Sitting Quietly
Sitting quietly, doing nothing and everything happens by itself. No input is needed to maintain this life; this microcosm we call our body. The eyes see without any need of the effort to look. The ears hear, again with no need to listen.
They work perfectly smoothly and spontaneously all by themselves. Likewise the heart continues to beat without a reminder from us, the lungs, digestion and all the organs do their jobs quite uninterrupted.
Do we even give a thought as to how nutrients are broken down, get into the bloodstream and are transported around the body to the desired spot? Do we have input into how wastes are selected and carried away. Does the ‘me’ build the muscle tissue and bones piece by piece? Do we even know how they fit together? Can you explain the simplest actions like how to lift a finger?
If I were a Martian come down to Earth and inhabited this body would you be able to explain to me how to operate this body – even the simplest actions?
So why do we need the idea of a ‘me’ to function. On close inspection it becomes clear we don’t but the belief doesn’t just go away. What does this imaginary ‘me’ do while the rest of the body is looking after itself, sourcing water when thirsty, food when hungry. When hunger happens you may think it’s you that prepares the food to eat and in a sense it is since you have to locate and prepare the food – or is that automatic too?
Does the brain that put the food away after shopping already know where it’s to be found, without a ‘me’? When hunger strikes did you create the hunger, the feelings of hunger? Did you decide to be thirsty in the first place? Why is it that you like certain foods when another person has other tastes? Why am I lactose intolerant – did I choose that?
Do people choose the terrible illnesses and accidents that befall them? If the body is programmed to look after itself then why do I need to maintain this conviction there is a ‘me’ in control? And am I maintaining this belief or is the belief self sustaining giving the impression there is a ‘me’ doing it?
The sense organs receive energy from the outside and channels it to the brain that sorts it out in a meaningful way and creates the finished and ongoing conscious perception that is witnessed. The internal sensors gauge levels of nutrients and fluids in order to maintain the necessary balance, corrects imbalances, breaks and breakdowns. And it all happens spontaneously.
“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.” Zen proverb.
~ by Roy Townsend, who was a much appreciated guest-teacher at Gurukula earlier this month.