Tag: equanimity

Between the Two.

I remember once standing at the edge of a massive ravine. At one end, the trees stood flourishing. And, at the other end – a near desolate wasteland. I thought to myself, how could the two so easily co-exist? And, yet – between the stark disparity, there seemed an effortless blending.

“Why must it be one or the other,” I said to myself. “Something is or it isn’t – but, in reality, there’s so much more.

What we see is merely one aspect of a much fuller dimension. From afar, a flat image comes to life – triggering the sense of days gone by. We become caught up in the sentiment – a judgement before the experience begins.

Sri Niargadatta reminds us so poignantly through his writing, “There is only one mistake you are making: you mistake the outer for the inner, and the inner for the outer. What is in you, you take to be outside you and what is outside, you take to be within.”

Our ‘fault’, if you will, is assuming this world to be entirely objective. When in reality, much of what we experience is a matter of projection. What we’ve long viewed as ‘separate’, can it not also be connected in source and cause?

As we navigate this day, I urge all to remain open to each new experience…to appreciated the subtlety between the two.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❣

Remembering Our Love.

I went for a ride in the car last night, a brief outing in the days following my surgery. I’d wanted the benefit of cool, evening air – the scent of sweet grass and wild honeysuckle serving a wondrous elixir.

Sadly though, something else was there. My mind shifted to the images of brutality; a ‘sentence’ served at the hands of injustice. It was intended to be a peaceful demonstration; though, if that were the case then why were they armed?

Torches lit the faces of a malignant racism. Thousands poured into the streets like a ravenous snake though the crowds. “Blood and soil,” they shouted. As if the value of a man were theirs to secure.

American journalist, Dan Rather writes, “It defies reason to even write of such a thing.” Though, here we are – again, with newer lines being drawn.

In grade school I learned of man’s inhumanity to man, and – not wanting to believe, turned the other way. “They were men, just like us,” my uncle’s words rang clear as he recounted the horror of the Nuremberg trials.

I caught myself, for a brief moment as I looked into the face of a passerby, “I wonder if they think like them,” as a chill hit my spine.

That’s how it begins – fear first, then hate. But, that’s not what this world needs. This world needs our love more.

Though, how do we find peace amongst the blood curdling screams? In part, by asking – what do I wish more?

In this space, there are no sides – just one. One breath, one life – one collective human heart.

And, whereas – we can not define the ‘other’, we can encourage healing.

Maybe, I’m a fool – though I will not relinquish my heart to another’s fear. Rather, like many before me – my love shall rise above.

In peace…

Namaste ❤

The Blessing Within the Visit.

I watched a cardinal from the window this morning; her eyes sharing the warmth of endless possibility, even in these depths of winter.

Day after day, she visits me here just as the sun begins its ascent through the canopy of trees. Her presence bearing a simplicity of grace, and the mutuality of our coexistence.

Though separate, are we not the same? How striking that these laws of nature deter the constancy of opinion. And celebrating that which compels unity of purpose.

Even the lone cardinal finds solace in the collective journey; reassured through the inherent need to draw patterns against the sky.

And even though we are without the ‘wings’ to fly. Still – she sees within that which is often absent from sight:

Not separate…

Not different…

Rather, very much the same.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

A Blessing of Hope Upon this Breaking of Day.

The snow fell silently to the earth last night, a blessing of evening upon this breaking of day. And lingering to branches as faith upon will.

Hope shall find us here, my loves…in these earliest of hours. Where skepticism has yet to find its ‘gripping point’, and these whispers of self find no cause to complain.

Our soul accepting this mystery of journey, if only for a moment. Transfixed by the temporary dropping of illusion.

In these moments, there is a natural shifting of boundaries. As we realize, we are not ‘as one’, we are ‘ONE’ after all.

Each, with the glorious flames of compassion within our heart; fueled by the prospect of peace unto all.

My darlings, today the news has shared a somber course as members of our one human family face unimaginable intolerance. In these hours, we must remember the greater cause – that of an equanimity and loving-kindness that knows no bounds.

I pray for all those whose hearts are in pain. Know that I am here for you, unwavering and with open arms.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Which Are We?

Zen Master Tich Nhat Hanh was once asked what we need to do to save our world. To which he replied, without hesitation:

“What we most need to do is to hear within us the sound of the earth crying.”

Given the the escalation of violence recently, and most notably those actions born of fear and intolerance — I wanted to take this opportunity to help all hearts heal.
“Man is not the enemy”, he has often reminded us. “Our enemy is hatred, anger, ignorance and fear.”

At the core of which threads the tangled roots of misunderstanding; a parasite feeding upon the insecurities of this world.

In order to heal, we must appeal to the most compelling of truths; a realization that we can not use force to bring about peace.

Likewise, we must be willing to broaden our perspective – to know the true depths of a wounded soul. And, absent the limitations of label or presumption. To take action from the sacred heart of compassion.

As Gandhi himself once so poignantly reminded, that instead of blinding the world through an ‘eye for an eye, we must strive to become a source of light; a glimmer of hope even within our ‘enemies’ eyes.

To hear the earth crying implies a boundless compassion; holding humanity’s needs higher than even our own.

A little something to consider today, my loves ~ and begging the question;

“Are we the spark of life, or the fire that burns through it?”

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Inside the Pale Blue Dot.

In his book, The Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, Carl Sagan writes:

“From this distant vantage point, the Earth might not seem of any particular interest. But for us, it’s different. Consider again that dot.

That’s here.

That’s home.

That’s us.

On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

Technology has certainly caused our world to become far more accessible. Gone are the days in which faraway lands are limited to the bindings of a book. And, the atrocities of our human condition relegated to the ‘barely imaginable.’

Indeed, our world is much ‘smaller’ now – compact, cozier, pulled together. And though, we’re never more than a few keystrokes away – at times, it seems, communication has become nearly impossible.

“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.” he continues. “Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.”

In the Buddhist practice of ‘touching the earth’, we are able to return to our roots, so to speak – to connect with the spiritual energy of our ancestors, and realize that we are never alone.

In touching this Earth, we release our ideas of separateness to embrace our place in this much greater whole.

A single point of light within a “vast cosmic arena” – on a pale blue spinning dot, on the only home we’ve ever known

To touch the Earth is to become humbled once again; with hearts drawn wide-open to the plight of all living beings.

It is perhaps, one of the greatest lesson of our teachings – that we are indeed one, and not ever alone.

Namaste.

Our Journey Into Peace.

[blockquote source=”Pema Chodron”]”The peace that we are looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos. Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.”[/blockquote]

My apologies, my dears for this delayed posting. I had written such a beautiful draft yesterday, however, in my distraction it was lost to a few unsavory ‘digital demons. ‘

My goodness, we live in a chaotic world. Our office desks have become cluttered with deadlines and details, and our inboxes assaulted with a steady stream of ‘absolute musts.’

Close your eyes, and you’ll strain to escape it, as our ‘space between’ becomes overrun by that ‘digital hum.’

In any given day, we are over-scheduled, under-valued, over-whelmed…and subsequently, racing to catch up, once again.

And, in that process we have inadvertently compromised our spiritual well-being. All the while wondering, ‘will it ever end?’

As humans, our natural inclination is to avoid those circumstance which cause us discomfort or pain. We don’t like chaos, yet we are surrounded by it. And, our attempts to structure, to schedule…to organize…have left us feeling so helplessly lost.

But, the Buddha taught that we should embrace, rather than turn away from these such distractions – to regard them with the honesty and compassion they deserve. Only then may we begin to understand the true nature of our suffering. It is from this understanding that the path to happiness if forged.

Look at any image of the Buddha and you’ll notice a beautiful smile upon his face. But that smile is not born of material wealth or personal successes, rather – it’s the result of a deepened equanimity from within.

It’s hard to pin down a precise definition of ‘equanimity.’ In Buddhism, it is often intended to demonstrated a profound calmness of mind. One that can not be upset by the challenges of this world.

But, I think it’s far more engaging than this.

While there are many stories written of the Buddha, they all generally agree on the basic facts of his life:

He was born into a life or riches, shielded from the ugliness of this world; and,

He was profoundly impacted by his final exposure to the true nature of this life.

In his life, he experienced the intensity of knowing comfort and deprivation – yet, found happiness in neither extreme. He realized that we are constantly being pulled in opposite directions – from pleasure, to pain; from praise, to blame. Our suffering arises from an inability to find the ‘middle way. As the Buddha instructed his disciples, ‘the wise person accepts all without approval or disapproval.’

But, in order to do this – we must learn to interface directly and honestly with our circumstances.

In her book Comfortable with Uncertainty, beloved Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön offers,

“To cultivate equanimity we practice catching ourselves when we feel attraction or aversion, before it hardens into grasping or negativity.”

And, in order to do this we must pay attention.

I used to feel so unsettled when I ‘caught’ myself drifting off with my thoughts. I was bothered by this sense that I didn’t have more control over my thought processes; my instinct was to…well, not think about them so much, at all.

But that doesn’t really serve us, now does it? It merely forces our understanding beneath yet another thickly-padded layer. And, it’s never any good to us there.

Rather, Pema Chödrön suggests that we might “train in staying with the soft spot and use our biases as stepping-stones for connecting with the confusion of others.” As well, “if we can contact the vulnerability and rawness of resentment or rage or whatever it is, a bigger perspective can emerge.”

My dears, it is through this connection that our journey into peace is born.