The Yin of Meditation - the Yang of Contemplation

Meditation is critical to “clean the windows” in order to have the untainted vision needed to hold a clear overview of the mental processes. Contemplation is necessary to solidify the required motivation and intention to facilitate deeper meditative experiences.

Meditation is the way to feel the lasting self that exists beyond the more familiar cobbled and conceived self. Contemplation is the method for intentionally orchestrating the ever-changing, conceptual, functioning self.

Meditation is the way to feel the fullness of our interconnection with the flow of creation. Contemplation is the means to determine what goals and actions will best serve the whole.

Meditation lets us see our lives in an ever widening perspective. Contemplation is how we can focus on the nitty-gritty details of our lives.

Meditation dispels disconcerting thoughts and feelings. Contemplation is the venue to generate feelings and thoughts that create a sense of well being.

Meditation is the place to find equanimity with what is, as it is. Contemplation is the realm in which to dream a greater future.

Meditation gives one a sense of timelessness. Contemplation is the arena for laying out intelligent time lines.

Meditation generates the momentum. Contemplation steers the focus.

Yin and yang are not two separate things. They're two sides of one coin. They can not be divided, and only appear to be apart from each other. Meditation and contemplation should be seen and befriended as an inseparable couple.

When the stillness and vastness of meditation unite with the precise refinement and exacting direction of contemplation, we come to know the actual nature of our being and are intrinsically inspired to conduct our lives in the most loving, inclusive and harmonious manner.

Standing Waves

When a branch becomes lodged in the muck at the bottom of a steam, it can create an environment suitable for the occurrence of a standing wave.

This is an apt analogy for what we are, as beings, in this life that we share.

The wave is not a thing. It's not an action. It's not a process. And it's certainly not permanent. There's a confluence of things, actions and process', joined together for a small segment of time to manifest this wave's being.

It can't be contained or segregated. It's not stable, consistent or enduring. It just is, what it is, as it is, for the time that it is, because circumstances have transpired to make it so.

Some day the branch will rot, leaves will pile up, the current will push hard enough or some kid or critter will disturb the environment in such a way that it will cease to be.

We, too, are far more transient and fragile than we'd like to admit. Time will erode the environment, disbanding the confluence that perpetuates our being.

However, unlike the standing wave, we move. Therefore, we influence the environment of all the other waves around and down stream from us. It's not just that we have the capacity to do so. It happens whether or not we like it or pay attention to it. There are psychopaths among us, who would do others harm, just do do so. But for most, harm is caused or allowed due to a lack of awareness.

If we can embrace the fortuitous and precarious nature of our own existence, it will help to motivate us to pay closer attention to how our actions affect the world around us and inspire attitudes that will benefit each and every wave, now and far into the future.

We're all precious beings. Please, relish this existence and be a supporting player for all others trying to do the same.

May every being be healthy. May every being be free. May every being be wise. May every being know peace.

The Truth in a Fly's Eyes

Everyone wants to believe that they're right, that what they see and how they see things are valid. And, for the most part, they are. What's difficult for the majority to digest, is that there are a great many valid, yet contradictory, truths.

As the fly buzzing at my window sees the world, there are always lots of pictures, all different. Some are slight variations and some encompass completely different pictures. But the fly knows that the most accurate understanding comes from accepting all the varying pictures as equally important and trustworthy.

Why is it so hard for our vastly superior minds to accept that other's contradictory view points can coexist with ours; and even enhance our over all understanding of the world? In a word: ego. There's a feeling of need to know that our certainty is justified and a fear of looking foolish by being proved wrong.

Ironically, in our efforts to create and protect a comfortable belief in the irrefutable truth of what we know, we prove ourselves to be delusional fools.

Personal truth is all that we can have, even when we embrace other's truths in creating our own. Ultimate truth is not a personal matter. It's beyond comprehension by our limited minds - even as a collective. We can move beyond the confines of our cognitive minds and the boundaries of framed time. But even the most enlightened individuals and the most potent spiritual experiences only glean a portion of the whole, in a fraction of its being.

Such experiences do give a broader understanding and the corresponding ability, perhaps even a responsibility, to help others to see more clearly and understand more fully. But they don't turn anyone into deities. Every truth and every perspective, no matter how small, is worth accepting and incorporating.

We, undoubtedly, have a much better grasp of the larger world than this wee fly does, but he still has valuable lessons to share with us, if only we're open to receive.

Meditation - The Overlooked Gem of Yoga

While the strengthening, opening and detoxifying aspects of practicing yogasana (yoga postures) make us feel better, the most profound changes occur in our inner world. For most, focus is primarily on a combination of thinking, feeling and, for many, visualizing. The blend, being an individual formula. The dedicated attention to these functions of our minds creates an illusion that they comprise who or what we are. Once that illusion has solidified into belief, we're cut off from our true nature and many other functions naturally available to an open mind.

The benefits of learning to rest in a meditative mind set aren't apparent to those unfamiliar with it, but it makes for a far better functioning mind, even on cognitive levels. Intuition, creativity and insight are elevated. There is a quality of understanding or knowing that isn't available to a mind dependent on recorded memory. It's what makes leaps of scientific understanding, and innovative invention possible. It's not magical or mystical, it just doesn't compute to the limited, and limiting, fixed mind set.

We frequently cling very strongly to our beliefs, regardless of contradictory evidence. When these primary functions first fall silent, it can be quite frightening. It may feel as extreme as if death was tapping one on the shoulder. It's as if the concept of self has its own life and its own survival instincts. Fortunately, our bodies are an integral part of that self concept; and so, it feels perfectly safe to place attention in the body. For some, it takes considerable time and practice to develop the necessary sensitivity to, and caring for, the body, to become fully absorbed in it. For others it can come naturally and quickly. Either way, once attention is integrated into the body, it is automatically drawn out of the ordinary mind set. Over time, this changes from a quick flash, to a prolonged experience , to a normal state of being. The longer and more comfortable the excursions into the body are, the quieter the mind becomes, and the more natural it feels to be in that state.

Meditation is learning to access this perspective without the aid of asana. If someone slams your performance at work or cuts you off in rush hour traffic, you can't just pull over on the berm and start practicing your sun salutations to recompose yourself. We need to have easier access to our feeling of well-being. For the most part, people don't remain in the quietude 24/7, but bounce back and forth between thinking and being; ideally, developing a continuous and stable overview of the process.

Additionally, most will be able to find a deeper and more meaningful experience through seated meditation. The evolutionary process generally progresses from finding peace for a moment, as a benefit for the familiarly conceived self, to feeling like the quiet self that is repeatedly drawn back into the mental chaos, to a sense that both self and Self are only conceptual creations, within a greater field of awareness.

We practice to experience just being. Not being this or that. Not being a certain way. Just being. It's a state we all know, like powerful, but forgotten, memory. We were born a mere breath away from it; and most brush it, occasionally, when in a particular activity or situation. It's just that we've lost touch with it amid the cacophony that swirls and reverberates within our minds, since we've learned to process everything we experience through our cognitive minds. We can be aware of our cognition, but we can't be cognizant of pure awareness. The practice is simply finding comfort and stability in that unadorned presence.

As we reacquaint ourselves, ever more fully, with that natural state of being, we gain a perspective that's more attuned with everything that is - without self centered and judgmental interpretations. Simply put, we are superior, when we exceed our graspable selves; and, life is much more pleasing when viewed as being what it is, rather than, as what it is in relation to us.

The Answer

I heard the sea and asked,
"What language is that?"
The sea replied,
"The language of eternal questions."

I saw the sky and asked,
"What holds the answer?"
The sky replied,
"The language of eternal silence."

—Tagore

Just Be It

It's difficult to verbalize thoughts in this arena without misleading. Terminology needs to vary depending on the audience and perspective in question. On one level we're dealing with an imperfectly programmed self, but more importantly, we're dealing with a false identification with whatever self appears to be present. So, thinking that "I am being adversely affected by this situation and need to improve my reactions" or "There's something wrong with me that I need to fix" isn't as helpful as nurturing a realization or feeling that "I" am not that false self. I've mentioned the value of the question "Who am I?" before. Although a good way to explore what you're not, it can actually be problematic, if taken too literally. It's a question that has no answer. The "real you" can't be defined, it can only be experienced. That quiet presence is always there. We just need to stop obscuring it. It's not something we create or find, it's something we allow.

We practice to experience just being. Not being this or that. Not being a certain way. Just being. It's a state we all know. We were born a mere breath away from it, and most brush it, occasionally, when in a particular activity or situation. It's just that we've lost sight of it amid the cacophony that swirls and reverberates within our minds. We've learned to process everything we experience through our conscious minds. We can be aware of cognition, but we can't be cognizant of pure awareness. The practice is simply finding comfort and stability in that unadorned presence. As we reacquaint ourselves, ever more fully, with that natural state of being, we gain a perspective that's more attuned with everything, without self centered and judgmental interpretations. Simply put, life is much more pleasing when viewed as being what it is, rather than, as what it is in relation to us.

The Growing Dilemma

From a number of perspectives, we live on a surprisingly small world. Particularly, in terms of our ever expanding population, as a species; that, coupled with the way in which we feel entitled to use the earths resources as frivolously as we want. There are more people living in Beijing now than lived on the entire planet 150 years ago. The same can be said for Mumbai. Between those two cities alone, there are more people than were alive 50 years ago. If we could stop the growth where it is now, the earth could not sustain us without drastic changes in our lifestyles and usages, along with some remarkable technological advances in power and food production. And it's bound to continue to increase for the foreseeable future. It's of little help that the majority of the population growth is in the poorest and most uneducated countries of the world, and in the poorest and least educated segments of societies.

The population of our oceans has undergone a relatively equivalent reversal in population during the last century. And the depletion of forests and plains and healthy freshwater habitats are moving in lock step. What we have done and are doing is so unconscionable that most folks simply put on blinders, just to be able to go on. It's truly mind boggling to consider the magnitude of devastation that we have brought about and are causing at present; let alone, projecting our bad habits and poor planning and prioritizing into the future.

This is an area that is very difficult, nearly impossible, to manage. The Chinese were able to institute policies to address this problem, but the outcry in democratic societies would make such actions unimaginable. It may, in fact, be a runaway train that we simply can't stop. Especially, in the afore mentioned, uneducated segments of our world.

Eventually, wars, famine and disease may play a role in reducing our numbers. But by the time we can no longer squeeze sufficient resources from the planet to sustain ourselves, there certainly won't be enough left to sustain the rest of the life forms on it.

There is nothing to regulate us but ourselves, and I'm afraid that we haven't the desire, will or capability to do so. Looking at the facts before me inspires feelings of gloom and dread, but I try to be optimistic and hopeful.

I'm also hopeful that I'll win the lottery.

Please, pardon my blatant honesty.

Anything's possible. Perhaps technology's bright side will shine, illuminating a path to planetary salvation. Could be that we will unite as a species and accept the fact that we are a part of this planet, rather than the its masters. That we can't survive without a healthy ecosystem, full of a multitude of varied and thriving life forms.

It's really very simple and exceedingly apparent. It's actually harder to ignore and deny the facts than it is to accept them. Education is the key. If every human on the planet would understand these basic facts, and could muster a sense of responsibility for the whole, we'd be fine.

Anyone got a really big alarm clock?

Bad News for Mother

Geologists think they've discovered a massive oil reserve under the deep ocean reaching from Africa to South America. This is a source that will be free for the taking by anyone with the money and technology to do so, making it even easier for the oil companies to leverage our complacency and the comfort of familiarity to keep us toxifying the environment for another century. Green energy got a boost when prices sky rocketed in 2007, but waned as soon as prices dropped. (Much like during the 70's oil embargo) We, as a people, need to push for more earth friendly technologies, or we will surely be handing our children an apocalyptic future. Any arguments to the contrary are doled out by those growing wealthy within the current economic and political structures.

As a race, we have proven ourselves to be the most destructive living force on the planet, devastating countless ecosystems and bringing about innumerable extinctions. Yet we are the only living force capable of acting to restore and maintain the balance. It's not up to the powers that be. An object in motion will continue its current tract unless acted on by an external force. It's up to each individual to make a personal commitment and come together as a group to demand that the governing and industrial powers change course. In many cases, it's already too late; and the longer we delay and the slower we act, the worse our future will be.

True, a massive eruption or cataclysmic impact may devastate our environment anyway, but on the off chance that this doesn't come to pass, perhaps we should pretend that our actions today will be significant tomorrow. Just an idea.

How's it Buzzin' Cousin?

Thatcher's Theory on Vibrational Being.

In terms of existing as vibrational or energy beings, a reasonably fitting analogy would be to think of our thoughts, moods, foci and personae as notes making up a single chord. The subject of focus - be it internal or external - might be imagined as determining the root note of the chord. Each mood tinkering with the third, making it feel like a major or a minor. The perspective and intensity of observation determining octave and tempo. Every thought, feeling and image generating it's own flavoring, as it adds depth, texture, harmony and dissonance. (Feel free to edit the analogy to suit your taste.)

For most, it's a "free-for-all" chord that is accepted as a given condition, rather than intentionally orchestrated. Ideally, however, we're able to make an harmonious chord out of ourselves. And, as our perspective opens, make ourselves a series of harmonious chords in tune with the song of life playing itself out, all around us.

The energy or vibrations created by individual emotions, focus' or thought processes are not specifically unique to them. Vibrations, like atomic elements, are common components in all things. These vibrational elements exist as a part of each things process of being.

If you take a moment to reflect and imagine yourself in a variety of different emotional states from anger to depression to happiness, you may be able to feel the vibration or quality of energy that envelops you in each different scenario. Similarly, consider how you feel when you're wearing your work hat compared with any of your other hats - parenting, hobby, student, play and driving, to name a few. Cumulative attitudes create a base vibrational state, with each situation and reaction to life tweaking the tones.

(As an aside: I hypothesize that good relational "chemistry" isn't as much molecular or visual, as it is, when the vibrations of two individuals resonate dynamically and harmoniously together.)

Flowers don't have as eventful of lives as we do, but each has it's own "lifestyle". They all grow, send their DNA forward into time and die, but some go dormant and then re-immerge anew, some are ever-green, some sprout up from sprawling root systems while others return only by propagation, through sowing their seeds. Some prefer it arid while others need a bog. Some come and go before summer when others are just thinking about waking up. Some attract butterflies, while others draw birds, bees, ants or flies. Some feed primarily through their roots, some more through their leaves and some are carnivorous. These differences and so many more require very different characteristics or "personality types", imbuing each flower with it's own particular vibrational signature.

The fundamental essences preserved in the vibrational/flower essence remedies serve as a catalysts, lending their "tone" to our being in order to jump start dormant forces or potential manifestations within. Harmonious tones begin to over write dissonance. Over time, the archetypes that these "new" vibrations awaken can become accepted and expected, and through conscious effort and the process of neuro-plasticity, they can become our regular "starting line up".

The remedies aren't here to take you from broken to fixed. They won't "make you all better" because that's just another version of the fairy tale "happily ever after" - it doesn't exist. They're not a cure for what ails you, because nothing is actually wrong with you.

They're not nearly as effective if taken and disregarded like allopathic medicines. Yes, they still have an effect, but not as drastic or deep as if one takes an active role in the process. To begin, simply pause to consider, invite and feel the desired shift in the few minutes immediately after taking them. And they won't make any long term change unless that change is a conscious, valued and reiterated goal. Here, beyond the initial participation, one would revisit the present state and the desired new norm, frequently, while conducting all the affairs required of life.

So for those who are accepting of where they are, aware of where the want to be and willing to take responsibility for both, they can be invaluable aides in making transitions.

The same way that posture and facial expression both represent the inner working yet can affect the inner world, when deliberately changed; our vibrational state reflects our way of being, but can also change our way of being, if we intentionally attune it to our preferred chord - whatever tools or techniques we may choose to use.

Impermanence and Fluid Creation (pt. 2)

　
Truth be told, changing one's self requires changing one's world views as well. Because clinging to our preconceptions of the world is the flip side of refusing to accept the reality of the impermanent and illusory nature of the considered self.

The yang side of our brains is geared to envision things as being stable and consistent. It feels more comfortable with the familiar. It's easier to plan, calculate and function when things are stable and consistent. It's really quite useful, but that stability needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Neither our lives, nor ourselves, are as stable as we'd like to imagine.

The yin side is fluid, adaptable and ready to flow with the changes of life, as they occur. It's creative and inventive, and thrives on dancing with the rhythms of the fluid world. It's equally useful to be adaptable, ingenuitive and able to think on ones feet.

Both need to be embraced. They function best when both work together in tandem. In order to facilitate this, we need to adopt a perspective outside of both realms. This is where the non-self, witness consciousness or higher self is necessary. When we can sit outside of both processes, seeing the value each offers and reap the best offerings of the two, we become our optimal selves.

Ideally, living is a continuing process of personal creation and evolution. Our attention is the breath of life for all our inner actions and manifestations, which ultimately drive all of our outer actions and manifestations; thereby, determining what contributions we make to the global community and what legacies we leave in our wakes.

There's no enforcement agency to keep tabs on us, no possibility of finding a permanent perfect state and no universally right way to be. The only real issue of contention is a lack of awareness and oversight, which leads to arbitrary and habitual states of mind, and the ensuing cacophony that's the primary source of all stress, divisiveness and discontent.

There's a slew of schools, teachers, techniques and philosophies available to help guide one along the way (some worthy, some not); but ultimately, it's up to each individual to do the work on themselves for themselves.

As ever-evolving beings, we will always need diligent attention and continuous adjustment, if we wish to live, and influence our world, deliberately. To begin to intentionally compose one's self requires an on-going practice of finding and refining the connection to, or sense of Self. To clarify; here "self" refers to the conceptual self, and "Self" refers to the more ethereal experience of feeling and embodying the untainted, deeply connected and ever expansive presence, that accompanies our bodies and brains throughout their brief journeys in this life. There are many avenues on which to begin the journey of Self discovery, but the only path that actually reaches the ultimate destination of living in the present, is meditation - in conjunction with study and contemplation.

There's no intrinsic moral mandate to walk this path. Obviously, folks can travel from beginning to end in this odyssey of life without ever taking conscious charge of their attitudes and actions. Truth be told, most people sleep walk through their entire lives, completely unaware that they are doing so.

It is, indeed, of great benefit to the individual to trade in the idea of self for the sense of Self. But seeing the bigger picture also yields the realization of our kinship with the rest of existence - bringing a fuller feeling of involvement with and connection to all else. This feeling of oneness with the greater world automatically begins to alter priorities, attitudes and actions. Then, living is no longer solely about serving our own needs (immediate or long term) but equally, about tending to the needs of everyone and everything within our capacity.

This is another notion that a great many will baulk at, not understanding that it's in one's best interest to shift focus and energy elsewhere. It's been said globally across the generations that "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Give of yourself to others and the world will find a way to give back to you. It may come from another source all together and it may happen after some delay, but it certainly seems to be the way it works.

Note: Intention being as important as attention, doing for others for personal gain is not the same as giving freely for the sake of benefitting others. For many, it's necessary to begin with a "fake it till you make it" approach, and this is just fine, really. It's how we begin any change. First we imagine it, then we move in the right direction, then we manifest the change. But in the personal evolutionary process, we have to monitor and refine our intentions, so that positive action comes naturally, rather than out of a conflicting sense of imposed obligation.

There is no inherent right or wrong, no grand plan to execute, no supposed to or meant to be - only cause and effect. Nor is there any great arbiter of the universe to punish or reward according to intrinsic morality, no one right view or truth, not even familial obligations beyond those we accept or impose upon ourselves.

Further, living strictly in accordance with a fixed code or set of prescribed regulations is disempowering - another facet of auto pilot programming. True, many golden rules spell out what actions lead to desirable and/or undesirable consequences, and using these as guidelines is not a problem, provided it doesn't become habituated and dogmatic.

I hope this doesn't all feel too weighty. It may sound like an enormous undertaking, and it may require a significant change in the way you see things and the way you operate in daily life. But it's just a home coming - it should feel good and right. And it's really quite simple.

Living in a world within our minds can become such a familiar way of functioning, that the work required to hold the illusion together feels perfectly normal. Living in the moment is so much lighter and happier. Once conscious living becomes the norm, life is seen simply as what it is. All the "problems" that we perceived before are seen without the personal bias. And the joy of basking in a beautiful day or hearing good music and children's laughter is more vivid without the distraction of all that mental banter.

This isn't just a goal for ascetics living in caves. It's a birthright for us all. It's the way we all want to feel - the world we all long to live in. Anyone can do it. Just stop getting in the way and let it be. It's already here, eagerly awaiting your awakening.

All it takes is earnest desire, dedicated commitment and whole hearted openness to your own evolution. What do you have to lose - besides some old erroneous notions? Come on, step into the flow, the water's perfect.
　
　
　
　
　
　

Happy New You!

While an incomplete realization, understanding that one's self is pliable and ever-changing on an intellectual level, gives one the leverage to reconstruct his/her sand castle self in a more favorable form. As the new year inspires making changes, let's address some fundamentals of making changes that stick.

First, it's necessary to spend some serious time contemplating the change(s). How will this be of benefit to self and others? Don't just make a cursory answer, but feel how important this is on an intimately deep level. This is how you generate sustainable motivation.

You must then create a new self image. (One can't think of himself as a smoker and expect to quit smoking, successfully.) Again, this will take a fair amount of dedicated time to manifest a clear and heart felt image of a new you. Reflecting on the motivation generated, nurtures a strong sense that what you want most of all is to be this new self that you're imagining.

Be prepared to deal with others who hold an image of the old you in their minds. They may project scepticism or even try to coerce you into having that drink or smoke or piece of cake, because they are uncomfortable with the notion of changing their own preconceptions.

Be kind to yourself if you waver and see it as a part of the process of recreation, rather than failure. If you spend time sitting in the mud feeling angry at, or sorry for, yourself the wagon will roll away without you. If/when you fall, jump right back on with forgiveness and compassion. Allow time for the new you to gell.

Our perspective of time is always shifting, and the greatest challenges will come when you're seeing the in the smallest frame. Practice pulling back, seeing the long term, the bigger picture, the you that you wish to be.

Continue to return to the practices of strengthening your motivation, confirming your priorities and defining who you really want to be. It will likely need to be a daily practice to begin with. How quickly you can relax this and still maintain the requisite levels of motivation and clarification, is up to you to decide.

Think of yourself as a child, growing, learning and developing into more than you are. Be accepting and patient. Give yourself time to improve and evolve, knowing that it's a never ending process. Appreciate yourself, in all your stages of development.

Enjoy the journey, in all its guises.