Authority of the Self

It was a meeting of "free thinkers", they were gathered together as the result of an invitation to a musical invocation. The musician's were of the "new age" genera. Their music was quite harmonious and with a type of chant that went deep into the subconscious. It seems there are certain sounds that touch a part of the psyche and bring on a physical and psychological state of peace and wellness. After the music, people casually gathered in small groups to discuss various subjects of interest.

A friend approached and began to inquire about what was said at a previous meeting. G said, "L, A couple of weeks ago you were talking about the authority of the self and how a person must get past this authority". "It was really interesting and I have not been able to stop thinking about it". "I am much involved in Buddhist studies and what you said seems to be in line with Buddhist thought". I smiled and said, You must realize that this person is not a Buddhist and does not claim to know anything that would classify him as an expert in "Buddhist Religion". G Laughed and said, "Yes, yes I know, I have heard you say that you are either a Buddha or a Buddhist, but you cannot be both". "But still you are certainly illuminated in some manner though I do not know what". It is good to not "know what", that way when the truth hits you upside the head you will recognize it as such. Now we were both laughing loudly. People around us were wondering what all the humor was about.

We sat down next to others who wanted to listen. G said, "OK L, about the 'authority of the self ', I want to understand what you mean". The authority of the self is the "last frontier" so to speak, in a journey that for some begins with religion and systems of belief. If you are truly passionate about finding the truth then you cannot leave any stone unturned. A person must, if they are at all serious, look at every circumstance both the religious and the secular to find the truth. And a person must do this without prejudice and from a state of emptiness that does not judge or conclude. G said, " But L, how can a person look without prejudice, we are what we are, what we have been taught?" That is very true, and this is the key. A person must realize in the moment that they are conditioned and that one cannot overcome conditioning by force of will. There has to be a negation of all that a person has accumulated over the years in order to realize the reality of the moment and the true self. So negation is the key. This is why the Buddha was essentially iconoclastic. You cannot realize truth directly through the self that knows. You can only negate the known so what is left is the truth of the moment. You must see and realize clearly that what you know is the illusion of self projection. It is in fact the authority of the self. This is what we do, we establish authority as the self that knows and then we give authority to others as a way of avoiding responsibility. The responsibility for realizing the truth of the moment. That authority takes the form of religion, philosophy, politics, and any number of other systems and subsystems of belief. So, any form of belief or for that matter non belief, closes the door on what may be the truth of the moment. You see, belief and non belief are one in the same, because both emanate from the authority of the self. Actually there are not types of belief there is only the mind that is caught in the activity of believing. All belief is the same, it is the result of a mind that is seeking the validity of self knowing in the moment. One must neither believe nor not believe. Such a mind is open, it is has not self imposed limitations that may stifle the truth of the moment. K interrupted and said, "I don't understand, how are belief and non belief the same"? I asked, Why do you believe? "I suppose I believe because...well I want to believe". There was laughter. "I mean if you have no belief then your life has no direction". And what has your belief done for you, are you more understanding, are you without prejudice? Doesn't belief actually create prejudice, the ideal of "us and them", those who know and are in favor with God and those who are damned. You must look at the reality of belief and what it has done to destroy. Look at the hate and violence that is associated with the activity of belief. Now, I can say that I am an atheist and that I don't believe, but the reality is that the formulated ideal of non belief is a form of belief. I have essentially defined my self, and that is what belief is all about, defining a self that knows. It is to exist in a vacuum of continuity, of identification and attachment to an ideal. Which even though we modify and reconcile is still the activity of a mind that exist in the illusion of the known. So if you are intelligent and see the truth, you neither believe nor not believe. You are open to the moment, the self that knows has dissipated. Your mind is clear, at peace, you are not looking for validation or confirmation of what it is you believe. You have cleaned house, all the cobwebs are gone. Now, in the moment it is possible that something may be realized that has never been, the totally new, an original insight into the self. Something that cannot be held by memory. It is the changeless change. Each moment is the new and never before. One's life takes on an innocence and vulnerability that overshadows anything that the world can throw at you. The self that is all the beliefs and accumulations of identification and attachment are now of a secondary concern. Once you have realized the true self all else is seen for the illusion that it is.

So getting back to the original question, the authority of the self is simply a consciousness that has been conditioned by what we believe, all our accumulated experiences. We essentially live through our conditioning which is projected authority of self, it controls how we think and act, we are slaves to it. To realize that you are brainwashed by what has been (accumulated past) and that you exist in a repetitious pattern of conflict, confusion and violence is the beginning of the end of living in the known. Realizing that to live in the moment is to live in the unknown, the true self which is the truth of what is.