The One Who Lives Within

In the Upanishads, a human being is described as a horse-drawn chariot. The horses are the senses, the driver is the mind and the purpose of life is for the driver to learn to train the horses so that they will follow directions and go where the driver directs them. At some point in life, the driver may succeed with the training and realize that the horses will follow directions and do what they are directed to do. It dawns on the driver that it's possible to go wherever he or she wants to go. The Upanishads say that when that point is reached, the driver turns to the one riding within the chariot and asks where to go.

Using that story for discussion purposes, I have focused mostly on training so that I can go wherever I want in life. I recently realized that I was not even aware of what I wanted in life because I had never been asked what I wanted as a child and I had become convinced that I could not have what I wanted anyway. Now that I have accomplished much of the training required to keep my chariot on the road, according to the story, I can go wherever I want. I now can direct the chariot consciously.

What does it mean to ask the one sitting within the chariot where he wants to go? In the Upanishads, the story references the Atman, the Divine within consciousness. I have discovered the Divinity within myself and I would love to have this divine consciousness direct my life. I have been so focused on getting the senses and the mental clutter out of the way so that I can operate the chariot effectively that I actually haven't given this aspect of life much practical consideration. I have operated the chariot anyway but I now have the opportunity to clarify the process and make this operation more efficient and more effective. How amazing is that!