"The 'body' is the first gate and the first step towards the inner journey.
"The 'body' is the first gate and the first step towards the inner journey.
Many people do not know how to go inwards. The first gate and the starting point of inner awakening is the body. You need to start shifting your attention back to your body. This is the first step towards the inner journey. Always pay attention to your inner body's perception and have a dialogue with your body. All of this comes from your willingness to accept your body and work with it consciously.
You can calculate how much time you spend focusing on your inner body in a day. You will find that you often forget about your body's tiredness, hunger, and thirst when you are trying to complete a task. You may even forget about the sensations in your mouth when you eat because you are thinking about something else. You may forget about your eyes' tiredness when you use your phone until late at night. You may have been putting so much focus on external things that you forget to pay attention to your inner body's perception. This is not a binary approach to avoid using your phone at night, but rather, it is about being aware of your body's sensations and not ignoring them.
Some people may say that they are already observing their body. If you are one of them, you can ask yourself further questions:
Do you like your bare face when you see it in the mirror?
Do you like your naked body when you see it in the mirror? Can you accept your imperfect body parts?
Are you willing to take care of yourself when you are sick and not be angry with yourself?
If you cannot love your body, how can you learn to love others?
The body holds great potential and mystery. God has given us this body for practice and to realize the greatness of our nature. Without this vehicle's help, it is impossible to awaken. That is why the Buddhist scriptures say that the human body is precious. But some also say not to cling to this body, which is directed towards those who mistake the body for their entire life. The body is not life, but a container of life. You can think of the body as a car, and the driver is the higher soul or the higher self (depending on which layer of consciousness you are in). When you understand that the body is like a car, it needs maintenance and fuel to take you where you want to go. You not only need to take care of your car (body), but also understand its performance and how to bring out its full potential. All of this requires communication and cooperation with your body to take on adventures in the world. If your car (body) keeps having problems, you may not have time to fix it and reach your destination of realizing the greatness of your nature. But remember, the body is not life, the higher soul in the higher layer of consciousness is immortal."