The Wisdom of the Enneagram

by Don Richard Riso

As I left my task, the connection with this aspect of reality remained and deepened, such that I was able to interact with other people from this expanded sense of myself. I felt no need to impress others with this “achievement,” because I could see that it was not really an achievement but simply an experience of the true nature of the world. Further, I could also see that everyone else was merely an aspect of this same nature, so whom would I be impressing? What was most striking about this experience was that I saw that it was entirely possible to be aware of myself as a profound depth of Being, but also to function quite normally in the world—eating, conversing, working, and resting. Respecting and loving others came quite naturally because I actually experienced the true nature of the situation. In other words, realizing our true nature liberates us from the cravings and illusions of our personality, so that we are able to interact from moment to moment with simplicity, grace, and unshakable inner peace. We know who and what we are, and that endless inner restlessness ceases. We are free to accept the greatest and most precious gift of all: the unfathomable mystery of our Being, our very existence.