True Self Awareness

True Self Awareness

Life delivers us a series of good fortune as well as uneventful mis-happenings and misfortunes. How we react or respond to these situations often depends on who we are at a given point of time. Are we acting based on our fear and ignorance, based on pride and ego, or are we acting based on our true nature? We are often frequently challenged to follow and act from within our values as we learn how to respond to the arising happiness, sufferings, pain, confusion and uncertainty.

What is Our True Nature?

True Nature is limitless and has no boundaries. It has no forms nor attachments. Who we truly are is not based on age, gender, race, family, friends, nor external situations such as material things, status and wealth. 

Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “Have I ever taken a moment to ponder on what is my true nature?”. “Am I aware of what is going on in myself, my feelings, my body, my perceptions, my limiting beliefs, my response to situations, etc?”.

What do you believe in that would truly give meaning to your life?  What values and life principles do you hold?

To realise our True Nature, we must first understand True Self Awareness.

Generally, most of us think that our self-awareness comes from our mind, which is, I think, therefore I am. However, this general self-awareness is only an illusion of what we perceive to be the reality and is clouded by our limiting beliefs and perceptions.

In actuality, True Self Awareness can only be realised with a calm clear mind of self-contemplation, introspection, and soul searching.

1. Being aware or mindful of one’s every action, word and thought.
2. Expansion of this awareness to one’s surroundings which includes people, animals, and responses to life. To do this, we need to have empathy, compassion, and consideration for all matters. We would put oneself in another’s shoes and treat others as one would want to be treated by them.
3. One’s awareness eventually spread towards the entire cosmos and across all time. This becomes the ultimate awareness.

The only limitations that prevent us from our true nature are caused by forms and attachments. Therefore, to become truly free and aware, we must let go of all forms and attachments. Only then we become our beings who will consciously experience life’s fullness in the best possible way. 

Training the Mind to Realise Self Awareness 

The untrained mind is hardwired to want what it identifies as advantageous and to fear what is unknown and painful. It’s called survival instinct or self-preservation.

To achieve true self-awareness, we must train our minds to work together with our hearts. We can do so by recognising that our thoughts are not us, that our past does not define us and our character is built on habits. We can use our daily life to manifest self-awareness by paying attention to how we react to situations and others, to be brave and mindful of negative vices such as greed, jealousy, and lust, and to respond with as much compassion and wisdom as we are capable.

7 Steps to Building True Self Awareness

1. Practice mindfulness, the art of being present in the moment.
2. Learn to observe.
3. Learn to listen.
4. Learn to accept.
5. Have daily self-reflection and introspection to rid the heart and mind of greed, hatred and anger, and to learn about oneself.
6. Exercise daily inspired acts that form good habits of kindness and compassion.
7. Let go of all forms and attachments without relinquishing responsibility.

Everything that surrounds us, and are part of us are due to our makings. Unless we can accept everything as part of us, we are criticising our own choice, and it is up to us to make the change. To change, we need to seek and find the answer in our-self.