The Wisdom of the Enneagram

by Don Richard Riso

To help us know when we are awake, there are three characteristics we can look for: 1. We fully experience our Presence as a living being, here and now. We know that there is someone here; we feel our substantiality, our “is-ness,” and, as a result, we are grounded in the moment. Moreover, this occurs not because we are picturing ourselves from some outside viewpoint, but because we are “inside” our experience, fully connected with the sensations of life in our bodies, from the top of our heads to the bottoms of our feet. There is no feeling of resistance to the reality of the moment. 2. We take in the impressions of our internal and external environments completely and without judgment or emotional reaction. We are able to observe the many thoughts and feelings that pass through our awareness without becoming attached to any of them. We interact with life from an inner quiet and stillness rather than from anxieties and inner franticness. Our attention is on what is occurring now, not dreaming of the past or anticipating the future or fantasizing about something else. 3. We are fully participating in the moment, allowing ourselves to be touched by the impressions around us and to fully taste and experience the richness and subtlety of our life. We are utterly sincere and without artifice or self-consciousness. In each moment, we experience our identity as something entirely new and fresh. We are always looking for a formula, a rule, or a prayer that will turn the trick f...