The Body: our anchor to the here and now
Enlightenment, bliss, awakening, cosmic consciousness, nirvana, … These are just a few of the names that have been given to that state of being pursued by spiritual seekers. But what do these words really mean? Different spiritual traditions will probably provide different answers, each one focusing on specific aspects of this blissful state of being. Buddhists may underline the peaceful and compassionate side of it, yogis and tantra practitioners may prefer to talk about kundalini awakening or life energy arousal, others will use expressions such as “expanded awareness”, “ultimate freedom” or “liberation from duality”.
The next question, then, is whether there exists a common underlying factor from which all these definitions ultimately stem. If we dig deeper into each of these attempts at describing the ultimate enlightenment we realize that they all fundamentally rely on a common prerequisite: the suspension of thinking and judging. Beingness is indeed at odds with the convulsive thinking that we enslave ourselves to. Disengaging from our mind — or rather our identification with its continuous chattering, categorizing, judging, biases and concepts — is indeed the most liberating experience we can have as it opens us up to a state of being that is not filtered by any preconception. Anything that we perceive, from our inner and outer world, is welcome with enthusiastic child-like curiosity and a deeply rooted sense of joy.
Setting free from our mind-based illusory self is the core prerequisite to experience the Buddha-like state, our true self. But how can we get there? Our mind is so pervasive and intrusive that we cannot even conceive to be other than the mind itself. How can we be anything else than what we think, believe, judge, etc.? This apparent paradox has been widely addressed by traditional Buddhist texts as well as an ever growing literature in the field of contemporary spirituality. Here, however, we rather focus on how such a state of grace can be achieved. If we think about it, when it comes to the “practical tricks” that we have long been taught (although in different forms and disguises) it all comes together to a very simple precept: be in your body. Any practice that aims to guide you through a genuine path of awakening promotes the embodiment of their practitioners. How many times have we been asked to focus on our breath during our meditation or yoga course? This is indeed a most simple and powerful way to turn our attention to the body, its rhythms and its presence. In fact, the power of our body lays in its very presence. The body does not exist in the past, nor in the future. It exists just Now, in the present moment. It cannot be anywhere else than where we are. It is right Here.
By re-plugging ourselves into the body, the incessant white-noise of our mind inevitably comes to a stop, as the mind can not exist in the Now. Any concept of ourselves, any judgment, any categorization comes from clinging to our past (things that we were taught, beliefs that were passed onto us) and worrying about the future. When time ceases to exist and we dive into the ever present moment through embodying our physicality we are reborn to a more genuine experience of life, where we are set free from limiting beliefs and self-imposed constraints. In that state we glance at the world with fresh eyes, embrace our experiences with enthusiasm, and acknowledge our fellow human beings, animals, plants and everything existing with deeply loving acceptance.
Our Body is right here, right now. It is always present, available and ready to accompany us through a tremendous shift in consciousness, if we only commit to rely on its wisdom and guidance.
Recommended readings
1. “The Power of Now: a guide to spiritual enlightnment” by Eckhart Tolle
2. “The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness” by Richard Moss
3. “Touching Enlightenment: finding realization in the body” Reginald A. Ray
