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I have recently been reading lots of the ancient texts like The Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching, and The Gospel According To Jesus.
It's been a season where I’m enjoying going to the direct pointings that have lasted the test of time. Revisiting things that I’ve read before feels like a new experience from a different perch of awareness.
One of the themes that struck out to me reflecting on my own journey is the notion of becoming like a child:
“Truly I tell you, unless you return and become like children, you can’t enter the kingdom of God.” - Jesus
“He who is in harmony with the Tao is like a newborn child.” - Lao Tzu
I’m sure there are many interpretations of this idea, but a few themes really ring home to me.
Humility
Up until a certain age, many children lack the inflated sense of self that thinks they know things. As we age, we collect information and experiences that result in mental positions.
The ego becomes identified with these mental positions. It likes to think it knows something and even that it’s wise. Any threat to this self-concept and its intelligence feels like an attack.
This part of self has been put on its ass enough times for me to recognize I know very little.
I’ve seen how the inflated sense of knowing can cause the heart to close, preventing you from receiving nourishment and teachings. For example, you may resist following a certain teacher because “you already know.” This happened to me.
At a certain point, life humbled me and made it clear I knew very little. I finally accepted this which opened up my heart to this teacher. After this happened I was able to receive their profound energy for the first time. It became apparent that the arrogance from the limited self was a major roadblock in my experience.
Even when you’ve experienced greater understanding than you had before, I think it’s better to remain like a child who isn’t identified with their knowledge.