Sunday, December 25, 2011

Question(s) D'jour

Question. Always question. Question everything; and then, do it again.

Don't get me wrong, answers are great. But their greatness is relative to the greatness of the questions that summoned them. The most profound discoveries are made by those who are both fearless, and merciless, in their questioning. Those who are not, and can not be, satisfied by solving others quandaries, but feel a deep and ever present compulsion to understand more about themselves and their world, just for the sake of learning … and, hopefully, understanding.

If you could receive the answers to any seven questions, what would they be?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

You can't be who you want to be
until you let go of “who you are”.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Beliefs are incompatible with seeking truth.

Thought for Food

Time and again, I hear people say that we're all one. The consciousness that views the world through my eyes is the same one that views it through yours. One consciousness shared between all of humanity. And this gives rise to thoughts and actions of kindness, brotherhood and compassion - all very good.

But how incredibly arrogant it is, to think that the one consciousness is segregated only to illuminating humanity. Hello? What consciousness do you think is viewing the world through the eyes of animals? What awareness do you suppose enlivens insects? How do you imagine plants know how to grow?

Yet the mantra rings out, far and wide, “Praise the Lord, and pass the pork!” Meat, flesh, muscle, the bodies of God's other children, our brethren. Hmmm. That's an unpleasant thought. “I'll just ignore and forget that one. It would take entirely too much adjustment to accommodate that into my beliefs and actions.”

Since my earliest memories, I've felt my direct relationship with all of the living world. Somehow, I didn't see the discordance between my feelings and my diet until I was 11. I had been brought up eating animals. It was culturally expected. So I dined on pork and beef and poultry and whatever manner of my kin landed on my plate. Then, like the sun breaking through the clouds, I opened my eyes and mended my ways.

Leaving attire, product testing and environmentally sustainable practices out of the equation, I understand that we have to eat to live. And, that we have to kill to do so. But, what or who are we going to kill? How should their lives be ended? And what kind of life should they be entitled to before we kill them?

People go to the store and find conveniently packaged and pre-cleaned pieces of skillet ready flesh. Quick and easy … and thoughtless. There's no consideration of where it came from, who it was, what it ate or what its life and death were like. And this thoughtless consumerism has invited an industry that breeds our brethren into lives of misery, where they're given chemicals to make them grow unnaturally huge and to counteract the consequences of their lives spent sleeping in their own feces. They're fed processed pseudo food. They can't find a mate and propagate. They don't get to move, because muscular development makes for tough meat. They're considered property, and get less respect and care than the forklifts that move their carcasses into the meat mills.

I'm sorry. I know this is all very unpleasant to consider. But if you eat meat, every time you load your shopping cart, that's exactly what you're supporting. Every time you prepare a meal, that's exactly what you're handling. Every time you sit down at the table, that's exactly what you're looking at. Every time you take fork to plate, that's exactly what you're eating. That anonymous slab of meat used to have a face; one, illuminated by the same spark that animates you and yours.

If you've made it to the end of this piece without tuning out, then there's a chance that you'll continue to chew on these ideas; and just maybe, have a change of heart and amend your choices and/or lifestyle.

All life is sacred. All beings deserve respect. All of us need to be conscious of our decisions, their implications, and the consequences of what we do.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Poised Posture

People go to yoga classes to “tune up” their posture. They make a point of expressing it well, when a potential mate is passing by. Seeing one's self reflected in mirrors, provides passing reminders to stand tall and open wide. Many things bring momentary recognition and adjustment, but it takes diligence to constantly remind one's self to maintain good posture, all the time. Eventually, it becomes the default way to hold one's self, needing only periodic attention to make it “just so”.

People go to yoga class to “tune up” their state of mind. They make a point of balancing it well, when in front of anyone who “matters”, or someone who can peer through their facade. Seeing one's self reflected in others, provides passing reminders to be clear, kind and open. Many things bring momentary recognition and adjustment, but it takes diligence to constantly remind one's self to maintain a positive state of mind, all the time. Eventually, it becomes the default way to hold one's self, needing only periodic attention to make it “just so”.

People go to yoga class to “tune in” to the present moment. They make a point of being here when the occasion is very precious. Seeing one's self reflected in the organically unfolding world, provides passing reminders to open wide, right now. Many things bring momentary recognition and attunement, but it takes diligence to constantly remind one's self to linger in the present, all the time. Eventually, it becomes the default way to hold one's self, needing only periodic attention to make it “just so”.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Just Thinkin'

Science is grappling with the mysterious forces of “dark matter” and “dark energy”. These forces act, both, to attract matter, and to propel it. They call them “dark”, because they can't be seen, in the blackness of space. I suspect that “invisible”, “ethereal” or “non-material” forces would be more fitting.

As I pause to imagine what they could be, my initial instinct, is to surmise that they are effects of consciousness. The compulsion to understand, drawing things together, trying to form some sort of tangible, recognizable order. And the yearning of curiosity, perpetually seeking newness, pushing beyond boundaries and into the vast expanses of the unknown.

The yin and yang of minds most basic, primordial drives. Greater influences, by far, than all the matter in the perceivable universe. Condensing and dissipating everything that is, in an eternal dance of creation and dissolution. Perfectly paired opposites, responsible for all movement, and all of existence. Infinite mind, willing the universe's very being.

But that's just me ... thinkin' through my fingers.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

You are Cordially Invited to a Party on the Hill

In the society of nations, America has assumed the role of the power broker - the same persona that is being vilified by the occupy movement. Millions of Americans are proud of this attitude and think that it's vital to the nation's integrity that we have more power, more money, more respect, more influence and more more than anyone else in the global community. If we want to foster an air of fairness and equality within our boarders, we have to adopt a philosophy of global fairness and equality, at the same time. A healthy community is created from communion, not competition. Compassionate and empathetic people will bring rise to national compassion and empathy, which will inspire a nation of compassion and empathy, which will infect the globe with virtuous inspiration.

It's true that the governmental and national operating systems are dysfunctional, but they've been built around an assumption that the underlying goal is to be “the king of the hill”. It's that underlying current that needs to be addressed. This is what those who say, “The occupiers are just an unruly mob with no clear agenda” seem unable to fathom. When the hill is formed into a sharp peak, there's only room for one at the top. Once we've rounded the top off, there will be enough room for a dance party there. The drummers are already jamming to a danceable beat. Yes, there are many structural issues that will need to be corrected along the way, but the primary agenda that needs to be addressed, is the attitudes of the nation, and its citizens. We have to stop climbing on and over others to get to the top, and start to help each other up the hill, to the festival that's awaiting us all.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Growing Pains

Don't blame the bankers, brokers, corporate leaders and politicians. They're just playing their roles. It's another expression of survival of the fittest. A squirrel is bound to harvest as many nuts as it can. It's not keeping count. It just knows that more is better. Our present society has been evolving into this unjust, unsightly and inhumane manifestation since before its inception. The current faces of our economic, industrial and political systems have been raised to play the parts they've adopted. The name of their game is “more”. More power, more money, more influence, more more. It's no wonder that they haven't developed the compassion of saints. It's not in their job description. They were taught and encouraged to become the greedy little squirrels that they are. If they weren't filling the ranks, someone else would. Our current society demands it. As one occupier's sign read - “The system's not broken, it was built this way”.

Our species is in its uncomfortable adolescence, and we're going through growing pains. Like a snake aching to shed its skin, we're finally feeling a compulsion to shed habituated self serving attitudes that don't actually serve our higher aspirations or best interests. A young child is only concerned with its immediate wants and needs. As it grows, it learns that friends, family and community are important, in and of themselves, as well as, for the individual's well being and happiness. The young child doesn't see that its constant demands take a toll on its mother's health, just as humans have largely been oblivious to how our demands on our mother have been detrimental to her health. And a sick mother can't properly tend to her children's needs. A mature child can see when its mother is failing, feel empathy toward her and act more compassionately – even to the point of becoming the caretaker. Humanity has had voices of conscience pleading to attend its mothers needs for hundreds of years and they've been growing increasingly more insistent over the last half a century. Finally, it's starting to sink into our collective consciousness enough to begin to overwrite the attitudes of childish self obsession. And like a child, who would live solely on candy, oblivious to the warnings and consequences, we have been living for pleasure and immediate gratification to the detriment of our growth and health, too. As a child can't imagine acting in the best interests of it future self, we seem unable to act in the best interests of our future generations. It's time to adopt more intelligent directives and make choices that nurture and serve us over the long run, if we want to be healthy, grow strong and live long as a species. Children are fooled by appearances, and think others can be fooled by the same. So toys are shoved under the bed to give the illusion of cleanliness, vegetables are tucked under a napkin to make it look like they've been eaten and over sized shoes are donned to make it seem as though they're all grown up. But putting on mom's shoes doesn't qualify a kid to drive her car, and we've been behind the wheel without a license for some time. Now we've left the road and are heading toward catastrophe.

Plowing through the ditch has slowed us down a little, but as the eyes of reason and compassion strain to see over the steering wheel the body of society is trying to stand on the feet of power brokers, which is pushing the gas pedal down even more. And there are tall trees directly in front of us. The talking heads keep referring to our getting back to where we were, intimating that it was a healthy intelligent way to be. But the cause of our current dilemma is that we were driving too fast, in the first place. We need to spend more energy on choosing our course and less on increasing our speed. The societal model of consumerism that we've all grown up in was ill conceived from the beginning. It requires exponentially compounding consumerism to work. And that's simply not realistic, for myriad reasons. The priorities that have governed our ambitions are skewed by our presumption that this model is practical, functional and sustainable. We're children with blankets tied around our necks, believing that we can fly. The bankers, brokers and politicians are cheering us on and urging us to jump, but (mostly) we're all complicit in perpetuating the fantasy that's been handed down from previous generations, who'd been blinded by the delusion they were sold. Let's just hope that we out grow the juvenile fantasy before we jump off of the precipice that we're so precariously poised on the edge of.

The transition from childhood to adulthood is rarely easy, seamless or without angst. Now is the time for humanity to grow into a sensible, respectful, mature species, that will intelligently and compassionately tend to the needs of the greater whole, while respecting the needs and rights of all individuals. This is no small order; but, in the same way that a teen or an adult is bound for catastrophe if he doesn't act with maturity, it's well past time for us to “act our age” unless we want to live with the extreme consequences that are bound to come as a result of our negligence.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Wisdom is just common sense,
with a birds eye view.

Teaching the Wind

There are a few built in problems with being an honest spiritual guide. Spiritual exploration requires delving into an aspect of existence that doesn't conform to the same conditions as the material side of the equation. And peoples minds are conditioned to process everything in terms of material ways of seeing, understanding and learning. We're talking about a realm that is beyond the reach of the thinking mind. So catering to comfortable reasoning is inherently misleading.

No one can know that their understanding is correct with absolute certainty. Belief is the best that one can hope for, which, in and of itself, is self deception. Since no one can actually know, belief is really just assuming that a theory or someone else's story is true. Belief shuts out other possibilities and ignores “the scientific method”. And, although we don't expect scientific provability in such matters, we still know that following the method is the most accurate approach to learning and refining our notions that we can use. But there will always be mystery. So, essentially, one can't claim to be the ultimate authority, without lying. And people don't have confidence in any “expert” who says, “It seems kind of like this to me, but you'll have to check it out for yourself and see what you think”. We wouldn't trust our investments, education, home and auto repairs or anything else in life that we consider important to someone who told us that it was ultimately our job to figure it out.

But that's the thing about spiritual exploration and discovery, it's a personal thing. All of the great teachers throughout the ages have clearly stated this fact. Unfortunately, their teachings were then claimed by others, who turned them into religions that now profess to freely hand out all the answers – the very answers that we're supposed to discover and interpret for ourselves. Where as, all a spiritual guide should really do is provide seekers with the right questions to ask and give appropriate directions for the next leg on their paths of personal inquiry. But this is kind of like trying to sell a do-it-yourself guide without providing a picture or description of the final product. And who would buy something and go through all the steps to make it, without knowing what they were going to wind up with in the end?

So people basically have two choices in seeking spiritual guidance. Go with the masses to the polished palaces that claim to have all the answers and promise eternal glory; or, go to the lone individual who tells them that he/she can't really say what the seeker's truth is, and that they'll have to suss it out for themselves. Being conditioned to functioning in a material world of stable certainty, it seems pretty obvious where the greater tide will be inclined to flow.

Another major factor in the equation, is that people are very attached to their egos, believe that they are their egos and are happy with whatever allows them to carry on, living in this comfortably familiar fantasy. So, knowing that it holds appeal, the church offers ego polish along with its incense. Which isn't to imply that polishing the ego isn't a good thing; but by definition, spirituality is the pursuit of moving beyond the ego. However, it's much easier and more comfortable to just skirt that little issue, and pretend otherwise. The giant electronic sign in front of the church says, “All egos Welcome”, while the cardboard sign propped up in front of the lone teacher says, “Ego Remover – Free Samples – Inquire Within”. Certainly, most by far, will choose the empty promises over the promise of emptiness.

It's a great scenario for the institutions, and a disheartening one for informed teachers. It's clearly the way it is, and must therefore be embraced as such. But it can make it somewhat challenging to sustain the requisite passion and avoid the temptation to make more marketable claims, just to capture an audience. That's the plight of the sage. Wisdom to share, understanding to impart, called to uplift one and all, yet destined to teach the wind.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

There's a time to tune in.
It's called now.

Feed Your Flexibility

People are designed to be flexible, in body, and in mind. There's a popular saying, “Use it, or lose it.” Cumulative time spent within a limited range of motion has a calcifying effect – physically and mentally. Failing to explore range of motion, and practice suppleness, makes for a stiff weak body. Failing to continually learn new things and develop new ways of seeing, makes for a rigid mind with limited functionality.

You don't have to be old for this to happen. As a yoga teacher, I've taught teens who were tighter than mid-lifers who've never exercised. But it's more obvious in many of our elderly. I was walking behind a man the other day who carried his sofa around on his back, like a permanent, invisible shell, mimicking that form fitting indentation he'd worn into it, over the years. It was apparent that the seat was too deep for him, and that he never got around to getting another pillow, to support his back.

Petrification of the mind isn't that much harder to see. Again, perhaps easier to recognize in those elderly folks, who still live in the world that they grew up in, over half a century ago. But it can be seen, in some of our younger citizens, as well. Ideas, set in stone. Dogmas handed down, and taken to heart. Sides chosen, with no willingness to compromise. No effort extended to see the equation from other angles. We need to discard the confining shells of our minds with the same regularity that a snake sheds its skin, so that we can continue to grow beyond their rigid boundaries.

Belief that there is a right posture to hold, a right stance to take or a right way to see things, is contrary to flexibility. Everything is subjective, and contingent on conditions and circumstances. Slouching gets a bad rap, but how could you tie your shoes without doing so? It's not a good place to get stuck, but it's not bad to go there. Beliefs and attitudes aren't bad, but getting stuck within their confines, is limiting in numerous ways, and across multiple time frames. They're best, held loosely, not compressed into a solid immutable mass. We want to be able to sift through them regularly, to take inventory and re-evaluate what's still worth holding onto.

Flexibility may be your birthright, but it's not automatically bestowed. It needs to be developed and maintained. Some bodies are stronger or more easily manipulated. But it doesn't matter what your limits are, or what having more strength or speed might do for you. It's about exploring your full potential, as you are - from your core, to your center of gravity, to the very perimeters of your capacity; and perhaps, just a bit beyond. Similarly, some minds have faster processing speeds or solve problems of a particular nature better. But it's not a head to head competition. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Our task, is to work on the “who” that's present, in each moment, and to strive to be just a little bit better. Not everything needs to be discarded or reconstructed, but we rarely see things for what they are, upon our first encounter - or the twentieth, for that matter. Everything longs to be investigated and retested, and limits yearn to be challenged.

Newness is good. Different is divine. Diversity, our friend. We're well served by exposing ourselves to the unfamiliar, and inviting it to infuse our beings. Stretch your boundaries. Shift your attitudes. Try out new postures. Press beyond your preconceptions. Find a way of being that you've not tried on before, or one that has yet to be examined. Invent a way of holding yourself that's more open, empowered and receptive. Rigid is brittle. Supple is strong. Shed your shells. Soften and stretch. Fill yourself out. Never stop striving. Never stop improving. Feed your flexibility.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Why do I?

I don't write and teach for personal gain or to prove how clever I can be. My mission is actually very ambitious. Practical or not, I do so for the long term well being of the whole. It's understandable that people might find my motives to be a mystery, because I never tell the end of the story. But that's the way it's supposed to be. I'm not trying to provide the answers; but rather, to give folks the tools, clues, guidance and inspiration that will enable them to find out for themselves. That way, the lessons are engrained more deeply. And some need to penetrate to the core, in order to be properly integrated.

When I encourage others to empty their minds, it's not solely for their personal benefit; but more so, encouraging self improvement for the sake of the whole. It's when we get quiet, that we feel our interconnectedness. Compassion isn't an idea. We can't think our way into a loving and generous nature. And following well intentioned rules of conduct won't turn anyone into a benevolent being. I want people to experience their oneness with everything, so that they begin to embody attitudes and adopt actions that are harmonious with the greater good. Dispelling the fantasy of self isn't about attaining some exalted state of being, because it's a mighty and noble accomplishment. It's about feeling and knowing that the wishes of the self aren't more important than the welfare of the community of all beings, and the loving earth upon which they depend; and then, living in accordance with that awareness.

So, I write and teach … and hope.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

The mind is the steering wheel
but the heart is the engine

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Beware the Scare - Monsters Abound Everywhere

Most live their lives trapped inside of never ending horror stories. Their awareness, smothered by the insatiable monster of perpetual thought, desperately pleading for the merest hint of fresh air. Creaking hinges on the doors to forgotten inspiration, whose locks bolted themselves long ago, yet open occasionally, as a pleading reminder, when attention's wandered elsewhere. Rattling chains of worry and fear haunting our ears, but always just out of eye-shot. Floor boards squeaking from the foot falls of invisible habits, long engrained and following as faithfully as shadows. Blood spatters from time killed, trickling down the walls. Vision, obscured by the ever-present fog of comfortable familiarity. Grave yards rippling with the struggles of dreams and aspirations, buried many moons back, still struggling to surface and fulfill their purpose. Apparitions of social expectations that hover hauntingly in the corner of one's eye, yet blend into the background like ghostly chameleons when looked at directly. The clamor of shutters slammed closed by the breeze of uncertainty and diffidence, blocking broader perspectives. Ears, deafened to the sounds of the grand clock that always chimes midnight, as a recurring reminder of our inherent mortality. The heart of who one could have/should have been, hauntingly, rhythmically, beating under foot. Ba-Doom, Ba-Doom, Ba-Doom.

Fortunately, there's an exorcist on call 24/7, as long as you know the secret summons. Don't tell anyone where you heard it, but in case you don't know, here it is. Sit comfortably, close your eyes, clarify your intention, then give your full attention to your next breath, again to the next one, and the next, the one after that, and so on … until all the monsters have been vanquished.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Senses and Sensibilities

We have only our
senses and sensibilities
to grant us awareness
of our world, and our own
earthly existence.

Let not one obscure the other.

Holding the balance
requires acceptance of
and non-attachment to
both.

This awakens the
quiet mind.

The Conundrum

How do you explain sight to one who's never seen? This is the conundrum that faces teachers of the Dharma, the Tao, the nature of being, the way of no-self. How to explain that which is inherently without reference points, to the logical, linear, worldly mind?

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Salt of the Soul

Salt, left by evaporated sea water,
dissolves back into its original state,
when immersed in water.

Thought,
bathed in unadorned awareness,
dissolves back into its original mind.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

“The Way” is not to,
it's of.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Exit, Stage Right

People are told from their earliest days that they're such and so, and should do this and be that. They have experiences that imply that they like some things and don't like others. They develop habits and hobbies, assume responsibilities and roles, which they then identify with. These factors, and more, create the basis of, what's frequently referred to as, their character. And a very apt term it is. Circumstances conspire to delude people into believing that they are, or are obligated to be, these “characters” that they hold in mind. So, just like actors on a stage, they do their best to master the roles they've been assigned. Only, they aren't aware that they're just playing a part, on the world stage. Lost in their roles, the dramas that their characters are going through seem extremely important and become all consuming.

When we watch characters that we like, in a movie or a TV show, we get drawn into their dramas. And when something tragic or unjust happens to them, we feel it in our selves. (For you macho guys that claim immunity to such influences, just consider how you feel after your favorite sports team loses a game, due to a last second debacle or a bad call.) Many are able to draw themselves out of the dramas and let go of the angst, anger, discontent or whatever, if they so choose. However, most find it impossible to distance themselves from their own dramas.

This is the root of human stress, upsetment and suffering.

Taking the stories of our selves so seriously is a deeply ingrained habit. One that requires a powerful commitment and diligent dedication to break free from. And skyscrapers have been built upon the fictitious foundation of the importance of our story lines. These exasperate the challenge, as we also need to let go of the multiple layers of beloved thoughts, feelings and beliefs that these towers are constructed of. Still, the main belief that needs to be dismantled, and perhaps the hardest of all, is the one that contends that this character is valid, substantial and true.

Accepting this fact is the first step toward realizing one's true nature; and, breaking the habit of self absorption, opens a doorway, that enables clearer vision and more accurate understanding. It's not the endgame, but it's a significantly profound leg in the journey of spiritual evolution.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Listen to the quiet.
It whispers wisdom.

Crowd Surfing

It's true that, ultimately, every person stands alone, in this life.
Yet, we all stand with one foot on the shoulders of our fore-bearers;
and the other, on those of our societies.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Brilliance of Ignorance

Everybody wants to know, to believe, to have it right. But there is no right, all beliefs are fanciful and all knowledge is flawed. This isn't a bad thing or a cynical view point, it's just the way it is.

Which isn't to say that we don't need to maintain some sort of knowledge base and belief system in order to function. It's more a matter of accepting and embracing the fact that we're wrong - as we act upon our best guesses.

This allows us to continue working on perfecting our ever-imperfect notions, throughout our journeys. Otherwise, we feel obligated to protect our beliefs and defend what we think we know. And all ensuing ideas are built upon these inherently faulty foundations. Where as, accepting that our understandings are inadequate, keeps us looking to discover new ideas and perspectives, in order to continually improve our hypotheses.

Embrace your ignorance. Be empty. You can't make the game winning catch, if your glove's already got a ball in it.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Run and arrive fast.
Walk and arrive full.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Bumper Sticker Spirituality

Most people are enamored by pithy phrases that sing sweetly, resonate pleasantly in the heart and sport enough sensibility to seduce the intellect. Many do a good job of inspiring kind thoughts, noble actions and enlivened spirits. True, they're not very effective for achieving grand understanding, but most people don't want to or, for whatever reasons, can't commit themselves to the quest to the extent necessary for substantial evolution. As one who's dedicated much of his life to serious personal study and inquiry, my knee jerk reaction is to scoff at the superficial nature of such quippy quotes. But for the vast majority, they're good reminders and motivators, and as close to spiritual exploration as it gets. So I've climbed off of my high horse, kicked my ego to the curb and embraced the genera.

“Just for today, be a Buddha”

Bring it on

I remember an occasion from my youth that provided me with a profound insight. I was probably 6 or 7, and rarely wore shoes. Running along the sidewalk in front of my house, I stubbed my toe, turning my fresh young flesh into a bloody ragged mess. Sitting under my good friend, the giant maple tree that lived in our front yard, I looked at the dripping disaster, cringing at the unpleasantness of the fact before my eyes. Somehow, perhaps my old friend sharing his wisdom with me, I gained an oversight of my reaction, or inner action, to the situation. I was trying to block the reality from fully entering my awareness because I was afraid of what it would feel like. After all, it was already a vicious, searing, pain. But something about my resisting what was happening, seemed wrong or foolish to me. So I made a conscious decision to cease my attempts to deny the experience. I thought “How bad can it really be? What's the worst that could happen?”. It wasn't an attempt to be wise or altruistic or anything, I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity. Silently, I invited the wound to, “Bring it on”.

Having anticipated an intensifying, I was pleasantly amazed. Instantly, like a wave of reality washing away the illusion, the throbbing, stabbing sensations melted into a warm, tingling, almost pleasant sensation. It was like I'd just discovered magic. The rules of the world had shifted in my favor. I sat for a moment, appreciating my new reality. Grateful for my pulpy digit and the obviously valuable lesson I'd just ingested, I heel walked inside, plundered the stash of bandages and plugged the leak.
Since then I've learned that resisting cold prevents warming. (Technically, it causes muscular tension that constricts blood flow) Resisting a headache makes it worse. (Adding to tension or preventing sinus release) Splinters, cuts and abrasions are only as painful as we make them. And this conscious control goes beyond physical discomfort.

Things happen in life, and then they're gone. But people keep them alive and distort them, in their minds. It may be an accident, a personal mistake, a perceived injustice or a lick of bad luck. Instead of letting if fade into history, the mind rehashes it, adding judgment and coating it with anger, sadness, shame or any other shade of discontent. The longer we hold onto it, the more times we review it and the thicker the coating of displeasure we imbue upon it, the more prevalent and distasteful it becomes for us. Looking reality in the eye, and letting things be what they are, lessens our angst and allows events to more quickly dissipate into our past.

This doesn't mean ignoring the past, and therefore, not learning from it. It means that we can choose how our lives resonate within us.

Our focus shapes our experiences in this life. The quality of our experiences color the quality of our days. The nature of our days determines our level of satisfaction with our lives. The way we feel about our lives is an indicator to our children of what they should expect in their lives. And the way we digest our experiences sets an example of how to be, for all others.

Taking control of your life is less about making the outside different, than it is making your perceptions and interpretations, about it, different. Of course, I want everyone to shape their outer lives to suit their wishes, as much as possible. But the outer isn't, and will never be, completely satisfactory. However, our ability to change how we react internally provides us with the power to reap immediate benefits in how we feel about our selves and our circumstances, in every moment.

Whatever the thing, event or situation, it is what it is, and nothing more. What you make out if it, with your thoughts and feelings, is your choice. What reactions you display, influencing those around you, is also your choice. Choose wisely. Your life will be defined by the decisions you make.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Truth Be Found

The truth is, truth cannot be told. Even if, a thousand times, my words have resonated well within you, and been proven true by time and experience, don't believe what I say, just because I say it; rather, use my words to inspire an investigation, and, on your behalf, find your own truth.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Don't Take Yourself too Personally

People fall prey to the idea that they are composed of their beliefs, thoughts and feelings. But these are just things that pass through our field of awareness. They're no more representative of a stable us, than are sights, sounds or anything else that passes through our awareness, via our senses.

“But thoughts come from within.”, one might say. Well, it does seem as though sights (et.al.) come from outside of us. Light reflects off of objects and shines upon our retinas where it's converted into impulses that travel to our brains. We only “see” 3rd hand translations of what's out there, inside of our minds.

One could conjecture, “Feelings recur time and again, and that repetition implies stability of being.” I could listen to the same piece of music several times every day and replay it in my mind, ad nauseam. Does that imply that it represents me?

Another argument might be, “I can generate thoughts or images of whatever I choose.”. We can certainly direct where and how we focus our outer attention; as well as, create tastes, sights, sounds, textures, etc. to turn our attention to.

“Well, thoughts and feelings exist only in my mind and are therefore uniquely mine.” All of our perceptions are shaped by our previous experiences, beliefs and understandings; and so, the world we live in is also unique to each of us. Partly because of what we focus on and partly because of how we interpret it. A tree, for example, might seem like a very consistent thing. But a lumberjack will see it as money, an animal lover as a playground for squirrels and birds, a gardener as extra work in the fall, an arborist will see its species and state of health, someone who's overheated will view it as a source of shade, while, to someone lost in thought or fixated on something else, it will be invisible.

Some might stipulate that we intentionally direct or create our inner lives. I've observed that, for the most part, thoughts, feelings and the like generally just happen to people. In fact, I think it's far easier for most to direct their outward perceptions than their inner goings on.

The one thing that does remain relatively consistent for us, is the awareness that all of these things pass through. However, it's difficult to claim ownership of it; because, when it's distilled down to its raw unadorned essence, there's no sense of individuality to it, at all.

Now, that awareness ingests all of the happenings of our lives through our body/minds. Maybe we're quite simply these sensory organs, the lenses through which awareness witnesses the passing of our time here. Our physicalities do enjoy contiguous existence, but they're constantly rebuilding themselves and never stop changing in make up and functionality. They go from infant, to child, to teen, to adult, to middle aged, to elderly, to on deaths door. They become exhilarated, sleepy, wounded, ill, hungry, stuffed, confused, alert, depressed, elated, sore, ecstatic and so on - all in the course of a single day. And every single cell is replaced, making them completely different ones, over and over, throughout the course of our lifetimes. Clearly, they're not the most stable things to hang our hats of self upon.

We do carry concepts of our selves, which change slowly enough that they may seem constant. But, of course, they're always adapting to keep up with the changes happening to our bodies and minds. The “you” you think of now is not the same as the one you considered to be your self last year, let alone, the one you harbored when you were a child.

It's been posited that we are our actions. Some habits endure; but again, actions change through phases of life, seasons, days of the week and shifting moods. So then: On Sat. morning I'm a shopper, but on Tues night I'm a teacher. When I see my cats playing together I'm a smiler and when I stub my toe I'm foul mouthed. When the weather's nice I'm a gardener, when it's inclement I'm a writer. (ad infinitum) Seems a bit ludicrous, doesn't it?

This leaves us with five, less than ideal, options, as we try to claim self definition. We can consider our selves the data that flows through our minds, the ever morphing receiver that processes the flow, the lingering, yet unstable, idea of our selves, our relatively random actions, or the insubstantial awareness that bears witness to it all. In any case, there really doesn't seem to be much of us to be found here, no matter how we look at it.

This isn't actually a problem, except that we seem compelled to keep everything clearly defined and somewhat orderly in our minds. But the truth is that we live in a fluid world where nothing, including our selves, is stable and consistent. Even our planet never stops changing - in mountainous ways, and stars come and go. We may have difficulty conceiving of it, the same way that a mosquito can't conceive of humans living for decades. But unlike the mosquito, we have the capacity to transcend our personal perspectives and to see the world truthfully. And, to feel the value of whole of the world in all its variety and phases of expression.

All of existence is in a constant state of evolution, and losing our fantasies of “solid and stable me” is the first step toward living honestly, contentedly and harmoniously, as an integral part of the motion of all being.

Or you can cling to the comforting illusion. It's up to you.

My advice? Don't take yourself too personally.

Monday, September 5, 2011

McYoga

Many have used the term McYoga in reference to the proliferation of chains of yoga studios. I see a more wide spread and disheartening trend that calls for the same moniker.

It seems to me that most classes are led by exercise instructors, not yoga teachers. And that their classes are about as educational as McDonny's food is nutritional. Most people have at least heard that Mcfood isn't proper food. But imagine someone who was brought up knowing and eating nothing but speedily processed pretend food-like fare. He would have no idea what fresh produce was. No clue what real meat or cheese tastes like. Would never guess that potatoes could be other than drowned in grease. And his body would have grown accustomed to sustaining itself on fake food, even though it would be far happier and healthier if it was fueled by real, fresh, well prepared meals.

So we have many millions of people who have never attended a yoga class where they got anything more than run through the paces and dismissed. And without somewhat of an understanding of anatomy, intelligent alignment and the energetic dynamics that enliven and support the postures, people are more apt to experience pain or injure themselves, and the results of their efforts will be greatly curtailed. And there's more general knowledge that's important to learn about how work with our bodies in such a way that they work with us.

Of course, having eaten only at McArnold's gym, they have no idea what they're missing. Some continue onward, not knowing. Others quit because they found it too challenging or got hurt, and assumed that it was yoga's fault; not that of an unskilled, uneducated or unconscientious teacher. And many teachers are in the same boat - unaware of what they don't bring to the table, because their teachers didn't feed them well.

And I'm only addressing the exercise aspect of yoga here. If I were to bring up those who don't understand and teach to the overall intentions of yoga, the numbers would be far far worse. But just focusing on the physical branch, which is all most people are interested in anyway, ignorance abounds, knowledge is discounted and bodies lose out – not to mention the hit that yoga's reputation takes because of the malnutrition served up by all the McTeachers.

Personal Benefits of Selfless Attitudes

My observation is that, although playing and getting new toys makes one feel good in the moment, it's like a sugar rush that doesn't last. And too much focus on that, sets up a pattern of perpetual focus on the self. Pretty much all of the “bad” feelings we experience are self based. And if our habits keep us attentive only to our own dramas, it's easy to get stuck in the muck.

Doing for others also makes us feel good. The same way that, upon seeing one, a smile sparks the same in the viewer, making another feel good inspires a like response in the benefactor. It may not be as immediately intense as slipping down a giant slide of self gratification, but it lingers longer and nurtures more holistically. And this sets up patterns, as well. The less attached I am to my story, the more connected I feel to others and the big picture. And the more appreciative I am of my life and how awesome this world is.

Looking from a broader vantage point, people appear less like a slew of competing individuals and more like an organism of human-ness; or even larger, all life on earth looks like a planetary being. One might consider if there's something to do that would help these grander beings. (Which most likely would be work on a “cellular” level, for the sake of the whole.) Although there may not be the same kind of individual feedback, this too, will generate positive feelings in one's self.

Just imagine how much more pleasant societies and life in general would be, if such attitudes and actions became prevalent throughout humanity. And wouldn't that make you happy.

Perfectly Purposeless

Everything just is, and simply happens. There is no divine plan. There's no designated purpose to existence. There's no inherent meaning to life. There's no particular point in doing anything.

Sounds like someone in the throes of deep depression, doesn't it? It's no wonder that people have created all manner of stories to avoid having to come face to face with this reality.

But, in fact, it's far from depressing. It represents ultimate freedom, setting the stage for our free will. How many people want to go to a college where there's no choice in curriculum? Everyone wants to be able to choose their own trajectories. Life is the same.

If you're strongest desire is to be a lemming, then the undesignated nature of existence would be a problem for you. But if you desire to be the master of your own destiny, then you're in luck. The universe is structured perfectly for you. We have the luxury of being able to set our own courses, to create our own agendas, to design our own purposes.

We may have a little karma or genetic predisposition, but as far as our choices are concerned, we're blank slates. Life's a blank slate. And our minds are boxes of a thousand colors of chalk. Write an equation, a story or a song, create some art, embellish something that someone else has scrawled, or just doodle. In short, have fun with it. It's entirely your call.

We're presented with the privilege of picking our own purposes. It's a happy situation. Rejoice! And don't fret the decision making. There's no right or wrong, and no contracts. We can change course, any time we choose.

It's a perfectly purposeless scenario.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Guru Voodoo


For every one that actually knows what they're talking about, first hand, there are many thousands who know some rhetoric; and, how to spin it, so that it seems appealing and makes them sound as if they actually know what they're pretending to. Some of these mimic others' words so well, that they really believe that they do know what they're talking about. And many speak of the necessity of following a guru (et al.), a tradition or a book to reach the truth.

I strongly disagree. There are so many confusing and conflicting teachings out there that lead to nowhere. Relying on outside directions only leaves people spinning in circles, going nowhere or wondering which way to go, until they've drilled themselves into deep holes. And keep in mind, that the majority of these spiritual tour guides are primarily just trying to sell you a book, a religion, some prayer beads, a weekend retreat or whatever else they can peddle.

The truth is flagrantly simple and it's right in front of our noses, we're bathed in it all the time; and, it can only be uncovered through diligent personal investigation. No doctrines or words, not even from one of the rare few who do know, can get you there.

As I've said before, there's no obligation to realize the true nature of being. If it makes you happy to dabble, to feel like you're on a spiritual path or safely tucked within a community, or to ignore it all together, that's OK. But if you actually want to get to where the paths allegedly lead, it requires a steadfast personal commitment, and a strong compulsion to know for yourself. No one else can take you there.

It's not bad to compare notes, but that particular understanding can't be given, it can only be earned.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I Glasses

At our cores, once we've cut through all the layers of illusion that we mistake for our selves, we're left with a vacuum. A void, emptiness, a veritable black hole of beingness. And this absence of self is so dazzlingly dark that it burns the retinas of our minds eyes. So we create brightness glasses that filter out the nothingness with shiny somethings that we can identify with, and don them whenever we look inward. This quickly becomes habitual, and we end up wearing them continuously. Then the whole world is viewed through this filter of selfy somethingness, and interpreted and valued accordingly.

When we design our glasses, we fashion them such as to let other people know who we want to be. Thick black rims for those who want to appear intelligent. Little round wire frames for those who want to look artsy. Aviators for those who fancy themselves the adventurous types. Wrap-arounds for the cool crowd, and so on. If you're ever unsure whether or not you've achieved the look you're going for, just gaze into another's glasses. As it so happens, they're all mirrored on the outside, for everyone's convenience.

But with these glasses perpetually pasted to our faces, decisions are made from false assumptions and goals are set based on erroneous reasoning. Societies veer wildly off of their ideal courses, because everyone's views are so drastically distorted by their I glasses. And our shared planet suffers, too - all because people can't abide their naturally nebulous nature.

We, the world and the universe are all full of unknowns and unknowables. The part of our minds, whose job it is to gather everything into nice discernible packages, will never be happy about this. But that aspect isn't destined to occupy the drivers seat, and we're under no obligation to give its wishes undo priority.

Convincing a world full of people to lose the shades that define them and their world (and make them look so cool) may be an insurmountable ambition. But for the rare few who sincerely wish to live a truthful life, it's the only option. And let's face it, it's much better to be cool, than to look cool.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Happily Ever After

People like to feel good. Go figure.

The idea of crossing the finish line and having everything from there on out flow to us and for us, like milk from mother's nipples, is extremely alluring. So we get far-flung fantasies like a permanent state of blissful enlightenment and eternal leisure in heaven, as a divine reward.

And in every day life, we maintain goals that we believe, once achieved, will grant us that sense of peaceful relief that we so crave. If I can just get that promotion, graduate, pay off these loans, find my perfect mate, finalize this damned divorce, complete the remodeling, get our kids through school, whatever – then I'll be able to coast, contentedly.

Right. How many finish lines have you crossed so far? And yet, somehow, contentment still manages to elude you. But, none the less, the fantasy remains in tact. Whether it's making it to the end of life, or just to the end of the week, “happily ever after” is there, just waiting to give us a big hug.

How is it possible that such a far fetched notion, that's consistently proven false, continues to be so widely embraced? What will it take for people to come to the realization that the only happiness available, is that which we can find right now?

Life is awesome. People are entertaining. Nature is inspiring. Chores are blessings. Just to be aware is amazing, to be able to act and interact, even more so.

As a general rule, what do you focus on? Sitting in traffic, are you pissed off at the traffic light, worried about the clock or the fumes, or are you noticing the wind tickling the trees, the person gleefully singing along with the radio or that one over there, who's laughing with her kids? As you tend to your tasks, at work or home, where does your mind usually roam? What attitudes do you nurture as you stand in line? What do you think of in your idle time?

Our thoughts and our feelings are well within our power to either choose, or let loose. Sometimes the boat steers itself just fine, and life gets stale if we never wander into uncharted waters. But when we see that it's piloting itself toward a rock or a reef, maybe a little guidance would be appropriate. Or when it's hung up on a shallow shoal, perhaps, hop out, put your shoulder into it and set it free.

There's simply no sense in waiting around for circumstances to do what they surely won't. Where do you want your mind to be? How do you want to feel?

For my part, as if I have anything to say about it, I wish you a “happily ever now”.

When Clothes Want to be Naked


Humans have a bit of a conundrum. We all have egos – beliefs about who and what we are; and, we all want (for lack of a better term) to know the mind of God. The problem is that people think that they are their egos; or perhaps more accurately, egos think that they're people. And, the ego clearly can't know what it's like to be without itself.

But slews of fanciful notions are spun about how we can keep our egos, and still experience full freedom from them. And people buy into these fantasies, flocking to them in sky blotting droves. Any intelligent person, making an honest assessment, could see the fallacy of it, but the allure is so strong that it's glare obscures common sense.

If I were to claim that one could remain dressed and be naked at the same time, no one would entertain the thought for a second. But if my clothes had a strong desire to be naked, they'd line up to listen to lectures and buy self help books and CDs that promised to teach them just how to achieve it.

Funny - until you consider how many people consistently stake their spirituality and spend their savings on snake oil, whose hawkers claim that they'll allow egos to effortlessly slip into selfless awareness.

The End of the Line

“I'm on a quest for the truth.” “I'm on a path to spiritual enlightenment.” “I'm seeking union with my god.” However it's conceived or phrased, many people feel like their on a great journey to some high and idyllic destination, where they'll find, or be granted, some ultimate reward. But I've got breaking news. Whatever the path is, it leads to where you're standing, right now. As long as it's thought of as a destination or a goal, that very conception keeps pushing it away. It's similar to how water pushes floating fluff away, as you reach for it. But the fluff isn't really the goal, it's just another distraction. What everyone really wants, is to feel their connection to the very water that they're already immersed in. It may take a lot of work to shed all of the preconceptions that obscure the reality, but the end of the line is always, and can only be found, here, now.

Question(s) D'jour



This is for all of faith. Not just of religious faith; but also, for anyone with any other kind of spiritual belief system. If they're too scary to field, then just ignore them. But if you're willing to test your faith, they're the most crucial questions you could earnestly try to answer.

Understanding that faith, by definition, is belief in the unprovable:

Why do you harbor your beliefs?
and
Why do you believe what you believe?

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Chocolatey Goodness



People have many erroneous notions of who and/or what they are. Discovering our true nature is a mater of peeling away the layers of illusion and delusion to find the very essence of being. Getting to the creamy center – or is it chewy hazelnut, maybe something fruity … ahh, perhaps it's amaretto infused chocolate. That one sounds the best to me; ergo, that must be what's there. Notions of just what the center is, are some of the most insidious obstructions to our honest acceptance of who or what we are.

I often tell my students that the most important thing that they can do is nothing. But that's really not quite sufficient, for the average seeker. It's pretty much impossible to do nothing, long and completely enough, for all of the false ideas to evaporate on their own. The mountain of suppositions and beliefs that we tote around needs to be systematically deconstructed. And this is only possible for someone who has an earnest desire to know the truth, regardless of the consequences.

Unfortunately, most would rather be reassured that their beliefs are accurate. They think they just need one final bit of knowledge to pull it all together. Or they feel that, if they could just get anointed by someone divine enough, their faith would solidify to the point that the heavens would open up and glory would rain down, washing them wholly (or would that be, holy) pure. Perceiving themselves as being on a path toward _____, is enough to make them feel spiritually adequate. Where as, the truth can only be found, here and now.

People are so accustomed to being something and feeling such and so and to aspiring toward whatever, that, to give that up, seems like it would be the end of it all - the final curtain. And, in a sense, I suppose it is. But it's only the last hoorah for a conglomeration of ideas. The ground isn't pulled from under foot, the body doesn't disintegrate, the mind isn't left a lifeless vacuum - life goes on. It's just seen through different eyes, digested in a different manner and acted upon with a different attitude.

So then, “what's at the core?” the mind will query. I could say nothing or emptiness. I could say contentment or understanding. But anything I'd say would just get tossed onto the pile of flotsam and jetsam that needs to be shoveled away in order to uncover the answer.

The easier question to grapple with; in fact, the one that needs to be answered - time and again - is, “what isn't there”. And I'm sorry to have to report, as painful as it may be to hear, that it isn't amaretto infused chocolate.

K v K



Knowledge is highly useful. It's our catalog of what things are, how they work, how they're related to us and each other, what's most important, which to avoid, and all other accumulated details that make up our world concepts. Many consider this our only truthful and reliable faculty.

We also have a capacity to know things without first learning them and then retrieving them from our file cabinet. I'll refer to these, respectively, as “knowledge” and “knowing”.

Knowing may sound like gobbledygook to many who utilize it all the time. They may know that the car that just pulled onto the street in front of them is going to drive like a 10 year old on a joy drive. That the shorter register line is going to move more slowly than the long one. They may know the root needs behind someone's camouflaging phrasing. Or inexplicably and unexpectedly glean a better way to accomplish a familiar task.

Knowing manifests in a myriad of different ways. Everyday problem solving - summoning a new understanding from a pile of collected tidbits, wouldn't be possible without knowing. Invention and scientific discovery are typically a combination of acquired knowledge coupled with inspirational knowing. Those “Eureka!” moments are knowing incarnate.

It's not magical or super natural. It's just another basic function of any mind. And I'd stress here: not just the human mind. You might call it common sense or intuitive comprehension. It's just as valid as knowledge – perhaps, even more so, as knowledge grows out of knowing. But, no surprise, they work best in tandem. You could consider them the yin and yang of our understanding.

A Human-being Living in a World of Human-doings



To date myself, most people spin like 45's, some even 78's, while I'm more of the 33 rpm ilk. (For the unenlightened youths, there was a time when the preferred medium for musical storage was vinyl discs. Different types, of which, spun at different speeds.)

When life is driven by aggressive ambition to accomplish and achieve ever more, lists become oppressive and schedules are stretched until the seams split. Living adopts an intensity, not unlike that required in serious sporting endeavors. Life is seen in a different time frame and felt with a harsher intensity. Priorities and motivations get skewed. And, as most can't imagine life as being legitimately interpreted when it's seen from another's window, they feel no need to learn to relate in another's language, or see the world in a different light.

To be honest, I've seen the world as a mad rush to an imaginary finish line, and I really have no desire to shift back into that head-space in order to connect with those caught up in it. More is not necessarily better. Too much, by definition, is worse.

There are inherent, sympathetic rhythms that all of the natural world moves in accordance with. They tick in time to an intergalactic metronome and are expressed in universal and personal, seasonal and timeless, planetary and particulate scales. It requires uncommon (though not unnatural) openness and sensitivity to feel and act in conjunction with these universal tides.

We are well served by syncing up and living in consort with the rest of the orchestra. It brings us peace, helps us to connect with our intuition and allows us to realize our potential in arenas we'd, otherwise, never know were possible. This, in itself, makes the practice worth while. The ease and synchronicity that infuse life, as a result, are convenient bonuses.

But the go-getters and do-morers of the world have largely lost the sense, and remembrance, of what it feels like to be connected in such a way. They carry on at break neck speed with little in their sights besides their fantasies of fulfillment. Thoughts consumed with planning and scheming, listing and dreaming.

Can such an person even comprehend the worth in befriending a bug, listening to leaves or losing one's self in the reflections dancing on the surface of rippling water?

It is, of course, common to find people comfortable with and capable of embracing multiple view points. But the bulk of societies current seems to gravitate into the rapids. And, as much as I like shooting real rapids, on the river of life, I prefer to enjoy the scenery, listen to the birds, sing to the squirrels and graze with the clouds.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Tough Pill to Swallow

No matter how altruistic our intentions, all of the knowledge that we harvest and all of the beliefs that we rely on are hindrances to our awakening to truth.

Knowing untainted, unfiltered and uninterpreted truth, cannot happen as long as there is a self, an ego, a sense of “I am this”. I have difficulty using the term enlightenment for the same reason that I have trouble using the term God. There are so many different ideas about what it is that to just throw it out there would be saying a million different things, most of which, wouldn't be what I'd intended.

There's a way to hold one's self where there's inner quietude. No chatter, emotional currents or compulsion to change. Things are known or understood, without being recollected, or being translated into words, images or any concrete, tangible or communicable form. The individual is empty. There is awareness, but not presence, in the way it's typically conceived. The presence that is there extends well beyond the boundaries of the body and the individual's life and condition. It's centered, more or less, in the body, but it doesn't seem/feel like it's bound to it.

This state simply can't be realized as long as one clings to their ideas of self – period.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hard Earned Lessons

As recently addressed, knowledge is a collection of discernible, presumably factual, tidbits that comprise our world view. But there's another valuable collection we carry with us, that's somewhat less tangible, but equally useful. We've all had experiences that provided us with understanding & perspectives that add greater depth or texture to our existing comprehension.

A teacher once told me that we have to fail in order to learn. I could see that failure would teach us how not to do things; but, at the time, I didn't grasp the more subtle lessons that we receive, only, through enduring hardship.

It's important to know how to deal with the emotions that arise when we encounter unexpected difficulties. How to accept them, weather them and move beyond them. And, as well as being important for our own well rounded development, such experiences are also critical for our ability to relate to others, in their full range of reactions to the human condition.

Until suffering through great loss, one can't truly empathize with someone who's experiencing it. Living with terminal illness or chronic pain is unimaginable to the uninitiated. Making a catastrophically bad decision, hurting someone you care for, being duped, betraying yourself, breaking something precious, … Life offers us endless camouflaged opportunities for growth and personal expansion.

Of course, we can never really accumulate a complete understanding. Even having been a child, someone who's never been a parent can't grasp the feeling of complete and unyielding committal to another's well being that accompanies accepting the role. (Not that all parents get that one.) A person born into and accustomed to living with wealth can't comprehend what it's like to work two or three jobs and still not be able to fully provide for one's family. Likewise, one who works on a factory line has no idea what it's like to be responsible for the lives of hundreds or thousands of families with every day's decision making. And so on.

Compassion and empathy. Meaningless, even foolishness, to those without. But for those who embrace them, they're what draws us out of the safe and sterile world of the mind, enabling us to feel connection. Like we're an integral part of the world and global family of all life, rather than lone competitors, in a free-for-all, on a hostile field, with no time outs.

We're all life long works in progress. Relish your further education, however it's presented to you. My hope is that this understanding will help you to hold a lighter heart, the next time life deals you a dose of adversity.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Keep in Touch



Inhale deeply, closing your eyes.
Pause briefly, taking inventory of the moment.
Exhale gently and fully, letting everything dissolve.
Linger there, allowing it to settle in.
Resume normal breathing, opening your eyes.

Practice isn't about achieving, as much as, familiarizing. It's not like we move into a better place or state. It's that all the distracting crap that we identify with fades and we find ourselves being what's left. The more we understand this, and the more familiar and comfortable we are with being "not self", the easier it is to touch home base.

A one breath meditation is like pushing the reset button, receiving a comforting embrace of unconditional love, dropping weighty unwanted baggage or taking a step back from whatever the situation (in or out) to gain a clearer perspective.

You could set a timer on your computer or watch to remind yourself every hour, 15 mins, whatever. Transition times between tasks are natural places for a refreshing pause. When you notice that you're feeling out of balance. When someone else needs your full attention. When the answer is eluding you. Anytime is a good time to move closer to feeling in harmony with your Self.

Preformed regularly, this practice has the potential of being more meaningful, practically speaking, than meditation or prayer. Not that it's a replacement for deeper practices, but it greatly helps to integrate the insights gleaned from them into every day life. So ...

Inhale deeply, closing your eyes.
Pause briefly, taking inventory of the moment.
Exhale gently and fully, letting everything dissolve.
Linger there, allowing it to settle in.
Resume normal breathing, opening your eyes.

Repeat as needed.

The Most Important Meal

The most important meal of the day
is sleep.

Friday, August 5, 2011

If I was Created

No one ever decided “I think I'll make a Thatcher today”. Nor a people, a planet or a universe. If I was created, it was as a footprint, a yawn, the crumbs of a fallen branch, the sweet putrid odor wafting from compost, the ache of a bruise from a bump, cascading waves sweeping through tall grass, a fossil reproduction of an extinct spider, the billowing mist lifting off of a waterfall, resounding echos of a sharp clap or a broad crater left by a speck of space dust.

There's a faulty assumption that there has to be a creator behind any and all creation. The earth spins, it's hot core colluding with centrifugal force, to push the crust, that shakes the snow burdened mountain top and loosens a rock, which bounces down the mountainside, crushing a waning flower and spreading its seeds before splashing into the river, where it alters the flow, shelters small fish and anchors generations of moss, slowly eroding into grit that the current ushers to the ocean, where it settles on the floor, is drawn back into the molten core, eventually pressed to the surface to cool, becoming stone that will one day rise above the clouds, awaiting the next big shimmy.

Creation without a creator. The spin, the shake, the bounce, the splash, none of it was intentionally manifested. There was no giant hand shaking the earth globe to make it snow, and no divine master who was inspired to bring me into existence.

I am, simply, a bounce - or maybe a splash. I haven't quite figured that one out yet.

A River Runs Through Us

Wisdom is not held deep within us. It doesn't belong to us, nor could we possibly contain it. It swirls through the stars, and flows through us, the animals and the trees. Even the air, water and rocks are privy to its glory. I can see how it may seem as though it's inside of us, since we need to go deep within, rise above, burrow through, sneak behind or settle below our chaotic selves, in order to connect with it. But the inspiration that we find when we do so is free, timeless and without language or personality. To stake claim of it, is like staking claim of the universe – stabbing the earth with a flag and proclaiming that all within eyeshot, now belongs to the furling colors.

No one has wisdom, we can only channel it.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Just Passing Through

Imagine an ice cube trying to pass through a strainer. As long as it maintains its form, it can't happen. As soon as it becomes fluid, it happens automatically.

When we intentionally relinquish our form, we naturally assume a more expansive state of being.

People strive to get through the screen, to no avail - sometimes, for their entire lives - when what they should be aspiring toward (if their objective is to get through the screen) is to melt, dissolve, evaporate or dissipate. Then, they would effortlessly pass through the metaphysical membrane and become the wholeness that their convictions had denied them.

The Chorus of Existence

We all generate and emit a vibrational field, all the time. It's a combination of the tone of the thoughts that we entertain, our physical state of being and the chorus of feelings that make up our emotional state.

Our moods and attitudes affect everyone we come into contact with, and our influences on them carry over to those that they encounter. But that's only the most obvious way that we influence other's vibrational being.

There's only one consciousness, and we all partake of it. We each act like a lens or a prism, changing it as it passes through us. We bend it, blur, clarify or refract it. And when it emanates from us, spreading across our shared existence, it has a different quality than it did before it touched us. As we attune ourselves we help to shift or evolve the collective consciousness toward, and into, a more harmonious way of being.

In that light, doing the mundane with an enlightened attitude can be more meaningful than doing great works for personal gratification. It makes the world a better place if: you give real attention to the cashier, feed a stray dog, help out the little old lady that lives down the block, save a worm from the searing street and put him in the soil, sing a song to some birds, give emotional support to someone in need, pick up another's litter, laugh with young children, …

Whether we choose consciously, or by default, how we vibrate, in each passing moment, is our continuing contribution to the chord of the chorus of all of existence.

Ooooommm...

Intention - The Key to Be Free

I often speak of the need to surrender in order to fully inhabit the present moment and attain freedom from habitual self obsessed thinking. But there's a lot of preparatory work to do before that's possible. Unfortunately, people usually have difficulty figuring out where to focus their energy.

Some dedicate themselves to ritual. Going to church, temple, mosque, class, retreat, etc. Or, spending extended periods sitting in meditation, praying, studying texts, practicing yogasana, etc. Imagining that doing the right things will yield the ultimate reward.

Many get immersed in trying to understand the greater scheme of being, philosophically. Reading, debating, listening to one who's wiser or more educated, contemplating, journaling, etc. Imagining that ultimate understanding is just a puzzle piece away.

Not that any of these aren't helpful in making one more well rounded and articulate. But none of these directly address the key issue that prevents our being present. The most important preparatory task is refining, strengthening and clarifying one's intentions. People are geared to strive, achieve, gain and become - applying their force of will to attain an end. Being in the moment isn't fixed, substantial or permanent, it's more like holding our breath or focusing our gaze on one spot. It's a temporary/transient way of being, not a destination or attainment.

It takes clear, substantial and deep rooted motivation to keep old habits from derailing us, as soon as we encounter the unfamiliar. The incentive has to be, to become open, not to be superior. To know the truth, whatever it may be, not to be wise or all knowing. To give of one's self, not receive for one's self. To be free of all notions and beliefs, so that “what is” can flow to us and through us, without deflection or distortion.

When every cell of our being is in agreement, possibilities expand exponentially. Now, this does require applying some of the afore mentioned tactics - except, with the specific aim of improving, ingraining and integrating one's deepest intentions.

Speaking to Stones

People tend to use their preconceived notions to define their worldly experiences; far more than using what the world presents to them, to inform their conceptual notions.

I feel an emotional connection to the rocks as well as the lichen, the fire as well as the seedling, the soil as well as the worms, the air as well as pollen, the water as well as the tadpoles, the planet as well as the people and the stars as well as our own life giving sun. I can perceive, sense and comprehend the consciousness that is shared between all living things. That I'm less assured that consciousness, or more subtle awareness, is being shared with the elements, celestial bodies and even the void of space, is evidence of my short comings, not theirs.

Many great masters have confirmed what I feel in my bones, as I walk upon rock, formed from the bones of species, now extinct. That everyone and everything - past, present and future - are all part of one grand unfolding. That we, as individuals, and as a species, are but toppling dominoes, in the string of causality.

I have a little more difficulty embodying a full understanding that all of existence is wholly insubstantial and is perpetually manifested, only, by the blessing of consciousness. Again, mea culpa. But the roots of understanding continue to burrow ever deeper the more time I spend steeping in silence – and speaking to stones.

The Never Ending Story

It's a disservice to all who aspire toward “spiritual” self improvement, that the idea of enlightenment has been distorted into an all encompassing finale. A stable condition, where the quest is complete, and every mystery of the universe - and beyond - is comfortably held in the palm of one hand.

I can see how that could be an appealing fantasy. Essentially, to become God, while still inhabiting a human form. Appeal has created many a believer, but it does nothing to sway reality.

Enlightenment: Darkness illuminated; or, ignorance informed.

Ordinary people can't help but to be enlightened, repeatedly. It happens all the time. It can shatter world views or it can be barely noticeable. Enlightenment can be glorious to unpleasant, concise or sweepingly broad, permanent or passing, superficial to the marrow, personally relevant or worthy of shouting from the roof tops.

Our personal evolution is the culmination of a lifetime of enlightenments. The Buddha's awakening was the result of a valuable one that most of the world has yet to grasp. Some have, and frequently try to help others to its realization. But it wasn't an end game – no ultimate understanding. It was a brilliant comprehension of the various aspects of mind, and how they relate to each other and to our greater awareness. This gave him insight into the very nature of existence, but he still had to inhabit his body, to contend with seasons and symptoms, and to make multiple decisions, every day. And, there was still infinite knowledge that he could have absorbed, relative to worldly affairs.

Hopefully, this essay will bestow enlightenment to anyone still enamored by the fantasy of permanently attainable perfection.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Hands Out of the Cookie Jar!

Most people know the challenge a chimpanzee faces when trying to pull cookie or a piece of fruit out of a small mouthed vessel. We encounter a similar conundrum when we seek to shift from our normal mindsets into non personal awareness. When we try to pull out of our self imposed containers, we're so inflated by our self conceptions that we can't escape them. So we first need to release what we've spent our whole lives fabricating, justifying and protecting. Once we do, it becomes clear that what we were holding onto, was the urn itself. Our empty palms, clenched into fists, keeping us captive. In fact, there's no need to move at all, to escape our stoneware cells. As we let go, our jars fall away and we're left inhabiting a boundless sense of being.

And that's far more satisfying than any cookie could ever be.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Assignment d'jour:

Initially, this one may sound silly or pointless.
But as simple as it is, the more you practice it,
the more meaningful it will become.

Act as though your thoughts (mental processes)
are being broadcast, for all to receive.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Best Recipe

Recipes are great. They invite us to try new techniques, ingredients and combinations. They nearly guarantee success as we venture beyond the familiar. And sticking with them gives us confidence that it'll turn out right, every time.

That is, if the same, every time, is right.

It seems to me (and my tongue) that variety makes for much more enjoyable experiences. And that experimentation makes working much more entertaining. I also welcome the bonus of discovering and sharing new things. After all, the most alluring recipes are the result of another's playing with their food. And, I find it far more rewarding to invent something new, than to make something old, yet again.

Granted, to be an adventurer, one needs to be willing to fail occasionally. That's the nature of any explorations into the unknown. Fortunately, practice makes better, and success rates rise as intuition is honed. And let's be honest, if our predecessors hadn't been adventurous, we'd still be eating nuts, berries and unflavored raw meat, that we'd clubbed to death with sticks and stones.

Obviously, this is analogous for any and all endeavors in life. And I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with playing it safe. But there's definitely something right, with taking chances.

For my money, the best recipe, is no recipe.

Go West Young Man

We begin our journeys, frequently on the advice and directions of others, with only a vague inkling of what we want and where we're going. For some, distractions come and the quest ends as a forgotten memory, merely days or weeks of a walk away. Then unintended roots cling to the bedrock, denying any dreams of unknown western wonders. Others find themselves face to rock face, stretching miles high, blotting their ambitions and stymying their trek. Fighting against the unforgiving wall, betrayed by the directions they unyieldingly trusted, frustrated by the futility of their efforts, surrender arrives quickly and settles in for the long haul. Some hold the westward mantra so close to their eyes that it obscures all else, until they've run out of land and find breath hard to come by, while they continue their stroll, deep into the ocean. Lost souls, seeking comfort from empty eyed fish and voiceless clams.

Our compasses are here to let us know where we're going, not to tell us where to go. As we travel through the unknown and encounter the unexpected, we must seek to make modifications to our itineraries. Sometimes, to get west, we must first trod north or south. As we head to our promised paradise, we may find greater treasures, more potent purposes or unrivaled relations. These offer other paths, give us new goals or beg us to stay. As we ingest each new landscape, the horizons in our minds broaden and our appreciation for the journey, itself, blossoms. We learn as we travel, collecting wisdom while we walk. Our aspirations evolve, as we learn and mature. And the boundaries between ourselves, others and the land, steadily erode.

The means and ends that propelled us forth, from those earliest dreams and days, are replaced by new visions of just what we want, as we meander more meaningful ways.

And the Winner is …

People make slews of promises to motivate others onto a path of self discovery or spiritual exploration - always, of personal gain. For when the little self holds the reigns, there's nothing else that inspires. To be better, to have more, to be seen as a victor or a saint. But the worth of these prizes evaporates when bathed in the bright light of awakening.

When we arrive at that point where the vault doors finally swing wide, we no longer care to fill our pockets. You see, the vault doors don't actually hold treasures within. Instead, they serve to provide us with a false sense of security, by keeping us locked in an illusory feeling of stability. The reward is stepping out into the larger world and realizing that we are here to bask in it. To enjoy it, to participate in it and to learn from it. We victoriously enter sainthood, becoming more than we ever dreamed, when we shatter our pseudo-safe shells and cooperatively merge into the vast expanses of the living world. You see, it's not here to serve us, as much as, we're here to serve it.

Life only works because the parts support the well-being of the whole. Ecosystems only survive because individuals act in harmony with the masses. Planetary sustainability is only possible when the big picture is seen in the long view. This doesn't need to be captured and considered cognitively. We instinctively know it on a cellular level, as does all life. But we can feel it, only when we're freed from our self imposed vaults.

Yes, we receive numerous bonuses as a result of our personal evolution, but the real winner, is the whole.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Suggestion of Divine Intervention

When I was a teen, I loved running through the woods. Dodging trees, ducking under branches, leaping over logs, skipping over streams, up and down, round and round – often, trying to keep up with my dog. During that same time, I infrequently wore shoes. My feet were tough enough for me to walk on hot blacktop and run across sharp gravel; and, fly through the woods.

One day, I was doing some high speed bushwhacking, and when my tank ran dry, I stopped and rested my hands on my knees to catch my breath. As I panted, I spotted a small branch with a huge thorn laying right between my feet. Then another, inches away; and more … Looking around, I saw that I was standing amid a grove of terrifying trees and ankle deep in a sea of three inch thorns.

It took me a few minutes to tip toe my way out of the danger zone. Longer to properly thank my lucky stars. Had I landed on just one spike, I would likely have buckled and rolled through them, ending up like an inverted porcupine, with my quills pointing inward.

I've never been inclined to believe in divine intervention; but as fanciful as it seems, it certainly would make some things easier to “rationalize”. Of course, to be fair, if I were to give credit for all the good in life, I'd also have to assign blame for all the bad. And then my imagination would run amok down a path that would invariably end in my discounting free will, all together.

Whatever the reasons, I've been spared injury and/or death more times than I can remember. And for that, I'm divinely grateful.

Peripheral Shadows

I have to begin this one by asking you to do a little exercise. Find a section of light colored wall with something dark on it. Spend a minute or so staring at a blank spot on the wall, such that the dark object is visible in your periphery. Afterward, as you look elsewhere, you'll see a “shadow image” in the same part of your peripheral vision that held the actual object. Observe what happens as you try to focus on the shadow.

The eyes are trained to lock onto specific things to identify and differentiate all of the apparent components. As you try to look at the shadow, it darts away from your attempts to zone in on it. If you want to observe it, you need to look and focus in a different way.

Spending time with/as your silent self is a similar experience. The mind is trained to lock onto specific things in order to identify and differentiate them. But the formless self can't be pinned down, spelled out or contained, and is impervious to any such attempts.

If you want to be at one with yourself, you need to learn to focus, acknowledge and accept in a different way.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Parade Day

There's a perpetual parade passing along the main street in my mind. It's made of all manner of characters. Some are in drag, some are on stilts, some on floats and some floating along, grounded by tethers and guided by others wearing white face. As I pass among them, I'm dizzied by the deluge of sights and sounds, characters and costumes. They all seem to ooze enticement, promise treasures or have interesting tales to tell. And I'm often caught up in the current and stride along with of one them taking in his story. Although the tides tug and characters hug, I've learned that being amid the parade doesn't really give me the most effective perspective.

Fortunately, I have an all access pass to a balcony that provides me with an overview of the continuing cavalcade. From there I can see which work together and which bump into each other. Which meander and which are steadily fixed on target. Which are happy and fun and which are just plain silly. I see which ones are loners and which are bound together in a string of “follow the leader”. And I see the tandem juggling acts, with multiple balls bouncing back and forth - feelings inspiring thoughts that strengthen their seed feelings, and thoughts inspiring feelings that provide proof the idea's significance.

Most importantly, I see the parade, as what it is. A non stop festival of frivolity that isn't as all encompassing or defining, as it seems. It's useful for my living, but not necessary for my being. It's of me, yet I'm not of it. It's a good thing, just better when viewed from above. So now I can live with it, rather than for it.

Stock up on sparklers. Clean out your kazoos. Unfurl your flags. And bounce on up to a balcony. Your procession is well underway. Breath it in, and enjoy the show.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Potentially So

We see ourselves as our habits; however, our habits are just one possibility of who we may be.

I have never killed anyone, but the possibility is there. I have never literally sacrificed my life for another, but I could. So am I a murderer or a martyr? No. I've held back because of fear, and risked my life on a whim. Am I a coward and a fool? No. I've been impatient, helpful, lazy, dismissive and playful. Does that make me any of the above? Of course not.

Actions and attitudes are temporary conditions of our existence. There seems to be some mechanism that lures us back to familiar grounds, but there's nothing that mandates it. We aren't carved of stone, created as such and destined to be just that. We are potential incarnate. We can be as we choose.

Deprogramming old habits isn't easy, but it's much easier when armed with the realization that our tendencies are not given traits. This allows us to shift our focus from what we've done to how we want to be. To move from expectation to inspiration.

So, how do you want to be today?

Saturday, June 18, 2011

A Losing Aspiration

We all maintain a journal that attempts to recount our personal life stories, helping to explain and justify who we are. We each keep a running tally of our totalities, including our likes and dislikes, our strengths and weaknesses, our responsibilities and hobbies, our regrets and dreams, our friends and foes, and everything else that defines us. This, in and of itself, is not a problem. Our troubles arise when we mistake our stories for our Selves. Once convinced that the tale is the truth, we contort what we experience to support our illusions. Which also isn't really an issue, unless we wish to live honestly.

It's easier to see that we're separate from the houses, clothes and cars that define us, because we can step out of them. If only we could step outside of our selves … Oh, wait – we can!

If we wish to find our Selves, we must first lose our selves.

Shutter Speed

In a way, our brains are kind of like photographic film. If we want to record a clear and detailed image, we need to allow for sufficient exposure/attention time. Some things or events are dull, to begin with, and need more time than the norm. Others are dramatic and radiate exceptional brightness, thus requiring less. And, by nature, different cameras take in varying spectrums better.

We can tell, in the moment, if it's done yet, or if it's taking at all~. So, regardless of circumstances and distractions, if we think/feel that something important to record, we need to be mindful and give it adequate attention.

Of course, it helps to take the lens cap off.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Let it Flow. Let it Flow. Let it Flow.

Whether it's the cars behind us, the air above us or the flowers beneath our feet, people often ignore the world trying to happen around them. In doing so, they often become impediments to the flow of existence that's just trying to get along, everywhere, all the time.

We're like individual cells in a vast being. Cells all have their own lives and objectives, but their greater purpose is to facilitate the well being of the whole. We call cells that conflict with that entirety, cancer.

We're under no obligation to be considerate, and many take full advantage of this. But how does it make you feel when others ignore and interfere with your ambitions? How would the world be if absolutely everyone was completely self absorbed? How would it be if everyone consciously accommodated others' activities? Nobody likes a clog in the drain. Why would anyone want to be one? “Do unto others ...”

For the sake of contributing to creating a more harmonious world, and setting a laudable example for others to emulate, shouldn't we pay attention to the rest, and try to stay out of the way – or even be helpful?

Just a thought, flowing from the big brain, through mine.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Our Most Challenging Blessing

Our lives present us with many challenges. They can be arduous, painful, confounding, unjust and spirit testing. All help to make us wiser, stronger and more adaptable, in their aftermath. But there's one that we just can't shake – choosing.

Free will, which far too many neglect to utilize, is both a blessing and a curse. Frequently, our choosing comes from the default selection center, “Just like before please” or “I'll have what they're having”. We can't help but to rely on habits, to some extent. If we had to stop and consider every single thing we do, we'd get very little done. But when relying on habits, becomes a habit itself, we become little more than automatons.

We can make educated guesses, but we can't prognosticate. None of us one can. So, time and again, we're left with the option of following the rut or leaping into the abyss. If we stay to the well worn pathways, we can delude ourselves into thinking that our errors are the fault of those who came before. If we take a leap and land with a crash, we may feel foolish or be called even worse. So our grade school worries steer us to follow the pack, to believe the commercials, to trust twisted logic and to hand the rudder over to the tides.

It takes a wise man to play the fool. Life's not a contest, or any kind of test. It's an adventure into the unknown, a grand experiment in what if, a chance to leave the first footprints and an opportunity to laugh and learn from falling on our faces.

Me? I choose choice, whenever possible. Eyes wide open, the unknown eager to be embraced, traditions be damned, knowledge and understanding dangle like luscious fruits from life's over burdened tree, feet freed from firmament, my Tiffany ego plummets toward rocks or clouds, curious to see what happens next.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Do Be Do Be Do

Admittedly, not the most inspired or creatively phrased lines of scat, but perhaps old blue eyes was trying to convey a little wisdom, subliminally.

While conscious, we have two options – doing and being. “Doing” includes acting, communicating, and thinking. “Being” is remaining attentive and engaged, without doing.

Of the two, being is typically the most challenging for us; or at least, the less familiar. But it's while we're being that we're the most sensitive and receptive. There are cues and clues presenting themselves to us, all the time, which we aren't able to pick up on while we're engaged in doing.

But these smoke signals are pointless, if we only be. They're here to guide us in our doing. The vast majority are mired in their doing, but to become entrenched in either side of the equation is debilitating.

The trick is to consciously balance in the middle, and freely float back and forth between the two. Inspiration and acting. Connection and communicating. Insight and thinking. 'Tis best to let the partners dance together.

And here's their song now – Do be do be do, do do be do be, do be do be do, ...

Friday, June 10, 2011

Horsin' Around

You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

What it is?

It's a rare person who maintains an honestly scientific eye for the truth – even in scientific circles. Most seek to prove that existing theories or beliefs are correct. They feel obliged to defend the notions that they've learned, hatched or had handed down to them. They tend to see only those things that fit into their preconceptions; or, to forcibly interpret things that conflict with their notions until they mesh, acceptably. Although this may be more comfortable, it's not exactly realistic, practical or wise.

I was talking with a substantially overweight lady the other day who was explaining to me that she didn't consider herself fat; rather, called herself “healthy”. No doubt, it made her feel better. No doubt, it's about as contrary to the truth as possible. Being overly over weight stresses backs, hips, knees and ankles. It greatly increases the risks of diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer and organ failure. And it limits potential by making everything from breathing to climbing stairs more strenuous and taxing.

She's hardly alone in her delusion. I was a teen the first time I heard that particular substitution of terminology. Some might say that she's better off living with the illusion, so that she feels better about her self. I think that condoning any embrace of lying to oneself sets a horrible precedent. Once it's presumed an acceptable practice, the pattern will begin to pop up any and every where. It may be cute when tykes think that closing their eyes shrouds them in a shield of invisibility, but we hardly want our children to grow up planning their lives around such notions.

We learn and evolve much better, and direct our actions far more intelligently, when we see things as they are; and then, adjust our views and beliefs to accommodate any new evidence. It may sound like a no brainer, and I suspect that a large percentage of folks assume that they do just that, but reality would disagree with most.

Religious fundamentalists and scientists can be two peas in a pod here. Feel good fantasies become die hard beliefs that no amount of evidence can dislodge. And, if it's not proven by committee, repeatable and measurable, it's obviously not real. Both close ones eyes to possibilities and close ones mind to new ways of conceiving. Previous generations, whose understandings would be laughable today, were confident in their unquestionable grasp on things. The same will surely be said of us in the future. Truth, as a concept, has to expand and evolve to accommodate our ever clearer understandings, as we crawl toward seeing an ultimate truth.

Where ever the tendency comes from, how ever it manifests, and when ever it became engrained, it can be undone. But reprogramming takes a long time, a lot of work and powerful dedication. The desire to see and know the untainted truth, as it reveals itself, has to be systematically absorbed and integrated ever deeper and more holistically. You have to want to be bathed in, and filled with, welcoming silence more than you want to entertain whatever floats through your field of awareness. You must wish to know the truth more than you wish to feel that what you think, know or believe is accurate. The roots of these yearnings need to reach as deeply as your most primal motivations.

If you haven't been there, you can't conceive it. If you've only heard tales of it, your conception is a far poorer representation than the others abbreviated phrasings of their fractured memories of their partial viewing of it. You need to go there to begin to know it, and there are places that you can't know how to get to. Creativity, intuition, invention, revelation, insight, compassion, ... none of these can be born from a logical progression of thoughts.

There's a whole world and an infinite universe out there, and to be self limited to the boundaries of a particular neighborhood is silly. How can one ever expect to make new discoveries when unwilling to go beyond the familiar? How can people ever expect to know themselves when they're obscured by junkyard sculpture representations of who and/or what they are? How can anyone not want to know the truth, on its own terms? And, how can anyone imagine that they actually know just what it is?

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Anticipation

Being present is really much more active than it sounds. It's not like we finally arrive at a lounge where comfort abounds, servants attend our every need, weather conforms to our moods and there's never any decisions to make. It's not a place or a state that we settle into, at all.

Being attuned with the flowing moment demands as much involvement as balancing on one foot does. With practice, it feels more natural and becomes more stable, but without dedicated attention, balance wanes. Even if it was possible to become perfectly still in absolute balance, the world happens. Water falls and flows, wind stops and blows, and the earth moves beneath our feet. Internally, our past calls out to us, fears and fantasies paint imaginary scenarios that we call our future, and every bit of fluff floating down the stream of thought beckons to be held.

Stillness coexists with chaos. This truth is undeniable. So, focus can't be on finding or maintaining an illusory ideal; rather, it has to hover in anticipation, reaching out with all senses and sensibilities to detect the very next thing, the instant it arises.

We learn to trust that the body is capable of balancing itself. In fact, our efforts to achieve and/or sustain balance with our minds is counter productive. So we willfully establish our intentions and consciously observe, but the balancing, itself, happens from elsewhere.

Similarly, we can't think our way into the silence that accompanies our being present; and, thoughts simply can't keep pace with the now. To be present, we have to set our intentions, (initially) place ourselves in an accommodating environment with some dedicated time, and allow the quietude to manifest within and around us, as we simply observe while steadily maintaining clear intent to see purely.

The thinking/reasoning mind has a rather high opinion of itself. And in truth, the guy's got game. But if/when it tries to intercede in the act of balancing, listing and swaying will surely follow. Our bodies know what to do and will skillfully tend to themselves, if we just get our dreams and doubts out of the way.

As consciousness is freed from the confines of the assumed and expected, a torrent of awareness, understanding and questions can begin to flow. The thinker then feels an urgent need to label, analyze, judge, decipher, categorize and prioritize these experiences, in an attempt to integrate them into the “known”. Assimilation is much more honest, complete and detailed when not slowed down by or filtered through thought, which, by its very nature, only deals with the past or future. Our beings know what to do and will skillfully tend to themselves, if we just get our dreams and doubts out of the way.

Do you feel it? The present has its knuckles curled and is swinging them toward your door, right now.