Let's close our eyes.
Let's become aware of our own presence.
Most of the time,
We are aware of the presence of something or the other,
Or someone or the other.
Let's become aware of our presence this time.
And as we make this journey to our presence,
To the recognition of our presence,
Everything else that we were aware of,
Even if it is for a split second,
Everything else that we were aware of,
Just drops away.
Let's become aware of our presence.
Just like in order to do our jobs,
We studied how to do what we do.
Right from childhood,
We have been learning how to speak,
How to write,
How to think,
How to do,
How to work.
Some of us have given decades to this process.
But what about ourselves?
There's no school or no one in the school,
College,
Office or workplace ever posed this possibility.
We have been spending so much time,
Energy,
Resources,
Learning about other things,
Or going on vacations to see other places.
I'm not saying it as a way to put anything down.
I'm just trying to emphasize the part that we have neglected.
Actually the whole thing that we have neglected,
That is us.
To study ourselves,
To get to know ourselves.
The only time we think about ourselves is when we are in certain kind of pain.
We don't think about our bodies unless there is discomfort or pain.
We don't think about our minds unless the suffering crosses a certain threshold.
And when things become normal,
Which most of the times they do,
At least in the mental and emotional realm,
We go back to our old routine.
But what if we prioritized ourselves?
And I'm not saying it in a very selfish way,
Where we deprioritize everything else and make ourselves the center of the universe.
No,
I'm not trying to say that.
I'm talking about the study of ourselves,
Being interested in ourselves.
To understand various facets of ourselves.
For example,
Is our body at peace,
At ease,
Throughout the day?
How are we carrying our bodies?
Are we present to what the body is saying to us from time to time?
Even though it's not in pain,
There's a tremendous amount of information being emitted.
I once heard about a study where people who thought they were hungry were actually thirsty,
But they did not understand the cues from the body.
That's why they overfed themselves.
When to drink,
How much to drink,
What to eat,
When to stop,
When to sleep,
When to wake up,
When to move,
How much to move.
All this is being transmitted to us.
How are we handling our minds?
Is the mind able to focus or is it fatigued?
Is it agitated?
Is it at peace?
What are our feelings trying to tell us?
And what how irritated we are in someone's presence or in a particular place?
Is it telling us to stay away from something?
Or go toward something?
The reason all this is important is because we are living our lives.
And how are we living it?
Everything that we are doing begins with us.
It's like the most fundamental study.
Everything about us is being studied,
Our habits,
Exercises,
Triggers of the mind,
Effect of food on the mind,
Etc.
But I'm talking about studying ourselves,
Something that only we can study.
Scientists can put an electrode in our brain and study our brain.
But we are not just our brain.
We are not just our habits.
When you say I am,
Or when you say I,
There's a wholeness to this calling.
Everything is being chopped off and being studied in pieces.
You can have the best health and still be unhappy.
The best routine.
Or you could have nothing and yet be happy.
Happiness cannot be studied by scientists.
Because they are not living our life.
We are.
They are not thinking our thoughts.
They are not experiencing all the varied experiences that we are having.
So this study is about us as a whole.
Us in general.
No part in particular.
So we study ourselves in action,
In life.
Without restricting to a particular section of life.
And we don't know what's going to come out of this study.
You don't start studying knowing the end goal.
There's a chance you might fall in love with yourself.
And the process of studying yourself.
Learning about yourself.
Being able to understand the impulses that control us.
Or seemingly control us.
The thoughts and feelings that at times feel like boulders on our chest.
The way all our worries melt away.
When we pass a small kid smiling wholeheartedly at us.
The moment we start studying ourselves,
The moment we start becoming interested in ourselves.
We become interested in what we are doing as well.
And what we are thinking as well.
What we are feeling as well.
What we are feeling as well.
What we are feeling as well.
What we are feeling as well.
Strength.
Everything that we value.
And everything that cannot be purchased.
Or rented.
Thank you.
Thank you.
