Knowing self

 A beautiful question came up from one of my acquaintances. 

Who the person is,      doesn't matter.

The mind, that COULD-COME-UP,  to asking such-a-question is.....for me..... is precious.....a reward in itself🙏

Question :"Having known me via my thoughts only could you please tell me how wide is the knotty circle of karma around me ? …. Desires have dripped for material things but emotional attachment and seeking comfort in it are still there and that makes me wonder did I really manage to break free even one knot or not."

( i don't even have to mention the reference of a blog of mine, which persuaded the "rise" of this question.)

My response:

The "genuineNess" of this question
Versus
the healthy traditional practice followed by 2 prominent plus very ancient experts.

I have been bogged down by these two----genuine quest and established practice( for very strong reasons).

While that_genuineness persuades me with all its strength to disclose( whatever little i know, assuming that my knowing in this aspect is true/correct/flawless) .....the strong reasons( which i delved into, after great labor and steadfastness) for non-disclosure  dissuades me.

I received help from a teacher( who is DAMN GOOD at having "dealt" with very-similar situations) when I pondered over "how he dealt with-me, when .....my_genuineness was mine, and hence strong too.....and the question was also mine (and therefore, well thought out too😜).

2 occasions,  when I asked him. First one was in 1992 too primitive, when I look at the second one, today.
Second one was a tougher one, deep enough to constitute_itself into a kind_of litmus test for any wise plus spiritually evolved being. The reply is too sacred, and so, I shall merely mention here, only the question 🙏 "why is it that ....when I think of asking you a question, the urge to ask disappears as soon as I present myself before you to ask?"( this question had replaced the "set of other questions" singularly😜🤣🤣🤣

"I want to ask you something" preceded this question, and he generously offered "yes! Please ask"

Via thoughts....
Knowing (somebody)this way, is far_more comprehensive than the results of a pair of youngsters(lovers) claiming "we knew each other pretty well, and therefore decided to unite for life, not waiting for any sanction from our parents or anybody"( then, why the hell do majority of your_type of pairs end up quarreling and racing towards a divorce? 🤣🤔🤔🤔.... they "realise" that their tools  to know or  and yardsticks measure that knowing well fell short miserably 😜😰😰😰)

ख़ैर,
Knowing the "mind" is proportional to knowing the past_karmic_residue of any person. This knowing( as you wonderfully picked it up) differs from an independent observer to the observed.  Standing on  the edge of a wheel spinning fast, affords very little scope or clarity, compared to standing on the hub. Standing a little-away from the wheel affords "needed" clarity.

It is here that....meditative-practices come handy. 🙂
Hub of the mind is itself tough to reach. Standing just beside the mind is great fortune, and a meditative-state🙏

Coming to our-question. "How wide is the knotty circle around me?"
How tightly is each knot? ( more pertinent, isn't it? ).

Large balls of several knots are easier to untie perhaps, when a single knot, with a fragile loosely spun cotton thread, presents a problem like "is it better to cut it? The knot is wet, making it near-impossible to hold the entire thread firmly😳... strands of cotton get pulled out when I try to grip one thread and pull it gently😭"

So,
Let the knots or size of  knotty ball/s, tightness of knots be any thing. Working at each knot is in our hands. Intensity of eagerness to untie it decides the speed of untying. The "range of speed" is between a moment and several lifetimes.

Trust and trust alone decides, as to "how much of external help are we going to allow to that helper?"

A "human" birth is rare and precious----- was the time tested traditional belief🙏.
An opportunity to use "choice"(which is unavailable to unborn minds or other life_forms into which somebody/being gets-born🙏.

If properly utilized, this choice can become our best+reliable guide to "show"us  what needs-to-be known🙏

Unknowingly yours,

psn(29 Dec., 2024)