Transitional Zones
Dear Friends
Maybe its time for some mind time, free from the roles and responsibilities of our self? Finding or making a ‘Transitional Zone – time and space in your day or week could be the answer to ‘Sustainable Well-Being’ and the Transpersonal experience of just Mindful Knowing free from being caught up as the ‘knower’! Have a read of my idea of ‘Transitional Zones.
Kind Regards
John B.
TRANSITIONAL ZONES
Transitional Zones or Space are important in our life and integral to Spiritual Revelation.
To me a Transitional Zone is inclusive of a time and space situation, between two other environments or situations.
A Transitional Zone or Space becomes like a bridge; a connecting element which is not itself that which is being connected to.
Whilst they fundamentally are a time, maybe a place or situation, they do also importantly allow a psychological space to possibly pause, become mindfully present or even prepare.
The Transitional Zone also offers some rest, reprieve, respite or even retreat from what has been and from what is to come.
For five years, I flew each week between my home on the Far North Coast of NSW and my Psychology Practice and Meditation Centre in Sydney.
My flight was from the Gold Coast Airport to Sydney to work, then at the end of the week, from Sydney to the Gold Coast where I was picked up by my partner and driven home.
Each flight offered a wonderful Transitional Zone of an opportunity to simply just be!
For example, in leaving Sydney, I would leave the assumed working role of Psychologist and Meditation Teacher, before arriving at the Gold Coast, where I then assumed the role of a partner and parent to a ‘fur child’ our dog. I Mindfully made and maintained this Transitional Zone with its psychological space of no roles, as the opportunity of simply being, knowing and feeling.
In a worldly way, the space of simply being provides some time out from roles and responsibilities, obligations and duties, stress and thinking. This is mentally, emotionally and even physically healing. In our ever increasing busy and complex lives, we need to Mindfully Make and Maintain some pause time as a Transitional Zone.
However more than this the Transitional Zone provides the time and space, to reside in, reside as and reside from, Mindful Knowing, Simply Being; Being – No – W – Here!
As and from this Unconditional Space or even Non-Duality Reality, something more fundamental, Ultimate, Absolute may be Known.
Not relating or interfacing experience through the façade of the psychological self; the me, my, mine, self-issues; ideas and perspective; nothing is taken or made personal, no-self happens. Where the mind would otherwise be making mental reactions, forming and fuelling the psychological-self, there is space is simply as ‘no-self’!
From and as Just Knowing, there is Freedom from the limitations of the conditional egoic self that will always see and experience things from a particular perspective.
Differences and distinctions dissolve between the seeming appearance of self and other. There is no other, there is just being, One Being, One Knowing, arising as the seeming other of different people. This is what is known as the ‘Trans-personal’; Mindful Awareness beyond the limitations of the individual personal self.
We could appreciate this as is ‘Ultimate Compassion’; of being beyond self and other, where there is no other and thus no difference; no subject or object; Non-Dual Awareness – Non-Duality.
Similarly, our Meditation can be appreciated as providing a Transitional Zone or Space to allow the Revealing of Reality.
Our Meditation Group Sessions, can also provide the same experience and feeling, by being both a Transitional Zone or Space and offering Mind Time free from self-concern and thus separation from others.
As I point out on the occasions of our ‘Meditation Retreat Days’, that in entering the door of our Meditation Hall and removing one’s shoes; one is stepping out of the roles of the self. Even more importantly, one can step out of the shoes and be putting aside the ego-self altogether so that what remains is simply Mindful Knowing or ‘Now Knowing Awareness’.
This is the ‘Real Retreat’, a movement away or beyond, so to speak, engagement of or as the separate self.
In our meditation we don’t even need to take on the new role of being a ‘meditator’, this would again be getting lost in and as another role or identity.
Thus, the Transitional Zone or Space provides an important avenue to fundamental simply Mindful Knowing and Simply Being.
We may liken this to ‘Nirvana’, the extinguishing of the self-seeking, self-serving; roles of being and becoming the egoic self.
This Space or Transitional Zone, allows the Revelation and Realisation of That which always already is.
As a consequence of this, the psychological-self is known for what it actually is; a psychological communication program.
This allows the extinguishing of the AVIJJA – ‘not knowing, not seeing’ and then the arising of SAMA DITTHI – Right View of the Mind’s appropriate use of [our] self.
All – Good!
