It is a way of life - its natural flow - the method behind conscious living. It is a most lovable and liveable mode of existence that is free and independent of one's own complexes and barriers of inhibitions and suppressions of any sort. It has no set conceptions or pre-judgements to bind one down and thus is conducive to a much fuller living.
What is the role of the Scriptures?
They teach us that each one of us carry some attributes with our person. We should not be influenced either by our own qualities or those of others. They create an inhibition or a hurdle within us. The Intellect should remain absolutely unaffected to enable us to see behind the actions or words of others or likewise ourselves.
Introspection means peeping behind the extroversion or the outward façade - it means knowing our self, consciously, as we are today, i.e. our:
a) actions;
b) thoughts;
c) intellectual reasoning and approach;
d) basic incentives to action;
e) basic urge that prompts our thoughts and thought processes;
f) habit patterns formed at the gross, emotional and intellectual levels, etc;
It reveals :
a) why our judgement is the way it is today,
b) what we are ever trying to hide or camouflage from others,
c) why we are either so assertive or total escapists,
d)why we lose our temper or become sarcastic,
e) whether our humility is genuine or put on,
f) whether we are ourselves sincere, honest, humble or loving? In short, what we are ourselves today. What sort of persons we are as father, mother, companion, husband, wife, brother, sister, friend, etc.,
g) what the qualities in others or ourselves that we like/dislike and get influenced by either positively or negatively,
h) what and why our own reactions are what they are, i.e. why we are what we are today.
The endeavour to find this out and to know ourselves better than we do, is the beginning of spirituality, i.e. introducing ourselves to our conscious being for the first time. It is the first step towards a wholesome life or a wholesome being