Self-knowledge - practice in esotericism: 5 levels of self-knowledge

Self-development

It often happens in life that, having received the long-awaited position of commercial director and amassed a large fortune, you do not feel a sense of satisfaction from your activities, because in reality, your destiny in life by nature is to be an artist. And this is a very typical mistake of modern people. Therefore, if you want to live your life in harmony with yourself, achieve success and happiness, then first of all you need to answer two very important questions: “Who am I?” and “who do I want to be?”

Different people answer these complex philosophical questions in different ways: some never find answers to them; others are trying to give themselves a detailed description and decide on the directions of their life activities; still others, having answered the questions posed, still remain dissatisfied and ask these questions again and again. Therefore, I would like to tell you about the process of self-knowledge, as one of the constituent parts of the process of personal self-development, and describe the best tools so that you can know yourself more quickly.

Esotericism and self-knowledge

Esotericism and self-knowledge are the path to yourself, to your own enlightenment. This is the path for those who want to get rid of negativity in their lives, learn to be happy here and now. This can only be achieved by getting rid of the feelings that are corrupting your soul: anger, hatred, guilt, fear of loss and failure. These are all those feelings that lead to the manifestation of not only mental, but also diseases on the physical level.

Methods and practices of esotericism will help you not only to know yourself, but also to relieve everyday stress, dissatisfaction, and learn to understand yourself and your purpose . As a result, this will lead you to become calmer, more confident and more successful. The path of the esotericist involves helping a person find his purpose, boldly go towards his goal, be healthy and happy. With daily practice and understanding of the spiritual laws of happiness, you can achieve complete harmony and happiness.

Of course, enlightenment is more that can be achieved on the path of self-knowledge and spiritual development. This is true complete freedom from everything that can prevent you from living and enjoying yourself. Freeing the mind from all stereotypes, fears, complexes, which leads to absolute health and harmony. Not everyone has the strength and patience to achieve enlightenment. But if you take even small steps towards self-knowledge and self-development, then this will undoubtedly have a beneficial effect on the quality of your life.

If you think that the path of the esotericist involves renouncing everything worldly and endlessly meditating, then you are very mistaken. It is enough to devote a couple of hours a day to practices for six months to change yourself and the world around you.

Psychology describes three levels of self-knowledge:

1. Biological.
2. Social.
3. Personal.

They imply knowledge of your body, the capabilities of your body, the ability to develop your creative abilities and skills, as well as realize yourself in various areas of life.

Esoterics considers the most important type of self-knowledge - knowledge of your inner world, your soul . Esotericism and self-knowledge go beyond the material world familiar to us and reveal a spiritual unknown world. Only thanks to the knowledge of esotericism are we truly able to understand who we really are, what our purpose is and free ourselves from illusions and stereotypes imposed by the material world.

Have you ever wondered why people are given access to high technologies, why computers, cars? Obviously not for a person to accumulate all this and inflate his importance and delusions of grandeur. All this exists so that a person has more free time for self-knowledge and self-improvement.

Examples from history

Vivid examples of how self-knowledge acts as an engine of spiritual, cultural, scientific and technological progress can be found in history.

For example, the yoga principle of Ahimsa or non-violence is the fruit of spiritual quest, self-knowledge and the search for truth within oneself.

This principle implies the rejection of cruelty and eating animal food as a form of cruelty. This concept of behavior was developed by followers of yoga and was born through self-knowledge.

First stage - Duality

It involves getting rid of dualities.

Duality is the duality of judgments in your mind. Building an understanding of life on two opposing concepts. For example: good and bad, good and evil, love and hate. Each person in the process of life has accepted his own set of opposites and this prevents him from seeing all the versatility of life and the endless number of possibilities. You have set restrictions for yourself: to get married or not to get married, to get a higher education or not, etc.

In practice, you need to work through the dualities that are relevant to you and expand your own boundaries of self-knowledge. How to do it?

Answer the following questions:

1. What is important to me?
2. What do I want?
3. What am I afraid of?
4. What's bothering me?
5. What do I want to change in my life?
6. What do I think about myself?
7. What do I think about others?
8. What do I think about my own life?
9. What do I think about the past?

When answering these questions, you will only see one side of the answer. For each answer you need to choose the opposite. For example, it is important for me to be healthy. This means that I don't want to be sick.

Both sides of the duality should cause a response in you, you should feel how you feel with both statements. Next, from the list, select exactly what worries you most at the moment and begin to work through it.

Processing techniques

1. Alternately create and hold in attention two types of poles of the problem . For example, create a thought in your head that you have opened your own successful business and there is no doubt about it. Imagine yourself in this role, visualize this picture and try not to let go as long as possible. Now imagine that you haven’t opened your own business. Look what you are like now. What qualities are behind this uncertainty and unfulfillment? Look your fears in the face, at your slumped shoulders and dull gaze. Now mentally return to the first state again. You are successful again and have done what you have long dreamed of. And back. Work through this duality 5-6 times.
2. If it is difficult for you to visualize the two poles, then simply alternately create a thought in your head about the duality that is relevant to you .
3. The third method involves writing down the two poles on a piece of paper . For example, under the “I am unique” column we write everything we think and feel about this. Describe the same thing under the dual column “I’m like everyone else.” Write until you have written down everything that comes to mind.

With the help of these techniques, you can understand what you really want and what is stopping you on the path to self-knowledge and achieving your goals.

With these methods you can change any situation in your life and your attitude towards it. A person who has an accident and loses his arm suffers from this. But he can be happy that he is alive. You can find something positive in any situation.

Definition of the concept

Self-knowledge is a process in which an individual (personality) studies his own mental and physical characteristics and characteristics, and engages in self-understanding.

The process of self-discovery continues throughout life, starting from the moment of birth.

“Know thyself” - who said it? The famous expression “know yourself” belongs to several sages of Ancient Greece.

As reported in Plato's dialogue, it was Thales, Pittacus, Bias, Solon, Chilo, Cleobulus and Misone who met in the temple of Apollo at Dolphin to debate. In the course of lengthy disputes, they came to the truth , which they later carved on the wall of the temple.

Some sources indicate that the author of the wise saying is Socrates. But in fact, he only made this idea public, explaining to his students the very essence of this “formula.”

What does it mean to know yourself? The meaning of this saying is that every person needs to get to know his true “I” , to see his fears, desires, hopes, strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, you cannot turn away from vices and indulge yourself in self-deception.

A person’s attention, like a two-way arrow, should be directed both to the external world and to the internal one . It is important to notice not only changes in things, bodies, objects and matters around us. It is also necessary to trace the connection between these changes and the internal response to them.

Second stage - Assessment

To accept as is means to allow something (or someone) to be as it is, without trying to evaluate, compare, avoid, confront it, resist, suppress it, ignore it, deny it, devalue it, change it in any way, or hold it back. . © Sinelnikov V.V.

There is an excellent technique that will help you figure out what exactly you do not accept in yourself and people and what you can do about it. It is necessary to answer the following questions:

1. What or who do I evaluate often?
2. What or who do I often compare?
3. What or who do I often avoid?
4. What or who do I often confront or resist?
5. What or who do I often suppress?
6. What or who do I often ignore?
7. What or who do I often deny?
8. What or who do I often devalue?
9. What or who do I often try to change?
10. What or who do I often try to keep?

Now analyze why you are doing this and how you can change your attitude.

If you realize that you cannot accept some aspect of yourself or another person, then accept the fact that you are not able to cope with it right now. Note for yourself one of the character traits that annoys you in another person and look at it from three sides:

1. I'm with myself.
2. I'm with others.
3. Others are with me.

For example, you think that a person is lying to you and condemn him. This means that you often lie to yourself and others, and they, in turn, also consider you a liar. You need to accept the fact that all people lie, not because they are bad, but because they are afraid of something.

Esotericism and self-knowledge imply that a person is in the present moment.

Structure

Self-knowledge consists of several elements:

1. The image of "I" . May also appear under the name "Ego". The definition includes a person's relationship to himself and his dominant ways/strategies/ways of interacting with others.
2. Self-control . This is the subordination of one’s own behavior, state and actions to the standard accepted in society (through the volitional component).
3. Self-esteem . A range of feelings towards oneself, which are reflected in an intermediate meaning between the polar categories of “acceptance” and “non-acceptance”.

Third stage - Here and now

He will teach you to be “here and now.” This is how Osho described in his book “Mindfulness” about the practice of being “here and now”:

The only thing you need to learn is observation. Watch! Watch every action you take. Observe every thought that passes through your mind. Observe every desire that comes over you. Observe even minor gestures - how you walk, talk, eat, take a bath. Continue to observe, in everything, everywhere. Let everything become an opportunity to observe.

Don't eat mechanically, don't just go on stuffing yourself with food - be very observant. Chew carefully and observantly... and you will be surprised at how much you have missed until now, because each bite will bring great satisfaction. If you eat mindfully, the food will taste better. Even ordinary food becomes the most delicious if you are observant; and if you are not observant, you can eat the most delicious food, but there will be no taste in it, because there is no one to observe. You just keep stuffing yourself with food. Eat slowly, observantly; Each piece must be chewed and felt. Inhale the smell, feel the touch, feel the gust of wind and the sun's rays. Look at the moon, and become just a silent pool of observation, and the moon will be reflected in you in immeasurable beauty.

Move through life while remaining completely observant. Again and again you will forget. Don't become unhappy because of this; it `s naturally. There are millions of lives you have never tried to observe, and it is so simple and natural that you keep forgetting again and again. But the very moment you remember, observe again.

Remember one thing: when you remember that you forgot to observe, do not regret, do not repent; otherwise you will waste your time. Don't feel unhappy: "I missed out again." Don't start feeling, "I am a sinner." Don't start judging yourself, because this is a complete waste of time. Never repent of the past! Live in this moment. If you forgot, so what? It’s natural—it’s become a habit, and habits die hard. And this is not just a habit learned in one lifetime; these habits have been established over millions of lifetimes. So if you can remain observant even for a few moments, be grateful. Even these few moments are more than you can expect. He is watching. He is clear.

How to know yourself deeper

First of all, you need to change your attitude towards self-knowledge. If people find something valuable, they will do it.

A person will read literature on personal development and try to learn more about himself, even if the truth is unpleasant, will find time to analyze himself and will try to minimize the time that is wasted.

What about having self-knowledge in real time? To do this, you need to cope with some self-deceptions, which are quite widespread.

1. Mindfulness. If a person begins to resist activities on autopilot, then over time unconscious behavior is replaced by conscious behavior, then it becomes possible to observe gross impulses even without influencing them.

2. Responsibility. The desire to blame others for his bad mood disappears; instead, the person tries to understand what exactly upsets him so much; Plus, he can look at things differently and make changes if he's unhappy.

3. Acceptance. A person tries to notice and accept everything that arises and does not allow himself to procrastinate and be absent-minded.

These tips will help you cope with any self-deception. They are worth applying if disagreements with reality arise.

Stage four - Jug

On the path to self-knowledge in esotericism, you must get rid of negative thoughts . This can be achieved through a meditation called "Jug".

Stand comfortably, feet shoulder-width apart, palms at stomach level. The fingers should touch each other. Start breathing and monitor your breathing. When you achieve relaxation and inner peace, imagine yourself as a jug. Imagine how water fills your body, overflows over the edges of the jug (head) and flows down your body, going into the ground. All bad thoughts, problems, worries pour out of you along with the water. You are cleared of all this. Water washes away all the dirt from the soul and thoughts and goes into the ground.

When you finish your meditation, take two deep breaths in and out. Sharply clench and unclench your fists. Open your eyes.

Functions

To summarize, the basic functions of self-knowledge can be called introspection and introspection . In addition, when considering the issue in detail, the functions of the process of self-knowledge include:

1. Understanding yourself (working with detailed knowledge about yourself).
2. Increasing personal significance (choosing positive knowledge about yourself and working with it).
3. Self-test (comparing your own knowledge about yourself with the assessments of others).

Meditation

Meditation is a great exercise for your mind, and it's a fairly simple practice.

• Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. When you're just starting out, it may be easier to do this in a quiet place without distractions.
• Pay attention to your breathing. It will be easier for you to stay focused.
• Redirect your attention to your breathing.
• You can start with 5 minutes or so and then increase the meditation time.

Scientific research continues to show that meditation benefits your health. Benefits: Stress relief, anxiety and depression relief, improved social interactions, increased happiness, and improved cognitive functioning.