“He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.” ~Lao Tzu
One of the hardest things in life is the mastery of ones true self, not the self that many will confuse with the clever ego, which is also found within, but the true self that is recognized at a higher state of consciousness. When you have realized that you’re not the identification of the body that is subjected to birth and death, you are then beyond the ego, beyond duality, and beyond society’s collective illusion of reality. As Leonardo Da Vinci said,
“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.”
What makes the mastery of oneself difficult is the discovery of oneself. You cannot master anything you have not yet discovered, and many will not even discover the true self, much less master it. Mastery and discovery of the self is a lifelong journey. Do not confuse the self with the elements of earth or confuse the self with the intellect, because only the ignorant think the self can be known with the intellect. A person who understands the nature of the self sees himself in everyone, and everyone in himself. The fear of evil cannot overcome him because he conquered and defeated evil by embracing it. Sin cannot consume him because he has consumed all ignorance.
“Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
People don’t want to know the true self because they are happily deceived with the false delusion of the ego and the distractions of society. Knowing the true self also requires to look not only at our own dual nature of good and evil, but the ability to see beyond all duality of good and evil that is within. Knowing yourself is not based on the belief of a professional or a guru’s opinion about yourself, if you think you know the self, you know nothing. As Jesus mentioned,
“Can a blind person lead another? Won’t they both fall into a ditch?”
When you follow other people’s beliefs it is not enlightenment but a trap for your mind. As the way of the Buddha, to straighten those that are crooked we must first do a harder thing, we must straighten ourselves, only you can master yourself. Subdue yourself and you will discover your master. You are the source of all purity and all impurity no one purifies another, as suggested by religion, the greatest impurity is ignorance. An untroubled mind is no longer seeking what is right or what is wrong, a mind beyond judgment watches and understands and to understand is to love. When we collectively find and master the true essence that is within ourselves we will collectively find the true self beyond the ego, beyond life and death and our duality of good and evil. Only then we will see the definition of true love. The true self is that which makes the mind think, but cannot be thought of by the mind, the true self is that which makes the ear hear, but cannot be heard by the ear, it is that which makes the tongue speak, but cannot be spoken by the tongue, it is that which makes the eye see, but cannot be seen by the eye, and the true self is a mystery of God and each of us is a physical manifestation of that mystery.
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” ~Oscar Wilde