Know thyself, remembering who we are.

In this episode, Eckhart talks with a live audience.

He quotes ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras who said, know thyself.

Eckhart says, unfortunately, our whole educational system is geared toward only one kind of knowledge, the intellectual.

But there is another aspect based on wisdom and intuition.

It's that kind of inner knowing, he says, we must embrace.

Not as a replacement, but as a much-needed addition.

Now, just a little reminder in the usual state of consciousness, you're always conscious of something.

And when you're present, you're conscious, except in deep meditation, you're conscious of something, but you're also conscious of yourself as consciousness.

The early 20th century spiritual teacher Gurdiev called that self-remembrance.

It may not be the best term to describe it, but that's what he came up with. And it could be misunderstood,

as if you had to remember yourself as the historical person, but that's not what it means. There's

no memory involved, although we could say, you remember to be aware of yourself. But what is yourself?

If you are not the historical person in essence, you are the consciousness, the space for it all.

And as you sit here and listen and look, you're of course conscious of your sense perceptions, but the possibility is there

of being conscious also at the same time of an underlying presence of stillness, and that is the essence of you, which has nothing to do with your history.

It is being conscious of consciousness.

That's the subject, the eternal subject.

The moment you make yourself into an object, then you begin to remember your historical person, and then you begin to have a relationship with yourself.

But in presence, you are yourself. Big difference between having a relationship with yourself, usually problematic.

So you're not only a problematic relationship with your partner and colleagues and family members and in-laws.

That's not enough in the unawaken state.

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