The first experiential hints of the Ground of Being are the experience of aloneness, of silence and stillness. This aloneness is different from loneliness; it is the aloneness beyond self. This aloneness is the doorway to our deepest Ground of Being. We approach it inwardly naked or not at all.
As Joseph Campbell put it in his consideration of the Knights of the Round Table and their quest for the Holy Grail, “Each entered the Forest … at that point which he himself had chosen, where it was darkest and there was no way path. … Where there’s a way or path, it is someone else’s path; each human being is a unique phenomenon. The idea is to find your own pathway to bliss.”1 This is a way of saying that we come to nirvana or awakening by encountering the unknown within ourselves. We grope our way along the inner silence by letting go of everything that is familiar as we open to the Ground of Being.
•While resting your attention in the lower part of the belly, open to the quiet and still sense of mystery within you and all around you. In that silent and dark space where there are no words or images, let go of all self-clinging and be the nothingness of awareness meeting the dark mystery of your being.
•Feel the aloneness of your inner Being. This may evoke memories of loneliness or abandonment, but remember that these are memories of the psychological self. They should not be confused with the inner aloneness of the Ground of Being. Do not become distracted by old memories or projections of the mind; instead, keep your focus on the inner silence and vast space of awareness within.
•Should you feel frightened, remember the ground underfoot is your support, the sky overhead is your witness, and the breath in your belly is your anchor. Pay no attention to any thought, idea, or image that may appear. These can be examined another time and in another context. Trust in the three supports of ground, sky, and breath and be at peace.
•Notice that in the deep silence of your Being you can relinquish all your old identities, all struggle, all striving, and all resistance. As you do, you enter a dimension of Being where you are emptied of all self-clinging and all self-definitions, where you become empty and free of the psychological self, stand as an innocent and spontaneous presence, and have left all “knowing” behind.
•Rest as this unknowing and innocent presence until you are motivated to end the practice. As you go about the day, recall this innocent presence and give yourself moments to inwardly reflect on your wordless and silent Being.