When we close our eyes. But not limited to when we close our eyes. If we close our eyes and are aware of what we experience, we will realise that there is no inside or outside. This is the realisation of the Oneness of All. It all happens inside or outside and this appearing to happen depends on where you decide to locate yourself. But really there are no lines or boundaries. There is just awareness.
Anything which we experience Is. It is neither here nor there, up nor down, in nor out: it just Is (and it is who we are). To remain ‘in’ is to let go of the ideas of in and out and present, future and past. It is one whole and indivisible. It is That which everybody is and it is That which everybody strives for.
Anything we can get is separate from us. We say we got it, and we know as we say this that we can lose it, and so we experience fear. The getting says it is not a part of me, it is outside of me, now I have brought it into me, but that me is separate and the desire fulfilled is also separate. Once it was outside and now it is inside. The real happiness is inside, the inside which has no outside, which language cannot express but everybody knows when they stop going out, when they go in.
If we close our eyes and remain aware of what we experience, we will realise that there is no inside or outside.
The essence of meditation practice and self-enquiry is to stop trying to change how we are and experience that we are, regardless of what we are feeling or thinking. After all, we know change, so it follows we must be other than change. The trying to change is always being led around by the nose by change. Change is the carrot: we believe if we can just get hold of it we can stop it, so we put all our effort into going around in circles of trying to change, which is changing to try, because each attempt at change is applied to another new situation or appearance.
Choosing a part is still striving for wholeness, but while the division established in the initial motivation may lead to attaining that desire or it may not, both lead to unhappiness or dissatisfaction because they are separate from the whole.
As we think we have changed, which was our intention, the appearance of what IS changes so we try to change that again, and so the trying and the changing are always shifting. The trying, which starts at the position from which we view the situation, always adopts a new approach, so even the trier is not stable.
Hence I say, stop trying to change how we are and experience that we are, regardless of what we are feeling or thinking.
As we stop trying to change how we are and experience that we are, regardless of what we are feeling or thinking, there is a shift from doing to being and the true nature of self is revealed.