Openness

We tend to ignore the fact of existence; we take it for granted. For the practical purposes of the intellect, the fact of existence provides no distinction, and it is therefore irrelevant. But pay attention to existence, and see what happens: when you notice that something exists, rather than only noticing the particular qualities of a thing and your judgments about it, you are also noticing that which notices- awareness. Awareness notices existence first; only after does your intellect discern the qualities of a thing.  Awareness transcends the intellect. Because it is prior to judgment, it is free from judgment. It is free from narrative; it is free from the whole urgency of “me”.

In Kabbalah, this transcendent awareness is called hokhmah ila’ah- “supernal wisdom.” It is also called kedushah- “holiness” or “separateness.” It is separate in the sense that it is not affected by anything. It is just openness. It has to be open, because without that openness, you would only be aware of things you want to be aware of. The very fact that you can make judgments and prefer this over that means that first you were aware of something, then you made the judgment of preference. So before the judgment, there is just openness, and that openness is always there, whether you are aware of it or not.

The intellect, called Binah (“Understanding”) cannot comprehend that which is above it; Binah cannot comprehend Hokhmah. Awareness, or Hokhmah, is simply the noticing of existence. The intellect can understand things about existence, but it cannot understand existence itself. Since existence is all-pervasive, underlying everything, you can transcend the intellect any time you become aware of the existence of anything, no matter what it is.

Try it- notice that everything happening now is happening. It sounds almost silly, but if you try, you may see- when you notice what is happening on purpose, there is an opportunity for a leap. It is the leap out of the narratives of the mind and into direct connection with Reality. Take that leap, and everything changes!