Awareness

Outer eyes

Cannot see themselves.

The inner eye

Is its own reflection.

When we look, we can see many things, but the eyes cannot see themselves without the help of a mirror. We are not used to introspection. Although the followers  of Tao say to look within to gain self-awareness, we will be confused if we use the  attitudes formed by looking with our eyes.

That is why it is important to make a clear distinction early on. Do not try to  understand yourself with the attitudes of physical seeing. Look within using inner  vision.

For centuries, people of many different cultures have referred to the “mind’s  eye,” or the “inner eye,” or the “third eye.” These are all indications that there is a  separate way of looking within. In meditation, it is important to discover and utilize  this mode of introspection.

We must go beyond thought, go beyond visualization, go beyond imagination and actually open a part of the mind that most people leave  dormant. This inner eye has a location, buried deep in the brain. When it is opened,  it is our way of receiving more subtle experiences than we receive in our physical  states.

Perhaps looking and seeing are misleading terms, after all. We don’t necessarily “see” images through this inner eye:

We gain direct awareness that is beyond  the image.