The ego’s view of reality is a pantomime.
Ah, the human condition! It is a peculiar state where we, the ever-so-complex beings, yearn to attain a real view of reality in a world that often feels as staged as a mime’s invisible box routine. We constantly tango with our egos, dancing around the idea of authenticity and realness. But let’s face it, is being real an accomplishment, or is it our inherent state covered in layers of unrealness?
Is being real something that has to be accomplished?
Where does the sense of having to get real come from? Why do we need to effort or learn how to be real or authentic? Why the sense of lack or deficiency or fakeness?
The ego efforts to mimic reality.
The ego, our lifelong companion, is quite the performer, mimicking what’s real and leaving us in a perpetual state of “wanting to get a genuine view of reality.” It’s like being stuck in a never-ending dress rehearsal where we are forever learning our lines, trying to play the part of a “real person.” But when did we start believing we could be a person? And who handed us the script?
When did you believe you could be a person? Where did you get that idea? If you are a false person, there must be a real person possible, just as there is imitation gold because there is such a thing as real gold. You can’t have a false something if the original which it imitates doesn’t exist. Why are people always interested in being original, being themselves, doing their own thing, having their own life, wanting to be autonomous? Can it be that all this drive is simply an illusion, or does it point to something real? If to have a personal life is bad, if pleasure is to be abandoned, if wanting your own home or car means you’re selfish, if sharing love with someone is unenlightened, then human life is ridiculous. There must be some hidden truth in all the strivings of mankind. – A. H. Almaas, Diamond Heart Book Two: The Freedom to Be, ch. 12
What is real? Where is the Real?
If our normal sense of self is constructed, does that imply that realness exists? Where is the construction coming from? Who/what fabricates the constructed sense of self? This can all sound convoluted and complex, but exploring it is more magical than convoluted.
Ego is a stage of natural human development.
Our normal sense of self and our conventional view of reality is like a well-constructed set on a stage. It’s detailed, it’s convincing, but step behind it, and you see the wooden planks and the nails. Mind you, it’s a façade, a necessary one to navigate this grand theatre of life. Bruce Cockburn might have been onto something when he said, “The trouble with normal is it always gets worse.” The more we dwell in our constructed selves, the more we believe in the normality and realness of it, except for that nagging encore of “wanting to get real” that keeps playing in our heads
This is the situation we find ourselves in with our ego selves. The more time we spend in our normal sense of self (constructed self), the more we believe it’s not only normal but real as well. Except for that pesky sense of – wanting to get real, that won’t leave us alone.
The Diamond Approach is about the real.
Let’s talk about the Diamond Approach, the director’s cut to a true view of reality, if you will. It’s not about reaching a destination or playing a part perfectly; it’s about being, experiencing, and embracing our real selves. It’s about slowing down our frenzied atoms and asking, “How can I be completely here and completely myself?” It’s about peeling off the layers of imitation gold to reveal the real gold underneath.
When we have lived through years of noise and drama, pushes and pulls, manipulation and struggle, and maybe after many years of spiritual practice or work, it is possible to recognize that what is needed is to simply be real. We want to be what is real in us, to remember or recognize the realness of what it is to be a human being—an aware, awake being—and then experience this beingness consciously. In other words, what we are is about reality, about being real—not about getting anywhere in particular but simply to be as we are. We want to learn how we can be here in as real a way as possible: How can I be completely here and completely myself, or as completely as possible? How can my atoms, which are scattered, vibrating, and oscillating in some kind of frenzy, slow down, collect, and settle here as what I am? – A. H. Almaas, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence, ch. 1
So, where does this leave us in our quest for realness? The Diamond Approach is the backstage pass to your true self in a world of mimers and performers. It’s the journey to experiencing your human beingness consciously, to being as real as possible in a world that’s constantly handing you a script.
Are you ready to step out of the invisible box to stop miming your way through life and start exploring a more profound view of reality? Are you prepared to explore the magical rather than the convoluted, to dive deep into the essence of what it is to be a human being—an aware, awake being? If so, the stage is set, the curtains are drawn, and your true self is waiting in the wings, ready for the grand reveal!