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 our
consciousness is flowing outward - this is a fact, there is
nothing to believe in it. When you look at an object, your
consciousness flows towards the object.
For example, you are looking at me. Then you forget yourself,
you become focused on me. Then your energy flows towards me,
then your eyes are arrowed towards me. This is extroversion. You
see a flower and you are enchanted, and you become focused on
the flower. You become oblivious of yourself, you are only
attentive to the beauty of the flower.
This we know - every moment it is happening. A beautiful woman
passes by and suddenly your energy starts following her. We know
this outward flow of light. This is only half of the story. But
each time the light flows out, you fall into the background, you
become oblivious of yourself.
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The light has to flow back so that you are both the
subject and the object at the same time, simultaneously, so that you see
yourself. Then self-knowledge is released. Ordinarily, we live only in
this half way - half-alive, half-dead, that's the situation. And slowly
slowly light goes on flowing outward and never returns. You see this,
you see that, you are continuously seeing without ever returning the
energy to the seer. In the day you see the world, in the night you see
dreams, but you go on remaining constantly attached to objects. This is
dissipating energy.
The Taoist experience is that this energy that you spend
in your extroversion can be more and more crystallized rather than spent if
you learn the secret science of turning it backwards. It is possible; that
is the whole science of all methods of concentration.
Just standing before a mirror some day, try one small experiment. You are
looking at the mirror, your own face in the mirror, your own eyes in the
mirror. This is extroversion: you are looking into the mirrored face - your
own face, of course, but it is an object outside you. Then, for a moment,
reverse the whole process. Start feeling that you are being looked at by the
reflection in the mirror - not that you are looking at the reflection but
the reflection is looking at you - and you will be in a very strange space.
And although it is not mentioned in Taoist scriptures this seems to me the
most simple experiment anybody can do, and very easily. Just standing before
the mirror in your bathroom, first look into the reflection: you are looking
and the reflection is the object. This is extroversion: you are looking into
the mirrored face - your own face, of course, but it is an object outside
you. Then, for a moment, reverse the whole process.
Start feeling that you are being looked at by the reflection in the mirror -
not that you are looking at the reflection but the reflection is looking at
you - and you will be in a very strange space. Just try it for a few minutes
and you will be very alive, and something of immense power will start
entering you. You may even become frightened because you have never known
it; you have never seen the complete circle of energy.
In the beginning it may be frightening because you have never done it and
you have never known it; it will look crazy. You may feel shaken, a
trembling may arise in you, or you may feel disorientated, because your
whole orientation up to now has been extroversion. Introversion has to be
learned slowly slowly. But the circle is complete. And if you do it for a
few days you will be surprised how much more alive you feel the whole
day.Just a few minutes standing before the mirror and letting the energy
come back to you so the circle is complete... And whenever the circle is
complete there is a great silence. The incomplete circle creates
restlessness. When the circle is complete it creates rest, it makes you
centred. And to be centred is to be powerful - the power is yours. And this
is just an experiment; then you can try it in many ways.
Looking at the rose flower, first look at the rose flower for a few moments,
a few minutes, and then start the reverse process: the rose flower is
looking at you. And you will be surprised how much energy the rose flower
can give to you. And the same can be done with trees and the stars and with
people. And the best way is to do it with the woman or man you love. Just
look into each other's eyes. First begin looking at the other and then start
feeling the other returning the energy to you; the gift is coming back. You
will feel replenished, you will feel showered, bathed, basked in a new kind
of energy. You will come out of it rejuvenated, vitalized.