Tag: change

This Path to Our Awakening.

Sometimes our awakening happens slowly, like the softened hues overtaking a twilight sky. Though often, there is a catalyst – a triggering of events so powerful that it momentarily knocks us to the ground.   In both cases, however, the path is shared – each effecting a shifting of heart, hope and light. Our lives are in perpetual motion, with balance achieved through the choices made.

“Every spiritual tradition has stories of those who have awakened from their usual dreamlike state to a sacred way of being,” Jack Kornfield writes. “Through initiation, purification, or prayer, or by a great spacious surrender to the dance of life, they come to know that which is ever-present and holy.” They come to know the energy of living.

And just as we know the sun will always rise, so too do we recognize the presence of its potential – the potential which may ultimately serve to transform, to change, to forever alter. Even though we may feel, at times, that we are standing still – stuck in a rut of our own design – trust that we are in constant motion, limited only by our willingness to receive.

My friends, today I wish you the blessing of openness  and peace. May it share its light within each bright and beautiful step…

In peace…

Namaste ❣

How to Find Awareness (Without Losing Your Way).

When I first learned to meditate I was taught to sit upright, holding onto my thoughts as the pattern of breath finally emerged. I recall the formality of the process, how the energy of the room seemed so unnatural and forboding. As if the slightest mistep would somehow void the value of the experience. Is there any wonder why so many of us failed?

If only the instructions had been a bit more forgiving, many of the students (myself included) may have stayed – encouraged to stay the course along an unfamiliar road. Instead, we crafted excuses from the pitch of our overwhelmedness as fear imposed its hefty barrier.

It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered that there was, indeed, another way. One that invited the engagement of all our senses, enlisted their help in this process of discovery.

‘Just sit for a while and listen to your breath.  Try not to let the thoughts intrude.’ My instructor was a portly old gentleman with smiling eyes and a sense of wonderment that could fill a room. Even in the midst of the most unfavorable of circumstances, he seemed so very centered and unaffected. He knew these moments to be passing, at best. That we must welcome their presence with thoughtful courage.

In The Miracle of Mindfulness, Thich Nhat Hanh explores the aperture of meditative awareness – inviting us to explore its depths. I’d like to share his teachings here:

‘Someone might well ask: is relaxation then the only goal of meditation? In fact the goal of meditation goes much deeper than that. While relaxation is the necessary point of departure, once one has realized relaxation, it is possible to realize a tranquil heart and clear mind. To realize a tranquil heart and clear mind is to have gone far along the path of meditation.

There is a temptation to look upon them, or at least some of them, as an enemy force which is trying to disturb the concentration and understanding of your mind. But, in fact, when we are angry, we ourselves are anger. When we are happy, we ourselves are happiness. When we have certain thoughts, we are those thoughts. We are both the guard and the visitor at the same time. We are both the mind and the observer of the mind. Therefore, chasing away or dwelling on any thought isn’t the important thing. The important thing is to be aware of the thought. ‘

In this short passage, he not only simplifies – he redefines the interelationship between ‘life as we know it’ and ‘life at its fullest’. When we are happy, we are happiness; and, when we are peaceful – we, ourselves, are peace. In this way, our awareness is continuously revealed.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste

The Breaking of Old to Become Anew.

I knew a woman once who seemed constantly angry. Her heart was in the right place, I’m sure – wanting desperately to create harmony and balance in her world. However, as the energy cycled, it would draw her more deeply into the abyss – evidence of it’s unmistakable attraction.

“I just don’t know what to do,” she said reaching for her tea. Hot plumes of steam rose unceremoniously into the air – yet still, she drank…scalding the delicate tissues of her lips and tongue. Cursing her ‘misfortune’, she threw the mug to floor – shattering it into a pile of empty pieces.

I thought of the five remembrances: “My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.” How could she not see the impact of her own behavior? She wanted to meet people, find joy and hopefully someday settle down. And yet, she continued to work double overtime on night shifts, causing her to sleep most of the next day. She wanted so much more, though time and time again – refused to make room.

In his book, Five Invitations: What Death Can Teach About Living, Frank Ostaseski encourages us to find a place of rest amidst the clamor of distraction. “We often think of rest as something that will come to us when everything else in our lives is complete: At the end of the day, when we take a bath; once we go on holiday or get through all our to-do lists. We imagine that we can only find rest by changing our circumstances.”

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

Pure joy comes to us in the space between breaths, when distractions of life are momentarily lifted. In that brief instance, we are able to separate ourselves from the lure of our condition. In assuming it cannot last, we do nothing to actively encourage its presence

What choices do you make each day? More importantly, which choices do you tend to push away? Is it a matter of convenience or worth?

In some cases, we push away what we feel is not ours to have. Though, more often, we accept the consequences of old habits because we don’t understand how to break them. As a result, we become resigned to them –  convinced that there is no other way.

But, the truth is, every moment is an invitation – a reminder to step outside the confines of our shell to experience this life fully on our terms. We experience what we choose to engage- both good and bad. Likewise, through its reflection we find the path to lasting peace.

A little something to consider, my friends…

With much love…namaste ❣

Remaining Open to Joy.

There’s a duality evidenced within our spiritual awakening. At first, a fateful glimpse – a moment in which all bias is suspended. We feel ourselves coming alive. And, thinking bliss our only destination – we pause, wishing it never to be lost again.

But, that clinging offers a shadowed betrayal. We feel trapped by the very object of our will – our breath quickening as we struggle for release. How can a joy share anything but peace?

Author, Andrew Holecek writes,  our spiritual experience can likewise be “the sweetest honey covering the sharpest hooks.” And we must remain mindful as we distinguish the two;

Don’t get me wrong, finding joy is a wonderful thing.  Though, we must be willing to recognize  complacency, as the true spiritual path is never-ending. It is expansive and always unfolding. When we become complacent, we lose our ability to remain open to newer joy.

A little something to consider, my sweet friends…

In peace…

Namaste ❣

A Million Silken Threads.

There is a saying: “With time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silken gown.”

Though, how often do we neglect this wisdom? Through our longing we create an attitude of mind we had hoped to avoid – locked within the sentiment of thought. And, yet knowing that change is inherent to our course – still, we cling…indirectly manifesting the very condition we had hoped to avoid.

“It is our mind, and that alone, that chains us or sets us free,” Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche shares. Yet, with every thought we become more deeply engaged. The habit of our permanence drives our need.

Like a paratrooper standing at the edge of his very first plunge, the logic of our endeavor seems contradictory. The vastness of freedom is right there before us, waiting patiently for us to move past our fear.

From mulberry leaf to silken gown, every movement yields another glistening thread. And, when we let go…we finally become.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️

How We Are Defined.

“Enraged with hate, with mind ensnared, humans aim at their own ruin and at the ruin of others.”

It is one of the most pervasive of the Buddha’s teachings; one which explores the delicate intricacies of our self interaction. Sadly, our habit is often bound by reaction, rather than illuminated by the tempering of experience.

Someone says or does something unkind, and we are instantly triggered. We feel anger, hostility and pain – though, do we pause long enough to consider their source?

However painful our experiences, they are just that – one of many millions of moment; a speck of dust, really – notwithstanding the greater ‘investment’.

Only through a deepened understanding of our own anger, hatred, and aggression can we finally begin to understand. We may point our fingers elsewhere, but the true aggressor is within.

A little something to consider, my friends…we are defined not just by these experiences, rather more so by our experience within them.

In peace…

Namaste ❣️

Our Spiritual Continuity.

Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man writes that integrity is the ability to listen to a place inside that doesn’t change, even when the life that carries it may.

I don’t know why his words came to mind on such a beautiful Autumn morning. Perhaps, in response to the weathered leaves, a reminder of our Divine renewal. Even in the midst of an imminent storm, the integrity of our spirit remains unchanged.

Though our hearts may ache as we pine over the facets of our former self, there is still a constancy – a connection to our greatness. In time, we may soon realize that the same winds which threaten our path subsequently reveal.

We are changed, yes – but, we are likewise the same; a gentle newness offering its wisdom. In spite of the challenge, we hold this truth as home. The pace of our learning, set by whispered breath.

In peace, my sweet friends..

Namaste ❣️

This Warmth of Home.

The winters in Ohio were brutal, at best; over thirty inches of ‘lake effect’ snow and a cold that could drive you to tears.

Those who ventured out were awarded a badge of courage upon their return. With wind-whipped cheeks, they’d relay their stories, “Honest to God, I couldn’t see a thing,” they’d begin.

It was always warmer within our home. Even as Old Man Winter howled and whipped his icy protest, somehow these conditions drew everyone nearer – with a place at the fire, a piping hot mug and far more stories to tell.

No matter what we do, we can not avoid adversity. Though, we can choose to navigate mindfully, with a willingness to accept the benefit of our course. It is precisely this openness that forms the foundation of our peace.

An intricate design begins to emerge. Stepping back, we begin to appreciate the magnitude of our efforts. Even threads worn thin offer a certain unimaginable beauty. They are delicate, yes – but critical to the pattern of our joyous being. Our radiance defines through the prism of our imperfect souls.

When we resist, we feel stuck. Though from the vantage of this space inside, we are never without the warmth of home.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

These Tracings of Change.

There’s a pause that exists between emotion and thought. Empty, though it may seem, it is our breath, our focus, our consciousness and being. Without which, we might surely be lost – our efforts relegated to ‘missed opportunity’.

To allow this space is to become the observer. That which initially threatened to entrap, instead transforms and we are finally able to appreciate its courage.

Absent this pause, we can not disentangle from these entrapments of mind. Not, can we engage the freedom that is our birthright. While all around us, the world continues to change – the clock ticks, the seasons unfold…though sadly, our habit remains the same.

Grasp, cling, grasp, cling…is this the nature of our mind?

Longchenpa teaches that there is no movement in the essence of pure mind – that this stillness, itself, is the body of the Buddha. Though, how do we engage and what do we release?

By asking ourselves first, “What moves? And, what is still?”

The answer, in time, becoming a guidepost in this journey – drawing thoughts back to center and heart, to home.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

The Many Multitudes of Our Continuance.

“Be patient,” the poet Rumi writes, “where you sit in the dark; dawn is coming.”

There’s a tendency of rushing through; to extend ourselves beyond the lesson of this one gloriously boundless moment. Though, in doing so, do we not miss the catalyst to our introspection?

The Buddha taught that even within the tremendous variety of potential life manifestations – there are still three basic truths:

Nothing is permanent, everything is connected – and through this understanding, nirvana is revealed.

Speaking in terms of the physical realm – we are born, we grow and we will eventually die. As is the same for this world which surround. Everything changes – the seasons come and go, the tide will rise and fall. In fact, the only thing which remains as ‘permanent’ is that which we believe to be real.

We manifest delineation through such arbitrary measures – appearance, faith, ethnicity and social class. We believe such things to be the root of our suffering, though reality speaks to a far different claim.

We suffer because we’ve severed our connection to peace.

Everything changes, yet all things are ‘the same’. What remains is a an appreciation for the many multitudes of our continuance.

In peace…

Namaste ❤