By Peter Cutler
Sedona News -“All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.”
– Shakespeare
One may imagine Shakespeare enlightened with such lines as this or the depth of his understanding of human nature.
Like everyone else, I share the illusion of the human nature character we call I, me, myself. It’s only that I now see it as a role, not who I am or having anything to do with me other than a character to be played for a certain time. Oh, yes, I forget from time to time, as we all do and a certain identification creeps back in, but not for long.
And this is why whatever pains this body or self experiences do not really bother me. Is the actor playing Macbeth really vexed that Macbeth loses his life to Macduff or is he simply pretending? Does he not return to his family every night after the curtain closes free of all blood and woe from the play?
And so is exactly my experience. Even in the midst of the most severe pain, I can always let this role go for a time and return to the peace, bliss, love, and freedom of my True Nature. Unlike this temporary role that may last 80, 90, or 100 years, it is always here and never changes.
Most of us attach too strongly to our role because we do not know anything else. We do not know our True Nature. We fear death as if it were real and not just an act on the stage of our conditioned imagination. Even upon the death of this body, we still cling to this role as if it were real begging for the play to continue. And so it does, in other roles and other plays, other dramas, traumas, and suffering. Perhaps in one, we wake up and the play ends.
And yet all this time the actor is never touched by any of these roles. It always remains in the peace, bliss, love, freedom, and infinite wisdom of its True Nature. In fact, it never even acts. It simply is.
As the “actor”, observer, Consciousness, we can simply observe this body as pure energy by inquiring, “What does a living body feel like?” In many ways this energy feels like bliss in a much more limited way. We notice how even a single thought dramatically affects this energy as long as it is believed or even suspected of being true. All of this is what creates this character, this role, we call I, me, myself. Without thoughts, the body remains as pure, unpolluted energy without an I, me, myself. But then there is also no character for the play.
And so the play goes on until it doesn’t. When the final curtain closes, another play is waiting in the wings tomorrow. It is only when we experience the “actor” ItSelf, that we can let go of the role and the play, let go of all roles and all plays.
But for now, enjoy the play as best you can. Accept everything as it is and don’t be too confused by thoughts about it. They are never true, just lines written in a fictional mind of a character who has never existed except in that mind.
Sometimes I wish that my body could be completely invisible so you could see me as I am and not simply a character I am playing for a time. And these words would appear as if coming out of thin air. Nobody praises the breeze for a sudden gust. Why should this be any different? But of course, it’s a play. It needs characters. So I will be this for you until you can really see me and what you are.