One of the main reasons why I love Instagram is its ability to enable serendipitous connections -
people who resonate with my posts,
people who are on similar journeys, similar interests, and hobbies,
people who make the effort to recommend books or other people whose posts I would value.
One such conversation resulted in me discovering Amit Pagedar - findingawareness.
As his posts connected with me so deeply, the obvious next step is to pick up his book. I felt so happy to see it on Kindle unlimited. For the past 3 weeks, I read this thought-provoking book, slowly and steadily.
This book opened up a lot more insights about myself. I was so in awe of this book that I ordered a physical copy and planning to re-read it, one chapter at a time.
Why did this book have such an impact on me? Is it the timing? Is it the questions that were running in my mind? No idea, but I'm just embracing it as always. A book arrives when you are ready to receive the message. Will repeat this statement for eternity🙂
The crux of this book is all about our journey towards self-discovery. The author starts with the question everyone must have asked ourselves at some point in our lives - "Who are we?". He then moves onto an in-depth coverage of various sources of our suffering - comparison, unfairness, insecurity, fear, hurt, etc, peeling each layer with such simplicity and clarity. As we embark on the journey of self-discovery, he reiterates the importance of centering, using our breath as a bridge between body and mind, the power of unconditioned listening, feeling, and seeing. Loved the chapter on Insight meditation and how observing our thoughts as is without trying to change or analyze is so important.
My favorite section of the book is on the structure of the ego and the three Selves. Brilliant explanation on how judgments, beliefs, and attachments are formed.
I have highlighted so many phrases/passages throughout the book. It is a tough challenge to pick a few but will give it a try.
We become eager to take on whatever identity the world is ready to give us, as long as it leads to some form of acceptance and security. As long as we are seen, we are willing to follow.
Anxiety arises when we know we are about to face a problem and we have no help.
We will never be secure tomorrow, we can only be secure today and now.
Conditioned listening requires a lot less effort because we have all our judgments, prejudices, biases, insecurities, and fears eager to provide us answers.
Our unresolved emotional past is always trying to find completion. It is looking for an opening into our conscious mind.
Judgments offer an immediate comfort in a world full of uncertainties. Judging helps us pretend that we understand.
When your passion meets your responsibility, it becomes your purpose.
Our unknown is a modified version of the known (the past) which we fear.
What’s important is not the validation we seek, but the deficiency we feel before we seek it.
Thoughts leave when the conflict between them is resolved.
Philosophy/spirituality seems to have become my go-to genre in the past 3 years and Finding awareness is one of the best books I have read in this genre.