Contemplative Seeing and the Unshakable Center – 8

Love, Effortlessness, and the Unshaken Self

Throughout this series, we have explored the nature of contemplative seeing—the immediate recognition of reality beyond the conditioned patterns of thought. We now turn to three interwoven aspects of this recognition: the paradox of effort and non-effort, the realization of love as the ground of being, and the abiding presence of the unshaken self amidst all experiences.

The Paradox of Effort and Non-Effort

One of the most striking tensions in contemplative seeing is the interplay between effort and non-effort. The will naturally strives for clarity, yet this very striving obscures what is already fully present. The truth does not require effort to be revealed—it is always appearing. However, the habitual contraction of the self, driven by desire, fear, and identification, generates the illusion of separation and struggle.

Paradoxically, it is in the absence of striving that clarity emerges. This is not a passive resignation but a form of profound receptivity—an openness in which the truth of being appears unobstructed. Moments of deep seeing often come unbidden, revealing that what is sought was never absent. The challenge lies not in attaining reality but in ceasing to obscure it with mental grasping.

Love as the Ground of Being

In these moments of unobstructed recognition, there arises an expanded sense of being that can be described as love. However, this is not love in the emotional or relational sense, nor is it an affection that arises in contrast to its absence. It is an unbounded inclusivity, an all-embracing recognition in which nothing stands apart.

This love is not dependent on conditions. It does not arise in response to something external but is inherent to the very structure of being itself. In this recognition, there is no sense of lack, no seeking, no rejection—only the fullness of what is, appearing as an infinite embrace.

Rather than being something one feels, this love is something one is. It is the total affirmation of all that appears, not as an act of will but as an inevitable recognition. In its light, even suffering and struggle appear within a greater harmony, revealing their necessity in the unfolding of being.

The Unshaken Self in the Midst of Life

This ground of being does not vanish when the mind resumes its activities, nor is it confined to moments of contemplation. Even as ordinary thoughts, emotions, and experiences continue, there remains a depth untouched by them. It is as if existence moves on two levels simultaneously: the shifting surface of mental and physical life, and the unshaken foundation beneath it.

Difficulties and challenges arise, yet within the recognition of necessity, they lose their absolute grip. One may still react with frustration, sadness, or even anger, but these movements occur within a broader awareness that does not waver. This is not detachment in the sense of indifference but a profound trust—a resting in the immutable structure of being.

Over time, this recognition ceases to be confined to specific moments of contemplation and becomes an ever-present undercurrent. Life continues with all its complexity, yet it unfolds within the unshakable certainty that what is, is necessary. This necessity is not an external compulsion but the very essence of reality—effortless, complete, and infinitely embracing.

With this, we approach the natural conclusion of this series, yet the inquiry remains open. The ground of being is not a conceptual position but an ever-present reality, appearing in countless ways. The recognition of it deepens endlessly, revealing ever more fully the unshaken certainty, the effortless presence, and the boundless love that are already here.

“What appears cannot be other than it is—eternal, unshaken, necessary.”
— Emanuele Severino