Observation without Evaluation

(Written in February 2010)
On a friend’s recommendation I got Tolle’s new book at the Library. It’s called A New Earth.  So far I’ve been agreeing with what he says.  He talked about ego and the problem of identifying one’s “self” with objects, dogmas, even one’s own body.  I think of the work I do when I take a big step back and try to describe myself objectively.  Also when I stand back and look at “this little group of jennys, bless them.” I’m not identified with any of them, nor do I have any requirement that they should not change, or should shape up.  I think about when somebody quoted Swami Kripalvananda’s answer to the question “what is the highest level of spiritual practice?” and he said “self-observation without judgement.” I was horrified.  I was still trying to achieve something that would prove that I deserved to live, and I thought that taking time to look at myself was “bad”.  I think the idea must have planted itself like a seed, helped along by NVC’s practice of non-judgement — “observation without evaluation,” until now when I actually manage to do it a lot of the time.