The Mirror

Last week a friend visited me. He was depressed and afraid of the future. I handed him a mirror and asked him to look at the face in that mirror. Who is that, I asked him. He said: "Well, it's me, with a sad and pale face." Then I asked if he could concentrate on the look with which he watched that face. I asked him if he could identify with that look, rather than with the face in the mirror. Much to my surprise he said yes. Until that day he had rejected anything I said about headlessness. This was probably a much more direct way. If this 'look' was him, really, I asked him what he could say about it. He said it had no properties, no features, but it was obviously his 'nucleus'.

This morning, remembering that event, a new Seeing exercise came to my mind. I think it could demonstrate one's Headlessness in a very simple way. Here it is:

Look at the face in the mirror. Let's find out if that is you. Look closely, see if you recognise yourself there. It is a very familiar face. Is that really you? Now, close your eyes. What has disappeared? And what stays? Who is aware of the fact that the face in the mirror has disappeared. With what can you 'see' that the face has disappeared? H. Holland

I have done the experiments and I try everyday to be aware of my absence of head and body. I haven't experimented strong feelings or changes I have noticed. But I keep on trying. Perhaps my desire of something happens is an obstacle. I like very much the experimento of the mirror. I look at the mirror and see a limited body there opposited to me and after my attention goes to my side and it's a space much bigger than my reflection, and all there is are sensations but not in a body, in space. I've done this experiment several times and I'll go on. Thank you very much. Manuel.


See Mirror Experiment