More Daily Impulses To Support Your Path Of Deep Self-Realization

When you say “my life”, whose life do you mean? Who is it who says: “My life”? With this question, you are already getting to the core. This impulse is about who has “this life”. Perhaps paradoxically for you, you are much closer to yourself when you don't talk about “your life”, but about “life”. Christopher uses the metaphor of a teacup to illustrate what this is all about. What are the contents, and who is the cup itself?

“Life is suffering”, said Buddha. Sometimes we suffer more, sometimes less. When many things meet our expectations, we often hardly notice the suffering, and it doesn't “bother” us. But what can we do when we are suffering more, or when we want to overcome suffering generally? There are 2 ways. One path leads to ever greater entanglement and identification with the suffering. The other path frees you not only from suffering, but also from the cause — your ego. Your ego creates suffering, and at the same time this can serve to dissolve it.

Even if the ego initially tries to identify itself with apparent successes and to feel superior, it often deviates from these roles when they do not (or no longer) work. By then taking on the role of the victim, it plays an unpleasant but very safe role: circumstances are to blame, other people, past experiences, etc. Dismissing blame and complaining about “life” is easy. The ego becomes more and more entangled in it. It is then almost impossible to get out of the role, as long as you are not aware of the mechanisms that are holding you captive. The question is: who is actually holding whom captive here? Who are you really?

You often hear that you have to “be yourself”. But what does that mean? Most people take it to mean something completely wrong — and most people who give such advice also mean something wrong. Being yourself can become a dangerous ego role that appears authentic but is not real. With this role, you are only giving in to your preconceptions and believe that you are yourself. But how can you really be yourself? What can you do? Or is the better question perhaps: What can you let be?

How often do you manage to be truly present? We usually “use” the present moment as a means to an end. We do something or think about something in order to positively influence the future. This is not wrong in itself, but if our focus is constantly on the future, we create resistance and are not with ourselves. We feel the contrast between how it should be and how it is right now. Firstly, we still have to... to... But we can only ever discover ourselves in the now.

Every person has a constructed self-image based on their experiences, thoughts, emotions, etc. In addition, every person has an image of every other person with whom they interact. This is based on experiences with the person and, above all, their own interpretation, prejudices, etc. So what happens when these self-images and images of others interact? And where do the people behind them fall short — are there still “true relationships”?

The ego initially tries to attract positive attention. It strives for recognition and positive affirmation. However, if this is not successful, it often turns to attracting negative attention in order to be seen at all. We are often unaware that the disappointed ego is often the only cause of “negative attention”. If we can become more aware of this and let it go, we can return to ourselves.

You really need almost nothing to be happy. This may not be a new realization for you. But have you really internalized it — how often are you still unhappy? Why are you really unhappy? How can it be that, for example, the suicide rate or the number of mental illnesses in “rich countries” is so much higher than in some “poor countries”? Using a drastic example, Christopher shows you how happy people can be even in extremely difficult situations.

There is an underlying cause of every dispute. This cause is structural and always the same. What is the cause? How can you become more aware of this and prevent arguments? How can you at the same time recognize yourself more and become freer from your ego structures? Christopher talks about this in this impulse.

You may have heard the saying “read between the lines”. There is more to recognize than the mere meaning of individual words in sentences. In everyday life, words are thoughts and various things that happen in the outside world and demand our attention. Most of the time, we are so preoccupied and our focus so narrow that we no longer recognize the big picture — that we no longer recognize ourselves. Just as we can only read sentences in a book because they are printed on paper, we can only recognize thoughts and all perceptions because we ourselves are present in the background. This impulse is about how you can recognize yourself more in everyday life and not get lost in your perceptions.

When someone criticizes you or questions your opinions and views, what is it then that matters to you or your ego? In most cases, your ego is not interested in finding out the truth. It defends itself by all means and often invents lies. It doesn't ask itself whether the other person might be right if that means that you were wrong. How much is your (false!) sense of self connected to this? What happens when you observe these processes and focus on the truth?

Eckhart Tolle uses the terms space consciousness and object consciousness, which Christopher finds very appropriate, and would therefore like to go into more detail in this impulse. What is the difference between the two types of consciousness? How do you manage to dwell more often and more deeply in space consciousness, and thus be completely with yourself? Why are we humans so strongly attached to object consciousness, and why do we find it so difficult to let go of it?

Just as the identification with your mind creates your personal ego, different personal egos with the identification of a certain thing create a collective ego. If you lose yourself in this, you are even further removed from yourself. Such egos can also become very dangerous and hold you captive. However, not every collective has a (dangerous) ego. In this impulse, Christopher talks about how you can become more aware of your role in a collective.

Have you ever been at a point in your life, or are you perhaps currently at a point where you say: I no longer know who I am? Significant losses in life or intensive personal or spiritual development can lead you to this point. What often feels overwhelming, frightening or exhausting can serve to liberate you. This liberation and the realization of yourself is only one step away. Are you ready to let go of your false self — the self that no longer knows who it is and desires new identification?