Self-Recognition

Tenth Essay from "Meditations: A Collection of Inspired Writings"

Welcome to week 10 of this book sharing journey that I am venturing on.

To recap, for all who may be newly reading this article: I am sharing all 90 essays in my book “Meditations: A Collection of Inspired Writings”, one every week, on Saturday mornings.

If you are just joining, hello there! You can go back and read the first nine essays from the previous weeks if you so wish.

You can also purchase a copy of the book, if you prefer the feel of reading books over reading from a screen, as I myself do, from the link to my author page that you’ll find on my profile.

Thank you dearly for joining me on this Journey.

I am certainly learning a lot, and am glad You are here!

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Self-Recognition

To sit quietly with yourself regularly in pure meditative observation, to just notice all that you are clearly, to witness the rising and falling of the breath, the presence of the body in space, the swallowing of the saliva, the sounds entering the ears, the heartbeat, the sensations and movements in the body, the air circulating around the skin, and the thoughts, feelings and emotions, is a practice of self-recognition.

Through this frequent practice we learn to know ourselves, we recognise the thoughts that recur in our minds and the feelings and emotions that arise. We become familiar with ourselves and get to know ourselves intimately. Self-recognition and the self-knowledge that stems from it is a vital step towards developing and evolving yourself, because through this all important practice the fine details of the inner character and the personality as well as the behaviour, the beliefs, the conduct with the fellow humans and with Nature, the desires, needs, wishes, and wants and so on are comprehended, and the necessary actions can be taken to change or get rid of unwanted aspects, and then also to develop, create, learn, practice, train and evolve the positive, good and favourable qualities, aspects and characteristics, which you have already noticed clearly within yourself, or have recognised outside of yourself, in another person.

Self-recognition also involves contemplating your actions, conduct and behaviour towards yourself and others. Noticing negativity in another and then committing the same or even worse forms of negative behaviour yourself without noticing is a classic example of the wise aphorism “don’t tell your neighbour about the splinter in his eye before removing the beam from your own”, or something along those lines. To continuously analyse the personal thoughts, feelings, words, deeds, and actions and always act in alignment with the high wisdom of the conscience, in ethical and moral integrity, is a daily duty of all those who care for their own evolution in consciousness as well as the wellbeing of the fellow people, the Earth, and all other lifeforms of every kind.

When we are aware of ourselves in this way then we can avoid all harmful consequences and outcomes that stem from ill-considered thoughts, words, and acts, and we can set a good example to all those around who are mindful enough to recognise for themselves a good thing when they see it. I for one notice positive character traits in other people all of the time, and find myself taking a cue to develop these traits for myself, however small they may be. Other people can act like a mirror to yourself, reflecting back to you the good as well as the bad things about yourself.

I consider this entire process of self-recognition and self-knowledge to be an incessant journey through life with no “end point”, just a relative culmination point, which is the end of the current lifetime, that mysterious event we call death. So therefore we are always learning in life and this never stops, but only accumulates, right up to the point of death, and then beyond!

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I am glad we are all here!

With Love

Paul.