Tag: attachment

A True and Lasting Bliss.

Why is it that which we ‘need most of all’ often seems furthest from view? We bend, we stretch, we strain our neck on the promise of a prospect, and that is it.

And, yet – we realize this craving is the source of our unhappiness; a thirst that simply can not be quenched. When, in reality – getting what we ‘want’ doesn’t necessarily secure our bliss. Rather, it can – in time – prove our demise.

‘I want’…’I need’…’I must’…

How often does the ‘I’ prevail? Eliciting the cause of suffering; the energy building with each chasing of tail.

“Whatever is not yours: let it go. Your letting go will serve a longer-term benefit”

Because the letting go is what grants us freedom. And, this freedom is the only source of a true and lasting bliss.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

The Lesson of Interbeing.

My loves, this morning I’m inspired through the words of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi who writes;

“Let what comes come. Let what goes go. Find out what remains.”

In these words, we find the roots of awareness; an immeasurable spiritual power formed through the process of self inquiry.

And, speaking directly to our attachments in this life – to people, to things, to perceptions of being.

The books will caution our clinging, reminding us of the inherent suffering manifested through expectation, need and desire. We assume the guidance to be absolute; attaching to nothing for fear of pain.

But there is a joy within the transient nature of things. The fading warmth of a ceramic mug, a snowflake to the top of a tongue — we cherish that which is immediately ‘there’, sharing this space of interbeing.

Perhaps this is the lesson, my loves? That all things must eventually pass. Opening our hearts to a divine awareness, a sense of oneness with all that remains.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

 

Our One True Self.

I remember watching a television show not too long ago. A young woman, adopted as an infant, was desperately seeking the identity of her birth mother.

“If only I could know who she was,” she said. “Maybe then I could finally feel whole.”

I’ve often pondered this notion of ‘wholeness’. From a Buddhist perspective, we’re taught that wholeness is attained by way of a return to our ‘one true self’. And, forged by way of an unconditional gratitude.

“The earth is neither great nor a grain of sand small,” shares Zen master, Shunryu Suzuki. “In the realm of Great Activity picking up a grain of sand is the same as taking up the whole universe.”

Indeed, to see this world without the identifier of ‘label’, is to finally understand the true depth of our interconnectedness.

In this way, we are not ever alone.

And,

In this way, we are not ever without.

 

The Lesson of the Waterbird.

“When I was a novice, I could not understand why, if the world is filled with suffering, the Buddha has such a beautiful smile. Why isn’t he disturbed by all the suffering? Later I discovered that the Buddha has enough understanding, calm, and strength; that is why the suffering does not overwhelm him. He is able to smile to suffering because he knows how to take care of it and to help transform it. We need to be aware of the suffering, but retain our clarity, calmness, and strength so we can help transform the situation. The ocean of tears cannot drown us if karuna is there.

That is why the Buddha’s smile is possible.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh

In speaking about the awakened mind, Dōgen says, “Coming, going, the waterbirds don’t leave a trace, don’t follow a path.”

And though, there are many ways to interpret this passage – to me, it represents the true nature of understanding.

Indeed, as Dōgen suggests, we might move effortlessly through out thoughts – just as the bird gracing the waters, unencumbered by the complexities of our emotions.

Likewise, our thoughts may run more deeply, like a plow to the earth – leaving only an upturned, roughened path in its wake.

Perhaps, in a sense, the bird represents our liberation from fixed mind, and the inevitable suffering which is caused by our attachments?

And, reminding us, that it is only through our letting go that we may finally begin to know the waterbird’s freedom.

In The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh discusses the essence of non-attachment – encouraging us to climb the mountain and look at the whole, without being bound by one side or the other.

There’s something really poignant in this image of looking out from the mountaintop –  without regard to where our feet may be ‘planted.’

Such is the power of an unlimited perspective, that it may provide us the means to transform even our greatest suffering.

So, how do we maintain such stillness of mind in an often unforgiving world?

To quote Sister Pine, by letting go and keeping in mind that which you really want.