And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Mark 4:9 KJV
The consistent work to direct the faculty of attention to connect to the sensations of the body is a lifetime's endeavour. When I have come to know the "taste" of connecting with a "whole-sensation" of myself - to feel, all at once, every part of the body, from the inside out, that also produces a more balanced state of Being - something else emerges, something else can be perceived.
Bathed by light, seeing is not restricted to the eye.
Surrounded by sound, hearing is not restricted to the ear.
Smothered by scent, smell is not restricted to the nose.
Embraced by sensation, touch is not restricted to the body.
Infused by flavour, taste is not restricted to the tongue.
Connecting to the sensations of the body is a pathway back, or a return to, the "ancient senses" - a sort of activation of a primordial, latent sensory system that has been buried by the modern world divorced from the deep realities of our nature.
Sensations are extensions of the senses.
The senses are extensions of our consciousness.
The extensions allow us to reach out and the world to reach in.
In-between, there I can BE.
When the connection, the relationship of attention and sensation is strengthened, widened and deepened, at first in quiet conditions and then in all aspects of life, our ordinary senses (hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell) take on new dimensions - they can "vivify", as Gurdjieff would say. It brings into question, What do the senses really sense? What do sensations really express? And, Where "Am I" in all of this?
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
First verse of the Christian Hymn "Amazing Grace"
Comments