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Spiritual teachers often speak of the three eyes of knowing. There’s the ‘eye of the flesh,’ ‘the eye of the mind,’ and finally ‘the eye of the Spirit.’ The first eye – the eye of the flesh – is the eye that views the world through our senses. We see, we feel, we sense. We look at a cloudy day and say things like, ‘well, it appears that the sun isn’t going to come out today.’ Of course we realize that above and beyond those clouds, the sun is indeed shining. But to the degree we use this limited eye to see with, we buy into the illusion – we attach to the idea that we’re destined to live this day without sunshine because the sun is not coming out.
It may not seem like much, but an illusion is never a good thing. And when we don’t challenge some of the fundamental thinking/illusions of our lives, we end up with clouds over more than our eyes: We end up with clouds blocking us from the reality of the true Light of the world.
Of the three eyes, the ‘eye of the mind’ is the one we are probably least equipped to deal with. For instance, relatively few come to understand that their mind is a tool they’ve been given to use versus an identity they’ve been destined to embrace. And so they think. And they think negatively. And then thoughts become things and before you know it, your life is a disaster – all because you’ve allowed your mind to use you rather than learning how to use it.
I like the writings of Eckhart Tolle because of how adept Eckhart is at reminding us of this very point. His teachings often remind us that we are not our mind; rather, we are the observer behind our mind. And by observing, by watching with the third eye – the ‘eye of the Spirit’ – we can more clearly see the games our minds tend to play along with the illusions they tend to weave.
We might find it helpful to distinguish the first two eyes and the last one by seeing them in terms of the ‘false’ versus ‘true’ self. The lower eyes, the eyes of flesh and mind, for me at least, equate to the false-self. Daily they bring me unwanted gifts such as fear, doubt, anger and depression by obsessing over the impermanent things of life and attempting to convince me that such things should take top priority. The eye of the Spirit, however, quickly picks up on all things impermanent, equating them to clouds blocking out the sun. This eye quickly removes me from the dimension most easily seen and guides me into the one beyond sight, beyond words, beyond thought.
This place is a place of peace and permanence, of eternity and endless compassion for all that is. And so once realized, we’ll want to visit this place more often. I know that I want to learn to live out of this place rather than the one the lower eyes keep trying to convince me represent the ‘real’ reality of life.
To do this, however, I have to keep repeating the mantra of ‘never mind.’ Never ‘mind.’ Never… mind. It’s a tool to be used, to be employed – but certainly not one we should allow to dictate our lives. And yet when we lead with our mind, this is exactly what is taking place.
‘Think’ about it – but only as the observer behind the mind.
And then, with the clouds removed, enjoy the Light of day.
5 comments to “Never Mind!”
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Love Eckart’s work!
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What I’m learning is that being the observer behind the mind is often a lonely place to be … when one is surrounded by a world of people who prefer the mind. There is great joy when one who observes finds/connects with another who observes …
I’ve pretty much had it with what’s presented as “real reality”.
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Thanks Tim. Yes. Flesh, mind and spirit. Different perspectives and different modes of experiencing life. And because it is the only one that continues, who we are in spirit is our true self. All else passes away. The only thing I would add is the relationship between the three. I’m reading Wilber – not an easy task – and I think he’s got a point about including and transcending. Does the mind include and transcend the flesh? Does the spirit include and transcend both mind and body? I think Wilber would say so. And it’s making sense to me too. It’s not that the life of the flesh is false or bad. It’s that physical life, when divorced from the mind and the spirit is an illusion. Likewise, experiences that are both intellectual and physical when they’re divorced from the spirit they are also illusions. It’s only when we’re seeing from a perspective that includes all three that we can know our true self in this world and what’s real in this world.
You say it better Tim. Thanks for saying it.
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Thanks, Tim. I always read your blog which helps my edification. When I’m seeing with the third eye of spirit, I am better connected with others, particularly when they act & think seemingly different than me. And the transcendent experience from mutual loneliness and isolation becomes more real.
Excellent, my friend. I’m not there yet. But I’m on my way.