What can a body do?

“No one knows what a body can do” wrote Spinoza* — a human body. An old philosopher’s statement, even if it is for once very concrete. No one knows? Well, yes, the Dzogchen apparently knows! He who brings many answers — including the most surprising ones (you can read Johanne’s post about this).

First of all, a human body is easy to find, since we see so many of them around us. But when you think about it, you realize that it is rather rare (as Paul said in his article ) and above all very precious. This is what the Dzogchen says.

For sure, sometimes we would like to fly in the air and soar like an eagle; to immerse ourselves in the seas, to explore the abysses of the deep sea. A life of a fly or a mosquito? There is often less interest… What a diversity among the living beings of this earth!

…What can a body do?

As we practice Dzogchen, it may even be that these activities, so banal in themselves, become real wonders. In any case this is what happened to me, over time, with a little training: as if I was seeing, eating, feeling for the very first time. As if until then everything had been attenuated, reduced, veiled by all sorts of obscurations — and in particular, by many thoughts!

For we think, we interpret, we judge, we put countless conceptual labels on everything that happens to us — I like, I don’t like, it’s beautiful, ugly, etc. etc. — but we rarely experience directly what this precious human body can do, in a simple and natural way — without thinking too much about it, just by being present. Opening all our senses, our body. Being present to our experience. Opening and opening again. Expanding our field of perception. Becoming attentive to everything that appears to us.

We are present and open, alert, attentive and vigilant, thanks to our consciousness too — another marvel of this precious human life. It is thanks to all these functions (awareness, vigilance, alertness, intelligence, imagination, etc.) that we will be able to fully appreciate our life, and not miss a moment of it! Gradually, with time and practice, what was insignificant and not even noticed — our feet on the ground, the fork in our hand, the door handle of the toilet, etc. — absolutely everything, will become more and more conscious, clear and precise.

Nothing will be left out. No shadowy areas will remain. A deep sense of peace will arise. By then, we will slowly but surely pass from the unconsciousness of the automatic pilot of the “all work and no play”, to the full awareness to all that manifests. What was ordinary will become extraordinary again. Here it is then, a precious and free human life!

Precious and free…