The House or the Space?
Dear Friends,
Some years ago Eckhart Tolle came to Wisdom 2.0, and gave an example of awakening that has stayed with me to this day.
He talked about building our “perfect house” and having great pride in it. We give a tour to everyone who comes over, proudly showing it off, and feel quite accomplished as a result.
However, over time the house shows signs of decay, as all things do. There are cracks in the walls, water damage, scratches on the floor — the usual wear and tear.
What was once a sense of pride (look at me in my amazing house!) no longer feeds our sense of self in the same way. As the house decays, we start to suffer.
BUT HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENT!
If we identify with the house, we suffer, but what if we are not the house?
What if we are the space in which the house exists?
As the house decays, the space is fine!
Some people hear this and respond, “What on earth does that mean?”
To me, it is more of a koan. What if we are the space?
What if form, be it physical form like a house or a thought form like an identity, is not who we really are?
So we can enjoy the house and our different roles in life, but always remember: freedom does not reside in the house — it is in the space!
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Blessings,
SOREN
WISDOM 2.0 2024
Join us with teachers such as Deepak Chopra, Roshi Joan Halifax, and Jon Kabat-Zinn, along with Bo Shao on Consciousness & AI, and Tarana Burke on Finding Our Voice, and MUCH MORE!
"Freedom is knowing you are not a person. You are the infinite, formless awareness in which the person is a time-bound process in your true self.” —DEEPAK CHOPRA
We are the space and we make our home where ever we go. If the 'housing' itself decays, we can always rebuild it, using the resources we find in our expansive selves.