The Translucent Self

Practical Steps for Cultivating a Translucent Presence

The Transparent Self

One of the best definitions of Enlightenment I had read was Joseph Campbell’s ‘being transparent to transcendence’ definition.

Ofcourse, not being enlightened, I would not kow what a good definition of it is — all I can say is that it deeply resonated with me.

In trying to get enlightened, I would often fall into the ego’s trap of trying, failing, getting a negative self image, trying harder, running from one teaching to another and so on and on. It kept the ego busy and the ego was perfectly happy to continue on that path.

The ‘transparent to transcendence’ contemplation brought a new perspective. It was no longer a struggle for the ego to climb out of itself; it was about the ego structure becoming porous. It’s not about reaching for the light, but about being transparent enough to let it in. It’s about being a vessel clear enough for the existing light to pass through unobstructed.

The Frustration

But making myself transparent is not an easy task. Over and over, I fell prey to the ego’s machinations and the whole vicious self-perpetrating cycle.

My reactivity gets triggered at a lightning speed and I seem to have no control over it. I have reasonable control over whether I act from reactivity or not, but the inner contraction seems to happen automatically.

The Insight

What I discovered with time is that I have some choice over what I call the second-order contraction — the contraction that arises in response to the initial one.

I found that I could soften the second-order contraction for the most part. In some cases, I could detect the contracting energy before it solidified; meeting it with equanimity helped it dissipate.

That seemed to induce a certain amount of relaxation in my body-mind system.

The Translucent Self

In addition to the relaxation, I noticed a sense of presence and connection. I no longer felt like a separate, isolated lump.

At times, it even led to a flow state.

I hadn’t achieved the transparence I yearned for, but I felt translucent with some light coming in.

A Translucent Self, I am finding, is far more satisfying than an opaque self.