Getting unstuck and moving forward.
Alternate title: Empathic awareness as a manifestation of compassion.
There is a great deal of suffering in this world. It is difficult to express how deep this suffering extends in one statement. Many experience this suffering, and many more have not yet realized it. In spite of the madness, there is a great healing that comes from bearing witness to the tribulation at hand.
There is a facet of our experience that allows us to find transcendence and healing. Many take a forward-looking approach and ask themselves what they’d like to see happen: "what changes truly need to occur?" First, we must realize that making change for the better involves recognizing what is real and understanding the way we identify with our experiences, with the timeline and its events, and the intents and motivations of those within the consensus reality. By this term, I imply the collective experience of the many within the current world situation. In my journey through the depths of the present situation, I bear witness to this experience of the consensus reality, while being afraid and angry, experiencing frustration and helplessness along the way. This is the ego, or the projected "I", struggling to control the illusion, when in reality, it is the illusion that controls it. However, the true "I" will gain the insight the moment brings - come through to a new awareness - experience a deeper connection with the source – detach from material expectations - and enter the true emptiness of inner peace. The word "I" can alternate meanings in relation to the duality of our experience. The meaning used in any particular instance will be self-evident.
At what point have I hit bottom and suffered enough? At what point can I take the driver’s seat (to use a bad but effective metaphor), knowing full well the potholes, detours, and roadblocks I encounter along the way? Perhaps I am simply a slave to the traffic light. Where can I find the true journey - the road to serenity, a lasting peace that will resonate through the ages and break through the illusion that binds me? WHERE is HERE, WHEN is NOW. This entry point of transformation, manifested as EMPATHIC AWARENESS, is a concept that will be operationalized. I don’t intend to use terms like “change” or “transformation” to imply non-acceptance of what is or to deny the beauty of simply being, but to elucidate the fact that, while the state of being simply is, my experience of it is ever-changing with each moment until eternity. Peace comes with acceptance of this, and each experience the moment brings - suffering, bliss, or anything along this or any other phenomenological continuum. As we approach our experiences with openness and awareness of the moment, while being observant of our identifications with the moment, we can impart empathic awareness to one another as we come together in mutual understanding and transformation.
Empathic awareness demonstrates, and is derived from, compassion, the ultimate respect for the freedom and sovereignty of the soul, embracing the soul’s right to breathe and experience reality unfettered by external pressures and restrictions. Empathic awareness does not attempt to understand or place limits on anyone’s experience; it simply gives credence and validation to one’s experience as it reveals the truth of what is real. [You ask, "what is real?"]. Each one of us is manifested within a unique form, a culmination of energies that have become apparent through the sensory experience, shaped by our responses to external conditions and other unique momentary-dynamic forces. As manifest beings, we also exist within an illusion of separation (as described by Eckhart Tolle). Therefore, identification to the form exists, and it is for the True observant self to become aware of this identification and allow others to do the same in the course of transformation. This is the ultimate purpose of empathy.
Where there is form, there is the space between. Fullness must occupy emptiness. If this sounds esoteric to me, it is only because I am attempting to understand that which cannot be understood in logical terms. In reality, the state of formlessness is all that remains constant, and entry to this point renders time and place immaterial. Entering this state simply involves becoming aware of and releasing identifications with assumptions, preconceptions, postconceptions, biases, experiences – and ultimately, the mindsets and emotional states, like fear and suffering, pleasure and arousal, hope and expectation, and such, for all of these things are simply that – things based in form. All of these things are ephemeral and subject to momentary change. They generate the illusion of separation - a departure from that which is constant. They imply a divergence or duality of that which simply exists as one point of light. We all return to this source, as one unified and infinite vibration of energy.
Often, I think of empathy as “walking in another person’s shoes”, “feeling one’s pain”, or "knowing one’s experience” because I have experienced something similar or, rather, familiar. I sympathize by feeling sorry for someone, and I empathize by knowing how someone feels or what someone experiences. But ultimately, I bring healing by being my true self and enabling others to do the same through compassion. In operationalizing empathic awareness as something practicable, I can start by listening. This is the simple art of giving way to another person’s freedom of expression with full attention and acceptance to that person’s experiential state. Listening is done with the whole self, attending to the full range of personal expression. Listening occurs for as long as it takes to come to a resolution, renewed experience, or a higher level of mutual resonance.
If at times I come up with an idea, a sense of familiarity, a personal conceptualization, or a way of relating to what form I am observing, I have ceased listening. This is OK; it is part of practicing empathy. But it is a shift of intent and a return to identification with form. This act can be manifested as a comment that indicates other-awareness or provides synthesis of expressed form or content with the listener's conceptualization. Often, such an observation fosters rapport, open dialog, and trust, so long as the interaction is rooted in compassion. Other times, however, there may be conjecture, argument, and invalidation. When true listening ceases, one is open to reacting or identifying with an emotional state that may give way to invalidation, misunderstanding, and loss of objectivity. There are instances when I perceive, reflect, or transmit invalidation - I become open to the transaction of judgment and defensiveness, thus allowing myself to be confined by my own perceptions. I can argue about many things, but I cannot refute another person’s experience of reality. Can we argue with another person’s pain, fear, misgivings, desires, or hopes? Listening allows one to express these experiences, it allows the listener to facilitate transcendence in due course, and it allows both parties to release the attachment to or identification with form. When the skill of listening is engaged, we may truly come together in a harmonious way of being.
Acceptance of the fact that we each experience a constructed reality, the basis of our individuality, allows us to go further. It allows us to consider the deeper levels of existence. In contrast, the denial of one’s right to experience this constructed reality threatens the ego and inspires defensiveness - a fear of letting go of the illusions that bind.
For now, it is for me to begin at each moment my journey to the source point, through awareness of the present state and my identifications with such; in using the gift of compassion as manifested by empathic awareness; and with kind consideration of those personal experiences that make each of us unique. It is for me to allow the other to fully express the range of emotional states and mindsets, from fear and denial, pain and suffering, expectation and desire, hope, faith, understanding, and ultimately love; for with the facilitation of expression comes release, transcendence, and true freedom.
It is all I can do to listen, give validation, and offer hope in my dialog with others. This is what it means to have true respect, compassion, and empathic awareness. It is my prayer that at each moment, we come together in peace and mutual acceptance; and despite the current situation and the depth of suffering, we can come to accept the current situation in as far as we can take personal responsibility to contribute to peace, awareness, and change for the better. It is up to each of us to decide how this will occur, but only as far as we can uphold the principles of Truth!
J
There is a facet of our experience that allows us to find transcendence and healing. Many take a forward-looking approach and ask themselves what they’d like to see happen: "what changes truly need to occur?" First, we must realize that making change for the better involves recognizing what is real and understanding the way we identify with our experiences, with the timeline and its events, and the intents and motivations of those within the consensus reality. By this term, I imply the collective experience of the many within the current world situation. In my journey through the depths of the present situation, I bear witness to this experience of the consensus reality, while being afraid and angry, experiencing frustration and helplessness along the way. This is the ego, or the projected "I", struggling to control the illusion, when in reality, it is the illusion that controls it. However, the true "I" will gain the insight the moment brings - come through to a new awareness - experience a deeper connection with the source – detach from material expectations - and enter the true emptiness of inner peace. The word "I" can alternate meanings in relation to the duality of our experience. The meaning used in any particular instance will be self-evident.
At what point have I hit bottom and suffered enough? At what point can I take the driver’s seat (to use a bad but effective metaphor), knowing full well the potholes, detours, and roadblocks I encounter along the way? Perhaps I am simply a slave to the traffic light. Where can I find the true journey - the road to serenity, a lasting peace that will resonate through the ages and break through the illusion that binds me? WHERE is HERE, WHEN is NOW. This entry point of transformation, manifested as EMPATHIC AWARENESS, is a concept that will be operationalized. I don’t intend to use terms like “change” or “transformation” to imply non-acceptance of what is or to deny the beauty of simply being, but to elucidate the fact that, while the state of being simply is, my experience of it is ever-changing with each moment until eternity. Peace comes with acceptance of this, and each experience the moment brings - suffering, bliss, or anything along this or any other phenomenological continuum. As we approach our experiences with openness and awareness of the moment, while being observant of our identifications with the moment, we can impart empathic awareness to one another as we come together in mutual understanding and transformation.
Empathic awareness demonstrates, and is derived from, compassion, the ultimate respect for the freedom and sovereignty of the soul, embracing the soul’s right to breathe and experience reality unfettered by external pressures and restrictions. Empathic awareness does not attempt to understand or place limits on anyone’s experience; it simply gives credence and validation to one’s experience as it reveals the truth of what is real. [You ask, "what is real?"]. Each one of us is manifested within a unique form, a culmination of energies that have become apparent through the sensory experience, shaped by our responses to external conditions and other unique momentary-dynamic forces. As manifest beings, we also exist within an illusion of separation (as described by Eckhart Tolle). Therefore, identification to the form exists, and it is for the True observant self to become aware of this identification and allow others to do the same in the course of transformation. This is the ultimate purpose of empathy.
Where there is form, there is the space between. Fullness must occupy emptiness. If this sounds esoteric to me, it is only because I am attempting to understand that which cannot be understood in logical terms. In reality, the state of formlessness is all that remains constant, and entry to this point renders time and place immaterial. Entering this state simply involves becoming aware of and releasing identifications with assumptions, preconceptions, postconceptions, biases, experiences – and ultimately, the mindsets and emotional states, like fear and suffering, pleasure and arousal, hope and expectation, and such, for all of these things are simply that – things based in form. All of these things are ephemeral and subject to momentary change. They generate the illusion of separation - a departure from that which is constant. They imply a divergence or duality of that which simply exists as one point of light. We all return to this source, as one unified and infinite vibration of energy.
Often, I think of empathy as “walking in another person’s shoes”, “feeling one’s pain”, or "knowing one’s experience” because I have experienced something similar or, rather, familiar. I sympathize by feeling sorry for someone, and I empathize by knowing how someone feels or what someone experiences. But ultimately, I bring healing by being my true self and enabling others to do the same through compassion. In operationalizing empathic awareness as something practicable, I can start by listening. This is the simple art of giving way to another person’s freedom of expression with full attention and acceptance to that person’s experiential state. Listening is done with the whole self, attending to the full range of personal expression. Listening occurs for as long as it takes to come to a resolution, renewed experience, or a higher level of mutual resonance.
If at times I come up with an idea, a sense of familiarity, a personal conceptualization, or a way of relating to what form I am observing, I have ceased listening. This is OK; it is part of practicing empathy. But it is a shift of intent and a return to identification with form. This act can be manifested as a comment that indicates other-awareness or provides synthesis of expressed form or content with the listener's conceptualization. Often, such an observation fosters rapport, open dialog, and trust, so long as the interaction is rooted in compassion. Other times, however, there may be conjecture, argument, and invalidation. When true listening ceases, one is open to reacting or identifying with an emotional state that may give way to invalidation, misunderstanding, and loss of objectivity. There are instances when I perceive, reflect, or transmit invalidation - I become open to the transaction of judgment and defensiveness, thus allowing myself to be confined by my own perceptions. I can argue about many things, but I cannot refute another person’s experience of reality. Can we argue with another person’s pain, fear, misgivings, desires, or hopes? Listening allows one to express these experiences, it allows the listener to facilitate transcendence in due course, and it allows both parties to release the attachment to or identification with form. When the skill of listening is engaged, we may truly come together in a harmonious way of being.
Acceptance of the fact that we each experience a constructed reality, the basis of our individuality, allows us to go further. It allows us to consider the deeper levels of existence. In contrast, the denial of one’s right to experience this constructed reality threatens the ego and inspires defensiveness - a fear of letting go of the illusions that bind.
For now, it is for me to begin at each moment my journey to the source point, through awareness of the present state and my identifications with such; in using the gift of compassion as manifested by empathic awareness; and with kind consideration of those personal experiences that make each of us unique. It is for me to allow the other to fully express the range of emotional states and mindsets, from fear and denial, pain and suffering, expectation and desire, hope, faith, understanding, and ultimately love; for with the facilitation of expression comes release, transcendence, and true freedom.
It is all I can do to listen, give validation, and offer hope in my dialog with others. This is what it means to have true respect, compassion, and empathic awareness. It is my prayer that at each moment, we come together in peace and mutual acceptance; and despite the current situation and the depth of suffering, we can come to accept the current situation in as far as we can take personal responsibility to contribute to peace, awareness, and change for the better. It is up to each of us to decide how this will occur, but only as far as we can uphold the principles of Truth!
J
posted by |JZIM| @ 1/24/2006
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