I was bicycling in Virginia, USA. Riding through an apartment parking lot, I saw a young man walking to my right, coming in my direction. He was about age 20. Instantly, though never having seen him, I was surprised by a profound sense that I knew him. This 'seeing' or 'sense' was not a rational knowing. We smiled at each other and proceeded on our way.
That moment is firmly imprinted on the mind after over fifteen years. This is an example of 'seeing.' With eyes, I looked at him, whereas the looking was only the opening to 'seeing.'
What occurred was insight, or in-seeing, rather than at-seeing or on-seeing. The ego at-sees or on-sees, while the spirit engages through in-sight. Understanding the heart as our true self, we can say heart sees heart. The 'seeing' is heartful.
This 'seeing' of the Sacred in and through the self of another being is free of story; there is no history attached to it, as in our socialized interactions with others. "Seeing' is free of past, present, or future. 'Seeing' is 'I know you,' not 'I know about you.' 'Seeing' is now. It has a profound, even if subtle, clarity and directness.
This seeing occurs the moment we perceive someone. Yet, for most, a cloud of forgetfulness overshadows the recognition so quickly that there is no consciousness of the innate kinship. Before the sunshine is recognized, the shades are drawn.
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My experience has become increasingly of 'God' in and through others, while once, it was mostly by going inward. Here, language breaks down: what is 'seen' is never him or her or them. That day in Virginia, my color was white, his black, yet what was 'seen' was not race. The 'seeing' did not deny race, and through 'seeing,' diversity in race was appreciated and respected, even reverenced. Presence manifests as diverse icons. We are walking, talking, breathing appearances of one sacred. We are many but one taste.
No two leaves are the same, yet they are all one. Can you imagine any reason for two leaves on a tree to fight each other? What about the leaves creating groups that are warring with other leaf groups? Leaves forming religions and judging other leaf religions? One leaf thinking it is alone? Better than another leaf? Trying to harm another one?
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How good it is to realize ourselves through each other in Love. We are leaves 'seeing' leaves. We are the same leafness. We learn from each other and know ourselves through knowing each other. In loving another, we love ourselves—one Love, one loving.
There is no technique for this, even as 'seeing' through a religious icon comes through effortless receptivity. Spiritual practices dissolve the effort to 'see' so we 'see.' We relax 'looking' and 'see' the most obvious that, somehow, we were always looking at but not 'seeing.'
And let us remember, as pointed out in Thich Nhat Hanh's opening words, we are not strangers to each other. Strangeness is a surface, passing response without any depth. You have never met a stranger. We know this to be true when we 'see.' The heart knows it now.
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*(C) Brian K. Wilcox, 2024. Permission is given to use photographs and writings with credit given to the copyright owner.
*Brian's book is An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love. The book is a collection of poems Brian wrote based on wisdom traditions, predominantly Christian, Buddhist, and Sufi, with extensive notes on the poetry's teachings and imagery.
