The Fourth Recognition

We have recognized, first of all, that our essential nature is awareness itself. And then as we explored the nature of the awareness that we essentially are we recognized that its nature is peace and happiness. We are, as such, inherently fulfilled. And then we went on to see that the essence of ourself is the essence of everyone and everything. The common name for this collapse of the distinction between self and other, me and the world, subject and object, is love or beauty. If this is not our experience, it is because the body has yet to catch up with our understanding. This is the fourth recognition. Peace and happiness lie at the very heart of all feelings. The fourth experiment, that accompanies this recognition, every time we feel an uncomfortable emotion, we turn towards it. But we do more than just turn towards it. We welcome it. We bring it close. We kiss the toad.

We have recognized, first of all, that our essential nature is awareness itself. And then as we explored the nature of the awareness that we essentially are we recognized that its nature is peace and happiness. We are, as such, inherently fulfilled. And then we went on to see that the essence of ourself is the essence of everyone and everything. The common name for this collapse of the distinction between self and other, me and the world, subject and object, is love or beauty. If this is not our experience, it is because the body has yet to catch up with our understanding. This is the fourth recognition. Peace and happiness lie at the very heart of all feelings. The fourth experiment, that accompanies this recognition, every time we feel an uncomfortable emotion, we turn towards it. But we do more than just turn towards it. We welcome it. We bring it close. We kiss the toad.