' Losing the Ego '...

I remember the first time I had this astonishing experience.. I was fond of disappearing from London whenever the weather allowed and wandering alongside the river Thames in its more picturesque country parts.. If the day was sunny, I would stretch my feet out,, lie down in the grass,, pull out notebook and pen from my pocket--knowing that thoughts would eventually arise that would have for me an instructive or even revelatory nature,, apart from those ordinary ones which were merely expressive... One day,, while I was waiting for these thoughts to arise,, I lost the feeling that I was there at all.. I seemed to dissolve and vanish from that place,, but not from consciousness.. Something was there,, a presence,, certainly not me,, but I was fully aware of it.. It seemed to be something of the highest importance,, the only thing that mattered... After a few minutes, I came back,, discovered myself in time and space again;, but a great peace had touched me, and a very benevolent feeling was still with me.. I looked at the trees,, the shrubs,, the flowers, and the grass, and felt a tremendous sympathy with them, and then when I thought of other persons,, a tremendous benevolence towards them. ..................Paul Brunton