Becoming the Eye of the Hurricane.
Meditation is not about escaping to secluded spaces to become peaceful. It consists in the journey from the chaotic surface of the hurricane, to the peaceful eye of the hurricane.
The eye of the hurricane is always the calmest part within it. The winds are relatively light and the skies are clear in the eye. The strong winds of the surface, which converge towards the centre never reach it.
From Chaos to Stillness
Spirituality consists in the journey from the surface of the hurricane, to the eye of the hurricane.
It is an inner journey of discovery. It is not about escaping to some island or uncommunicated place to try and find peace; it is not about remaining in an undisturbed space. Spirituality is about exploring our own depths; and we can embark upon this journey anywhere, in the Himalayas or in the busiest of cities.
The Path of Unity
Some scriptures claim, one must walk either the path of spirituality or that of the material world. However, choosing between the two will make us partial, and partiality of any kind goes against wholeness and unity. Without unity there can be no peace, there can be no bliss. So we must walk both paths together, understanding that they are in fact one direction, moving one step at a time.
We recognise the material world easily; it is very apparent. To achieve unity, we must be able to perceive the spiritual, relative and unchanging world within this physical world. If the visible world is the hurricane, the spiritual and unchanging is the absolute centre of the hurricane. We must learn how to be both, and be aware of both these realities, the external storm as well as the motionless interior.
Meditation is the Key
The only true path towards this discovery is meditation. Meditation tunes us to the unmanifest reality, and that is the overall aim of spirituality. Through meditation we learn how to be the witness. To witness the tempest of our lives in absolute stillness and detachment, is to become the eye of the hurricane.
If we are aware of the activities of our mind, then we are not part of the mind. We become observers, because the witness is never the mind. Once we have learnt to be the witness, then we have located the unchanging, motionless centre. Our bodies and minds are under constant change; they form our hurricane. But there is a part that never changes, that remains the same throughout existence, that is our inner nature. The journey towards that unchanging reality is yoga.
Meditation can be done anywhere, because the objective is to become the observer. In fact, it may even be easier to find stillness if the storm is more chaotic, because it may be that stillness is more obvious in chaos.
Becoming the Observer
Only by locating this inner centre can we truly become unpossessive lovers and unattached warriors. It is when we reach this point that we let go of the ego, because the ego is the hurricane. The ego desires, it is full of fears, and the ego is as limited as the storm is chaotic. When we become established in observing, we lose all our fears and attachments, we dissolve all of our limitations because we separate ourselves from our ego.
We must discover and become the eye of the hurricane, and use this position to witness our lives and our world.
