Did Socrates Hold the Secret to Spiritual Awakening?
How to realize your true nature and end suffering
“Know thyself.” This is perhaps Socrates’ most enduring teaching. It almost seems too simple to hold much importance, but if we look closely enough, we may find that it is the key to spiritual awakening.
What does it mean to know thyself? We may begin with knowing what we are as a person — the person we take ourselves to be, with a name, physical appearance, relationships, race, hobbies, interests, secrets, turn-offs, and so on. But this assessment of ourselves is quite superficial.
What we take ourselves to be is a belief system constructed on flimsy, fickle thought and resting unsteadily on information, opinions, teachings, fears, and attachments that have been passed along by authority figures early in our lives. The self can change, and therefore, it cannot be the solid bedrock of what we are.
Is there something deeper to what we are?
If you can come to know yourself through a deeper inquiry, perhaps you’ll uncover something quite profound. It’s a big “if,” but it can be done with the right amount of desire, awareness, and perseverance.
This brings up the question of what lies beneath or beyond the superficial…
