Chapter IV
Knowing Progresses With Stillness
The Power Of Stillness
Through experiencing life, we can naturally learn more about ourselves.
However, it is only in moments of Stillness—when the mind is quiet and free from distractions—that Self-Knowing can truly deepen.
Without Stillness, we can become entangled in our reactions and wandering thoughts. In that state, we can only learn about ourselves at the surface level—the Personality—without ever reaching the deeper Self within.
Imagine your thoughts as leaves on a tree. The more thoughts we generate, the more the Self becomes buried beneath the chaos. Only when we release this mental noise can we uncover the branches, the roots, and the original seeds that gave rise to our thoughts—and shaped our personality.
That is the power of Stillness: it allows us to see past the personality, past the clutter to discover the person behind the personality—the Creator!
Observation from Stillness
To answer the question “Who am I?” we must learn to observe ourselves — not just think about ourselves.
Truth is not something we merely think or conceptualize; it is something we need experience directly. It is known through observation, not analysis.
Observation may sound simple, but it can be profoundly difficult because we are used to using our minds to think all the time.
That’s why the state of pure observation can feel unfamiliar — even foreign — at first. And when you ask the mind to simply observe, it will often misinterpret that request, trying instead to analyze, judge, or control.
So rather than directly instructing the mind to observe, focus instead on developing Stillness — the quieting of mental noises.
When the Mind is still, it is simply Observing Reality as is.
Practices that promote Stillness
There are many simple ways to bring greater Stillness into the mind.
For instance, you can learn to take more breaks and do less work throughout the day.
You can also go out for walks, exercise more, do gardening—basically do things that require more physical than mental activity.
However, Meditation is the most direct and powerful way to access deeper states of Stillness.
And there are powerful guided meditation videos on the Course section on this website that you can use for free to start your journey of Self-Knowing and Self-Transformation.
So, realize the power of Stillness!
With Stillness comes Self-Knowing.
With greater Self-Knowing, one will discover not only the root causes of their sufferings, but also, the seed from which they originated.
Chapter V. Knowing The Sufferings