined and only come forth to do what it does best when called upon to do so.
This shift in attunement from “doing” to “allowing” creates a space in me that allows the voice of my inner-knowing to surface such that I can listen and respond to it. Now that it is being heard, my inner-knowing will guide me so that I am able to create a healthy balance between allowing and doing. This balance might be compared to piloting a sailboat. A wise captain knows that the wind is the doer and, therefore, allows it to do with just the right amount of direction. Without a captain
captain at the helm, the boat will simply drift wherever the wind takes it. This is allowing without any balance of doing and, as a result, the boat may drift into a shoal. On the other hand, if the captain is too controlling (i.e. wants to be the doer), the boat may end up capsizing. The key is to allow the wind to do its work with just the right guidance at the helm to get where you want to go. This is “riding the wave”, or being “in the zone”.
Once Self 2 takes its proper place in our lives, we are finally able to let go of the illusion that “I need to be in control”, or that I ever have been in the first place. In some traditions, this state is called “surrender”. In a state of self-transcendence, I become aware of my ego-based self -- that aspect of my mind that fails to recognize that it is a part of universal mind that is one with all that is. Therefore the "self" which is transcended is my personality or ego-self, and its collection of self-concepts, self-images, and roles. Such awareness enables me to become the “observer” of the “observer I am”. This meta-observer transcends my limited ego-based self and “enters the zone”.
I recognize that self-transcendence and peak performance (or mastery) are inextricably linked. I coach and educate on the principle that self-transcendence is the highest form of service to others because it leads to a direct experience of harmony and unity consciousness.
Copyright © 2016, The PaVima Institute, LLC. This is an unpublished work of authorship protected by the copyright laws of the USA. It may not be reproduced, copied, or published by other parties without the express written consent of The PaVima Institute, LLC
- Muktananda
MANNABLISS MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL
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