Last night I was reminded of the advice of Jelalddin Rumi, the 13th century, mystic poet who was from what is now known as Afghanistan. One of his 60,000 poems reads as follows:
There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight
of walking in the noisy street
and being the noise.
Drink all your passion,
and be a disgrace.
Close both eyes
to see with the other eye.
From Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks found on web site, peacefulriver.homestead.com
The other eye or the third eye has been a metaphorical way of referring to the fact that we often hide from what we don’t feel able to see or to face. “ According to WIKI, the third eye (also known as the inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept referring to a speculative invisible eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. In certain dharmic spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna, or brow, chakra. The third eye is referred to the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness.” (Gregg Prescott. Waking Times)
I know: “The process of vision begins when light rays that reflect off objects and travel through the eye's optical system are refracted and focused into a point of sharp focus. For good vision, this focus point must be on the retina.” (Allaboutvision.com)
As soon as this information is transmitted to our brains we begin to label the patterns of light. The labeling is based on what we have learned and what we have told ourselves about that particular pattern whether that be a leaf, a person, a landscape, an animal, or an object. The image might be as impressionistic as a Monet or as sharp as a Georgia O’Keefe.
Habit also plays a huge role in what I have trained myself to attend to. That is part of the reason why if there are 50 people who “observe” the same incident, there is likely to be 50 different descriptions of what transpired. They are all accurate accounts of each person’s experience.
Let me give you another example from Shams of Tabriz, from the book “The Forty Rules of Love.”
When a true lover of God goes into the tavern, the tavern becomes
His chamber of prayer, but when a wine bibber goes into the same
Chamber, it becomes his tavern. In everything we do, it is our
hearts, which makes the difference, not our outer appearance.
Sufis do not judge other people on how they look or who they are.
When a Sufi stares at someone, he keeps both eyes closed and
instead opens a third eye-the eye that sees the inner realm.
(A word about Sufi for those not familiar with the term. Some connect it to the Muslim religion. Other claim: “Sufi" is a unique word. "Sufi" is a unique Power. It does not relate to any particular religion. It belongs to all of humanity.
"Sufi" is a clear, pure Essence that has filtered and settled slowly, deep within.” - bmf.org)
The point of which I am trying to remind myself is that if I continue to act as if I “see the truth” with my two eyes I will continue to miss the essential truth(s) about myself and others. When Father Gregory Boyle works with gang members in Los Angeles with his third eye he sees an essential goodness. When that same gang member sees himself he or she sees a person without value or worth. Some will eventually see with their third eye and come to accept the ‘truth” of their essential goodness. This does not mean that the person denies all the ways he/she have hurt themselves and others. It is essential to face ourselves as we are in all our humanness. We humans can and do hurt each other – sometimes in very socially acceptable ways and sometimes in ways which land us in jail. Once I have the courage to look at my own humanness in its entire rainbow of colors and shapes I can “see” my painful heart and how my behavior has disconnected me from me and from others. Then I can “see” with my third eye the part of me that longs to connect with my own essential goodness/my heart and to the essential goodness of others.
For some there may be a biological condition, which prevents them from feeling this connection. People with autism spectrum disorder can understand on a cognitive level that they are part of this same human community, but may not be able to experience the feeling of belonging or connecting. There are many other medical conditions which may prevent someone from experiencing the connection. This is not something we need or should punish.
For many who have a long history of feeling disconnected, of believing that they are not worthy of connection or that everyone will mistreat them, allowing oneself to both see and feel with the third eye may be a long process. However, once we have even one experience of seeing with our heart, we can never again be comfortable seeing only with open eyes.
I was just chatting with a young man via text. It happens that this young man is a former client of mine. I could elect to see him as a client. I see him, however, as the loving, good young man who has much love to give others and me. He is not this historic “runner” who used drugs to avoid being with himself. For the first time he is finding that he can enjoy life just being himself. The next step will be for him to take that self to work, the store and any other place he goes. When he does every place will become as Shams of Tabriz suggests a chamber of prayer. Others might look at him with their eyes open and see a young man working in a restaurant. He will “see” a young man (himself) leading with his heart, which is a prayer. He will know that he is there to show up with love and incidentally do all the tasks necessary to make the restaurant a success
All this requires us to overrule much of what we have learned about what we think we see or expect to see with others and ourselves. It may feel as if this takes a great deal of courage.
Last evening I was talking to a young man who has learned to think of himself as mentally disabled and, thus, unable to retain a job. I have always seen him as a bright, capable, strong young man. True he has practiced some behavior, which has led him to abuse himself and others emotionally. It will take time and much practice to change this behavior. One of his habits has been to run from the pain of being with himself by drinking or using other drugs. I am suggesting that he will find, if he can allow self to go beneath the pain, that loving, competent, good man who has been waiting to be seen and experienced by the third eye. I always found it interesting, but not surprising, that his young man often found it emotionally safer to be himself with animals. When he called last night he was able to let me know that he is beginning to “see” that inner core of goodness, which is him.
I, too, have to practice closing my two eyes and opening the third eyes. If anxiety/fear pops up I need only notice it, not comment on it and wait for it to pass.
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