Focus on the work in order to drop the self

Yesterday, in a kind of emergency situation, I had a glimpse of what Master has been talking about for years — almost like a technique he has pointed to again and again.
In the evening, an elder gentleman alerted us that his oxygen machine was not working, that it was not pumping air to him, which he needs. It’s critical for him to keep his oxygen levels up.

Very quickly Master and a few of us were inside his room, and we could see that, yes, no air was coming through the machine. Immediately, we brought in another machine and turned it on, but that one takes some time to warm up. In the meantime, we had to get an oxygen tank — our emergency reserve — so that the elder could continue breathing oxygen, since his oxygen levels were dropping.

During all of this, I was trying to stay focused, but I could feel the Self coming in discreetly from the side, disturbing my awareness. I didn’t want it to be there. Master was commanding the situation, making sure we were all alert and on our toes, since it was such an important task.

Suddenly, I heard Master’s voice inside my head: focus on the job that has to be done, forget yourself, focus on the work. And this time, it happened.

What was the work that had to be done? It was to bring the oxygen tank from that place to the other side of the room, open the valve, open a small outlet, connect the tubing, bring it to the elder, and then switch the machines. A sequence of simple actions. And I completely focused on those actions — and poof, the self was gone.

My head was clear. I didn’t think about, premeditate, or plan what needed to be done. I was simply doing what had to be done. With that focus — solely on the work — there was no room, no time, and no point in bringing in a self.

And isn’t that what the Nirvan state is also about? Just doing what has to be done, focusing on what is here — nakedly, without bringing a self.