Often we have found ourselves acting in a spirit of self-forgetfulness. Our activity and work at hand consumes our total being to a level where we are oblivious of our surrounding and it takes us a second or two to re-orient ourselves.
Those are the moments when we our total being is integrated and one with our activity. For those few moments we have forgotten our limited egos and have allowed the untapped potential flow through us. Our work product surprises even us. In sports it’s called being in the zone.
And yet we struggle to re-create that inspirational mood. Artists, poets, sportsman have confessed their inability to do so repeatedly. So is it just a random occurrence we are lucky to have experienced. No, it’s possible to live in the zone.
The secret lies in the very name – self-forgetfulness.
To be able to forget our limited being and tap into our infinite potential. To forget our ego and identify with the higher cause. To forget the anxiety of our results and give our everything to the next step. To forget the past and the future and be totally present in the now. To forget our self-cancelling thoughts and allow ourselves to be guided. To forget our doubts and fears and express our creativity. To forget our past mistakes and know we are capable of much better. To forget the size of the challenge and only be aware of the capacity of our ability. To forget we are the doer and know we are instruments through which life flows. To forget what’s so far been possible and believe in the impossible.To forget ourselves and be one with the One.
This doesn’t mean we don’t develop our skills and talents. That we absolutely must. No matter how good the musician, the instruments have to be well tuned.
To live in this joyous mood of self-forgetfulness requires daily study and practice. That’s something we should never forget.
Yes true…
Well said. Yet again. This indeed is true meditation
I think more than daily study and practise, self forgetfulness depends on how much the activity in hand interests us, and how much we enjoy doing it. That’s why we get so absorbed in it that we forget ourselves. It is indeed a joyous state.
True and our ability to get absorbed on a sustained basis comes from our preparation through a daily discipline. Slowly we start doing everything with total awareness and in a spirit of self forgetfulness, rising above our likes and dislikes.
Lovely to be in the zone, so focused that one is just immersed in that one particular task, as good as meditating, no other thoughts
Interesting that you call it “self forgetfulness”. I’ve never seen it put that way. The words tell you exactly what to do. Love it!
But if there ever is an oxymoron it’s…..
How do I remember self forgetfulness?
When we constantly remind ourselves that it’s always about the higher purpose in whatever we are doing, we drop the ego and the sense of our limited self is forgotten…..
To forget we are the doer and know we are instruments through which life flows. To forget what’s so far been possible and believe in the impossible
Very profound words for today
This is so beautiful