Self-Knowledge: Seekers versus Practitioners

Iemand die op zoek is naar zelfkennis wordt een Zoeker genoemd. Een zoeker die zelfkennis in de praktijk brengt, wordt een beoefenaar genoemd.
door Tsenne Kikke - zaterdag 24 augustus 2024 20:23

A person in search of self-knowledge is called a Seeker. A seeker who puts self-knowledge into practice is called a Practitioner. Most seekers are reluctant to adopt a definite and grounded approach to their search, which means they continue seeking without ever finding…

“My aim is to find a higher purpose and lead a life attuned to that purpose,” said a woman who encountered this teaching.

This aim is noble but impractical. There are too many preconditions before it can be actualized. Might she get lucky and be given a higher purpose by someone else? Or might she find it herself, in which case how exactly, and how will she be able to recognize that the purpose she finds is the right one for her? This is not to say that her aim doesn’t represent a genuine desire coming from her Essence. Essence delights in being helpful and as we uncover the talents of our Essence, they naturally seek to put themselves in the service of a higher cause. However, the prospect of serving a higher cause may just as easily reinforce our Personality with a sense of being chosen, of being more worthy than others. This seeker assumes she can discern whether her Essence, Physical Body, or Personality is driving her aim. She also assumes that once she does, she will be able to loosen her Essence from the grip of her Physical Body and Personality by merely wishing to do so.

The consequences of her misconception became evident as she continued:

“Although I have been harboring this aim for years, it has always run into competition from my lifestyle of drinking and pursuing sexual pleasure. I have never been able to master these powerful physical urges and this has made my search seem futile. How can I ever pursue a higher purpose if the dominant part in me is always bent on fulfilling these desires?”

Any attempt at inner work that glosses over the reality that we are made of different parts, or that pretends we can follow the whims and fancies of one part at the expense of the other two, is bound to fail. It will only lead to a greater imbalance. Our Physical Body is hard-coded to seek food, rest, and sex. These are its aims. As long as we inhabit a Physical Body, we always fall under their sway. Setting a noble aim cannot eliminate these desires. The Body either remains indifferent to our aim, or actively resists it. Therefore, the labor of January calls us to break down our noble aim into small and actionable steps that can be subtly introduced in between our many other urges.

In the case of this seeker, long before finding a higher purpose, she will need to learn to observe herself impartially. She will need to learn to distinguish the flavors of her Essence, Physical Body, and Personality, as they manifest in real time. In other words, in her long journey towards purpose, her first step will have to be self-observation. Understandably, we are reluctant to take a small step that only vaguely promotes our larger aim. This challenge will determine whether we remain Seekers or become Practitioners.

Source: Asaf Braverman

"Vind mensen, die in zichzelf zowel de motivatie als de aangeboren drijfveer hebben om aan hun Innerlijke Zelf te werken, en we zullen hen gidsen."

- DIMschool vzw, de énige gespecialiseerd in Zelfkennis, zijnde: het kennen van het Zelf -
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