Who looks outside
If you want to be successful in the world, you will need dreams. You will need targets, time tables and stratergies. If you are running a company a vision mission and goals. What are these, these are just dreams. A university student has a dream to complete the degree and to be able to join a successful team, to feel fulfilled about achievements same time earning money for a comfortable life. An enterprenuer has a dream to increase the profit so he could afford to buy a luxury Ford. A fisherman has a dream, to catch more fish, or shrimp in that matter, and build a fleet of boats. A child has a dream full of baloons, and fish and mothers warmth. And it is inevitable who looks outside, dreams. But there is a different meaning to this. A whole new deapth to the dreams that we see.
Duality of the world- mindful listening
If you have read previous articles about dreams and conciousness, you would understand the duality of the world. When we look outside, we will be able to find things outside. Just like now. Let's do a small thought experiment on this. A little mindfulness practise to understand what is the dream. Close your eyes for a second after reading this, and listen to sounds for a moment. And ask yourself where is the sound? Where is the each and every sound comes from. It seems that the sounds are outside. When you hear a bird singing, the mind would 'dream' a bird, or imagine a bird, outside your room on a tree. But was there a bird? No, you did not see a bird, there was only a sound. And the bird you imagined may or may not be there. There is no way of knowing that, because at that exact moment, you were only listening to the sound. And once the sound dissapeared you were thinking about the bird.
Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens. Carl Jung
If you know the mechanism of hearing, you would know, sound is not there even in your ear, even in your brain, it is just a vibration of air, ear drum and electrical impulses in your brain. Interpreted as 'sound' Hence even with logic we can understand, there is no 'sound' in the real world apart from an interpreter or observer. If something cannot exist without the other, is it a one thing or two things? You can think about every sensation you are having in this way, and know it yourself. The duality of the nature is created only when you imagine it is outside, however if you look at yourself mindfully each and every second of living you would get to know, the world is you, and you are the world. It is not two separate entities. Hence the second part of Carl Jung quote is also correct it seems. Who looks inside awakens from the dream.
Observer is the observed- Krishnamurti
If you look at the past, different philosophers of our era, knew this and understood this concept in different ways. JJ Krishnamurti once said, the observer is the observed. So, there is nothing existing outside the observer. This is the reality of things. It seems tragic at first. But even the thought of 'this is tragic and so it is sad' is something we observe. Hence, not some 'thought' which arised in 'me' but what 'I' was at the exact moment it came to the knowledge.
Chasing dreams
No wonder, modern man is so tired chasing a dream. Without knowing these facts, which rests in our hearts, we chase dreams outside world. We argue with people surrounding us, and we get angry. We get happy when New York Knicks win over Chicago Bulls. And we go on shoping, to improve the way we see ourselves in front of the mirror. We cry and smile and laugh on the same day. Only if we knew and remind ourselves what we see is not what it is but who we are, the pain and burden will reduce, and the ripples in the mind would calm down until you are able to see the bottom of the pool once forever and see nothing. Otherwise, we would continue to chase the mirrage but never drink water.
Let's start a mindful Journey today and to understand the true meaning of follwing quote and even see the relative nature of it. (given in the context - that it was written in a letter to someone who was mourning in beravement, Carl Jung may have meant something entirely different, like empathy. But I would never know, hence relative)
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I realize that under the circumstances you have described you feel the need to see clearly. But your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Without, everything seems discordant; only within does it coalesce into unity. Who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens Carl Jung
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Oh Carl Jung was not the first to say this. Remember we sang?
Row row row your boat gently down the stream
Merrily merrily merrily merrily life is but a dream.
Problem is we forgot its a dream. And started to live in it!
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