There is a story about a lioness, who was big with young, going about in search of prey; and seeing a flock of sheep, she jumped upon them. She died in the effort, and a motherless little baby lion was born. It was taken care of by the sheep and the sheep brought it up, and it grew up with them, ate grass, and us like the sheep. And although it became a big, full-grown lion in time, it thought it was a sheep.
One day another lion came in search of prey and was astonished to find that in the midst of this flock of sheep was a lion, fleeing like the sheep at the approach of danger. He tried to get near the sheep-lion, to tell it that it was not a sheep but a lion, but the poor animal fled at his approach. However, he watched his opportunity and one day found the sheep-lion sleeping.
He approached it and said, “You are a lion.” “I am a sheep,” cried the other lion, and could not believe the lion’s words. The lion dragged him towards a lake and said, “Look here. Here is my reflection and yours.” Then came the comparison. It looked at the lion and then at its own reflection, and in a moment realized that it was a lion. The lion roared; the bleating was gone.
At the heart of all spiritual traditions, we find some version of a universal truth that declares that the peace, happiness, and fulfillment that we seek cannot be found in the world. Any pursuit of lasting happiness or fulfillment in circumstances, relationships, or any objective experience is ultimately doomed to fail. And if we are being honest, we have all taken these hopeful pursuits, finding only fleeting happiness. Yet, despite such meager yields, we feel compelled to repeat these searches. Why is this? In a word, conditioning.
Our culture, and its external orientation to life, have programmed us to believe that the source of well-being is in improved circumstances, idealized relationships, or preferred outcomes. But wisdom tells us that such seeking is a fool’s errand. While our desire for peace and happiness is very real, pure, and rooted in the truth of us, the direction of our search is faulty. Like seeing an oasis of water in the desert, the appearances of the world can convince us they will satisfy our longings. Such appearances are mirages and illusions, and the relief we seek is not possible because the “oasis” doesn’t exist. This is the cause of our suffering, seeking happiness where it isn’t. Any pursuit outside ourselves will be another frustrating experience of “seeking but not finding.” And so, it follows, the cure for suffering is finding where the water (happiness) does actually lie. And the cure is nothing less nor more than coming to know our true nature.
We are not sheep but have allowed the allure of the external world to “pull the wool over our eyes,” thus veiling our essential self. This is what the Eastern traditions refer to as “ignorance.” Not meaning uneducated or stupid, rather we are ignorant (unaware) of our true nature, our essential spiritual being. We may be highly educated with multiple degrees across a vast spectrum of human knowledge, but if we do not know ourselves, we will likely continue to live what Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation.” "Know thyself" is the maxim that was inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in Greece and remains the key to unlocking the seemingly elusive nature of peace and happiness all of us seek.
How do we discover what we truly are and why after decades of life does it still seem to elude our recognition? The second part of the question could fill volumes to answer but in brief, it comes down to the conditioning (of our minds.) That is, we have come to believe that we are merely physical creatures with minds, thoughts, and feelings. So convinced are we that that is all we are, that we have overlooked the essence of our being that lies beneath these layers of what we appear to be.
Given this convincing impression of who and what we are, it requires a deeper investigation to reveal the truth of us. Just as the lion carried on believing he was a sheep, because he believed his conditioning and did not look closely to recognize the reality of his being, we can remain ignorant of our true nature until we look deeply. Deep reflection can reveal the actual reality of our being. This is the highest purpose and value of meditation. By relaxing or softening the mind that is primarily occupied by objective experiences, those layers of appearances become more transparent, and the pure consciousness of our being can emerge and reveal itself. This pure consciousness or awareness is the ever-present screen that lies behind all objective experiences. It is that which never changes nor can be diminished or limited in any way, no matter the events or circumstances of our human existence. This is the kingdom of God Jesus assured us we would find at the heart of us, as an abiding place of peace and happiness. This placeless place is self-evident and brings seeking to a most satisfying conclusion. May we stop searching frantically for some worldly paradise and take the time and attention to become still and see what we truly are, and take up permanent residence in the kingdom that lies within us.
Namaste,
Rev. Larry
This ever compelling conditioned tendency to identify with and personalize my experience is most inscrutable. So often in the many recognition moments in my day I hear the voice say something like “ugh, it happened again!“ This self conscious me who appears to reside somewhere behind my eyes winces once again. Gladly I accept the task of cultivating a new thought, one that recognizes all of that mind movement as appearances in consciousness. Even a glimpse of the screen devoid of contents makes the whole (non)effort worthwhile.