The Question of Going Inside (public version)

The speaker addresses the question of whether we are always inside or not. They explain that our experience depends on where we put our attention. If our attention is focused on the outside world and its drama, we cannot truly be inside. They emphasize that our inner experience of peace is not affected by external circumstances, and it is important to be aware of our thoughts and emotions. They suggest that self-awareness is the key to understanding ourselves and finding peace. They conclude by inviting listeners to contact them for further discussions or join a Facebook group. Hello, Sander Glasgow here. I'm recording this message specifically for the Freedom from Mind Facebook group. To answer that question, aren't we already inside? The direct answer, the short answer is that it really is about where I put my attention. Where any of us puts, I can't go inside another person. I mean, psychologically and spiritually speaking, we can't get inside another person. So I can't see inside another person's mind. If my attention is centred on my experience of this world and its drama, the drama of society, the drama that is society, there is no one else, nowhere else on the planet where there is drama being entered into. There may be things happening. There may be an avalanche here, an earthquake there. We don't hear about them all. There may be all sorts of things going on and we hear about very little. The only things we hear about that might be considered drama, the only things we hear about are those that affect humans. That's how egocentric we are as a species. I'm not saying that's wrong. I'm just stating that as a fact. So if I'm concentrated, if my attention is always on the physical experience, the experience that comes to me by the five senses, by way of television, radio, the internet, all that drama, and it's just intensified on places like Facebook and social media. But if my attention is on that, then can it truly be said that I am inside, that I am going inside? In essence, we don't go inside. We are already inside, yes, but if my attention is on the outside, the outside being, again, a newspaper, a radio broadcast, the music, the arguments, the drama. I experience that on the inside, yes, but if my attention is on the inside, on what's going on inside me, that's being inside. That's not going inside, but it's being aware of what's going on inside. And when the inner experience is one of peace, then it doesn't matter what's going on on the outside. There could be anything. I'm not getting into details. I'm not getting into specifics, but anything can be going on on the outside, and it is possible to experience that peace because there is no need to be aware of what's going on on the outside. Even if what is going on on the outside is a direct assault on the person, the body, the self, it's still possible to have that peace, that equanimity. So, anyway, what I'm saying is that every experience, our entire experience happens on the inside, and if our attention is on the outside, then the inner experience will be one will be one of turmoil. And if our attention is on the inside, and what's going on inside, under any and every circumstance, that is going to bring about understanding, understanding oneself. And so, in some sense, you know, I'm thinking now that in some ways, from a three-principles perspective, that it may have been a pointed question, but that's okay. And in that sense, but that's okay. And in that sense, I failed to answer it. And again, of course, this is only my own interpretation, my own understanding, and it either lands well or it doesn't. The fact is that there has only ever been one person who could improve my experience of this world. And that one person has always and only ever was me, myself. This inner self had to understand this thinking egoic self. The thinking egoic self can never have peace. And so long as my attention is on the thinking egocentric personhood, or person centric, as long as my attention is on that, I will never have peace. If I fear it's death, then I'm always going to suffer. To know that for 365 days, the body has survived on more than one occasion. There have been several 365 sets of days, or you know what I mean. So I am now at over 50 sets of 365 days. And for 365 days on over 50 occasions, this is still here. I've got through it. And maybe I don't have another 365 days, and maybe I've got another 10 or 20 sets of 365 days. But what will be the quality of those days if I live in fear? My attention must for my own sanity. You can do what you like. Anyone will do as they are inclined. That inclination can change. That is a matter of choice. But for me, for my own sanity, for my own peace of mind, pretty much the same thing. I must, I must always keep my attention on what's going on inside me. What are my emotions? What are my thoughts? What are my feelings? What are my opinions? What are my conclusions? And I question everything. It takes a certain amount of commitment. And if it's not what you are, not you, but if it's not what a person is naturally inclined towards, then it can, it can be difficult. But knowing that, knowing that all I have to do is to be aware of what is going on inside me at any given time, any given time, not necessarily every given time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. So if I have a bad day and I feel low, or if I get invited to a certain event and feel anxious about it, or whatever the experience, then looking back, thinking back about what was going on inside me, my thoughts, my feelings, my attitudes, even towards the people that were involved, in some sense it matters not what happened on the outside during that time. What's more important, what is the most important thing is that I am aware of what's going on inside me, that I am aware of myself, that I am self-aware. And even if I am not aware during the incident or event, as I said, hindsight is a wonderful thing. I can look back on the experience and I can learn from the experience, the knowledge of my experience, the knowledge of what I was thinking, the knowledge of what I was feeling, that knowledge that no one else can touch, that no one else can see, not fully from the outside, but only I know about what's going on inside me during an event, an incident, whatever the case may be. But everything we experience, although it looks like it is on the outside, it's not on the outside, everything that I experience, I experience on the inside is always a reaction to my thoughts and my feelings about whatever the thing that I may or may not be reacting to. I don't even know if that is a full rounded sentence, but that's what it is. That is my, well, reply to that question. Are we always inside? No, not if our attention is on the outside and what is going on on the outside. If my attention is on what's going on inside, then yes, I can be said to be or have gone inside. It really doesn't need any sort of deeper, mystical answer than that. Just be aware, just be aware of what's going on. Am I having a bad day? Am I feeling depressed? Am I feeling angry? Am I feeling anxious? Well, why? What's going on? What's going on? Why is this reaction inside me happening? In what way does it threaten me? If it threatens me, is there fear involved? Anyway, I'm not going to go any further with that because again, it sounds or begins to sound like something to do, a striving, a how-to formula. But just ask yourself the questions that you need to ask in order to get the answers that you need. Listen, something I heard a long time ago was something that I took on board when I read it. I don't know if it was a quote of philosophy or it was a long, long time ago. It was over 30 years ago. And it said, he who consults with himself consults with the idiot. Just because I think something doesn't mean it's right. And sometimes discussion, that's what discussion is about. Finding the right person for that discussion is a different matter. If you have enjoyed listening to this audio discourse and would like to have a transformative conversation to find the truth of your personal situation, I can be contacted via the links on my audio.com profile. If you would like to join a future group discussion, we can be found at facebook.com forward slash groups forward slash freedom from mind. I will try to make a link available in the description.