Peripheral Shadows

I have to begin this one by asking you to do a little exercise. Find a section of light colored wall with something dark on it. Spend a minute or so staring at a blank spot on the wall, such that the dark object is visible in your periphery. Afterward, as you look elsewhere, you'll see a “shadow image” in the same part of your peripheral vision that held the actual object. Observe what happens as you try to focus on the shadow.

The eyes are trained to lock onto specific things to identify and differentiate all of the apparent components. As you try to look at the shadow, it darts away from your attempts to zone in on it. If you want to observe it, you need to look and focus in a different way.

Spending time with/as your silent self is a similar experience. The mind is trained to lock onto specific things in order to identify and differentiate them. But the formless self can't be pinned down, spelled out or contained, and is impervious to any such attempts.

If you want to be at one with yourself, you need to learn to focus, acknowledge and accept in a different way.