Key Lesson: The recurrence of unwanted moments reveals a divided mind resisting the truth that it is encountering the consequences of its own unconscious choices. From its struggle to reconcile – or escape – the painful effects of what it has created, a false sense of self is born; and its suffering perpetuates the very division that brought it into being.
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We each have, and operate from, a false nature that is a jumble of our memories, conditioning, and some temperamental qualities. It is this unsuspected false nature that meets the world each day, responding to and interpreting every one of life’s fluctuations. It is very important for us to begin to understand that of themselves these ever-changing conditions in life are neutral, but the false nature imposes its own meaning on all these life changes; labeling and defining them so much so that the event you see unfolding before you is really nothing more than a circumstantial creation of the false self.
It is very important that we see clearly that our false nature is a multiplicity that only believes itself to be a singularity. None of us is a singular, whole person. At any moment a different self can take the stage, and while it reigns it believes fully that it is the actual, complete person. But in fact, none of these selves is real. Each is no more than the creation of a temporary conjunction of conditions, a “Temporary Person in Charge,” (a “TPIC”). From one minute to the next our values and desires can change, depending on which TPIC is in control.
A multitude of these Temporary Persons in Charge (TPICs) live within every one of us. They are, in a sense, the eyes through which we see the world and the thoughts that interpret it. This thought nature of a thousand selves has each of us unknowingly divided into a thousand different conflicting people. As each of these secret selves tries to prove it is permanent and real, it necessarily comes into conflict with other contradictory TPICs. Yet, each TPIC remains ignorant of the existence of the others. As a result, the division within our self becomes deeper and gives rise to more unconscious discomfort. They are the thought-based soldiers who wage the war within us over the possession of countries that have no existence outside of our own imagination.
This most vital spiritual discovery has gone unseen for good reason. As each TPIC comes to the forefront of our consciousness, it brings with it what amounts to its own complete history in the form of distinct memories and their requisite emotions. We take these thoughts and feelings as our own, identifying completely with that self to which they belong.
As our false self is naturally shaken by ever-changing events, new personalities appear. And each one feels as though it is, and has always been, our present self. For the majority of people who never look beyond the surface of their lives, the reactions of these false, constructed selves are all they ever know about themselves. They respond mechanically to events without ever questioning their responses, or how those responses change from moment to moment. These men and women never question the confusion and heartache that comes with trying to live a real, consistent life, while being whipsawed by this ever-changing false nature. Rarely, if ever, do these people wonder why they so often feel threatened and defensive without bringing others into the picture as being the cause.
We can clear up any confusion you may have about this last idea with a simple example. If you looked at the world through green lenses, everything you saw would be tinted green. Similarly, the false nature, which is a product of our past, can only see the flow of present events through the lenses of its experience. It recognizes present situations by considering the past, and once it’s clear on what’s happening, out pops a TPIC to take charge of that situation. The TPIC, a custom creation of the false self, is put into action to safely steer the individual through this circumstance, but remember: the circumstance under consideration, whatever it may be, is itself created by an interpretation of the real event by the false nature. To the unaware person, the event may feel new and so may their response, but in fact, both are based on the past. Rarely, if ever, do we see things as they really are, but only through an interpretation of them. We rarely respond spontaneously, but mostly as we have done before. All forms of adaptive behavior learned to help free us in the present moment still leave us acting out of the false prison of the past. No wonder we find ourselves caught up in the same kinds of situations again and again, and nothing ever seems to be resolved in a new way.
From moment to moment, we bounce back and forth from one temporary personality to another. One is happy, and one is depressed. One is excited, and one is bored. Like a leaf in the wind, our mood and outlook are blown one way and another, with no central self in control. Each new occurrence in life gives rise to another TPIC, and as each new TPIC pops into the driver’s seat, it brings with it a full explanation of who we are and what we must do to steer ourselves straight.
We can’t be free of any self-limitation until we recognize it for what it really is. Presently, we believe the TPICs are real, and that their battles with life are necessary to protect us from pain. We don’t see that the pain we feel is due to our identification with these artificial identities, and that we can’t be free of what is punishing us as long as we take it for our friend. However, as we start to see what it is that is really punishing us, we also begin to see that we had the power to be free all the time!
Here’s how to begin. Each time you can become aware of any TPIC, and “see” yourself being aware of it, it can no longer remain in unconscious control of you. This state of self-seeing is the beginning of real self-command. At first, working to meet life without your usual interpretations and reactions may actually seem to add to your confusion. It may even feel that you’re worse off than ever. Nevertheless, persist! This confusion is just a trick of the TPIC. Not only are you in a wonderful place to start winning the war within yourself, it is the only place to make a new beginning: letting the old, stale reactor die a little each day, so that we can experience real life as it is and enjoy what it brings with it.
As we become newly aware that we live in and from a multiplicity of diverse selves, that very awareness begins to bring about the end to all these temporary persons who take charge of our lives. As the whirling, changing selves begin to fade, which they must do in the light of our growing awareness of them, something real, something peaceful, begins to reveal itself to us from within us. As we come to live from our emerging, true, singular self, there are no more false soldiers being unconsciously created to fight imaginary battles, and then… the inner war is won through its very disappearance.
As we grow in this new life we learn real compassion for ourselves and for everyone else struggling under the fleeting control of a thousand TPICs. And as we are gradually carried beyond the superficiality of our present lives, we are astounded at the limited view that once directed our every thought and deed. Reality itself takes control of our lives. Gone forever is that sense of self that is troubled. Now we know that our only enemy in life was that false perception that there was an enemy in the first place.
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