Inducing Conciousness in Others
Over the last few years, I've clocked some serious hours on my
meditation cushion. Sometimes, serenity evades me despite my
best efforts. But at other times, I get a glimpse of liberation.
I've come to understand that that state is present and available
whenever I'm able to interrupt the constant stream of thought
that imprisons me in my self image. Interestingly, although I
didn't choose these professions with that in mind, I've spent
the last several years working as a hypnotist and magician;
careers which are designed to do just that; to interrupt the
stream of thought and bring about a transient experience of
liberation. As I think about it, I believe that the pursuit of
enlightenment is often accompanied by the desire to guide others
there as well.
We all have the capacity to deliver at least one of the
experiences that induce enlightenment. Perhaps you can tell a
joke or a funny story and make someone laugh. Or maybe you can
create a soothing physical environment in which people can relax
into their essence. You might fill your house with beautiful
music, pleasing visual stimuli, and live plants to induce a
shift into harmonization with nature. If all else fails, you can
always use your skills as a great lover to induce enlightenment
through sexual ecstasy!
Even if you possess none of the skills I've described, however,
you still have one thing which can stimulate liberation in
others, and that is presence. Merely attending to another person
creates an environment for spontaneous growth and healing.
Suppose you were to make a commitment to giving your undivided
attention to everyone you encounter, to empty your mind of all
thoughts and be so completely present that the other person had
nothing with which he or she had to compete.
Have you noticed that it's very easy to tell when someone is
really listening to you? Attending to you? Have you noticed how
quickly you become aware when someone with whom you're speaking
becomes distracted or preoccupied? Have you also noticed that
it's very difficult to talk to someone who's not listening? I
don't mean that it's difficult to get them to hear you. I mean
it's actually difficult to construct your own thoughts.
Communication is an organic process. It requires a giver and a
receiver. Absent of a receiver, the giver is incapable of doing
his or her job. The system backs up, not just to the mouth of
the giver, but all the way back to the brain. The mechanism for
thought-creation freezes and the giver loses the ability to
think clearly. Once that ability is suspended, the giver becomes
edgy, confused, and blocked. You've no doubt experienced this
state and have wondered why you felt that way. I call this the
inability to show up. We must be witnessed if we are to show up.
We talk into someone's listening. Our essential message, the
clarity of our expression, and the recognition of our own truth
require a receiver or they can't become manifest. The enfolded
remains enfolded. We cease to be creative. We become depressed,
isolated, and insecure.
That is what we do to others when we fail them as listeners. We
wound their souls and cast them into suffering. Don't think for
a moment that you can get away with providing inadequate
attention, that it goes unnoticed or that its effects are
unfelt. If you know it when you're not being received, you can
be sure that others know when you're giving less than your full
attention.
Conversely, when we resolve to give others our undivided
attention, they can show up. They can touch their own essence.
They can discover their own inner resources. They can become who
they're truly meant to be. And as they unfold, we get the
benefit of seeing who they really are. We get to discover
bridges between us and them that we never knew existed. Not only
do we end their isolation, we end our own as well. Life is more
fun when we take the time to make real connections.
The act of connecting is a deliberate one. We must decide to
become and remain present. We can't wait for the circumstance or
our mind to make that decision for us. If we do, we'll be
distracted by the constant stream of thoughts in our head which
are completely unrelated to the interaction at hand, as well as
by the mental chatter evoked by the interaction. Judgments,
evaluations, questions, and uncomfortable emotions are all
likely to surface as we stand face to face with another, and,
within a very short period of time, left unchecked, our mind
will create a movie screen of images between us and the other
person. It's only our commitment to presence that prevents us
from withdrawing our focus of attention. We must do our very
best to direct attention back to the present moment and to the
person or group with whom we're interacting. In doing so, we're
giving a gift that won't go unnoticed.
As we become clearer channels of presence, we provide an
environment in which those around us can touch something
profound within themselves. As they do, they can become
liberated from their own mental limitations and from the
suffering those limitations create. It's remarkably gratifying
to know that just being present can, and often does, bring about
incredible growth!