For the material world, Nike has coined the phrase "Just Do It". For the spiritual world, I believe the opposite is needed.
We are products of our upbringing, our culture, our society, our religion, and our media. If you want to find your authentic self, that is, who you really are, then you need to "Just Un-Do It".
Help us help each other Just Un-Do It by participating in this Blog. And welcome!
Perfect sincerity and transparency make a great part of beauty, as in dewdrops, lakes, and diamonds. -- Thoreau, from the Journal (June 20, 1840)
OK, so it's hard to show you your brain on bliss. But that is certainly a tranquil picture (Crater Lake in Oregon), and that's how your brain can be as well -- very tranquil.
I read this excellent article by Matthieu Ricard. Ricard is the French translator for the Dalai Lama, a former scientist turned Buddhist monk, and a well-published author. The article demystifies meditation, and shows how it is simply training of the mind. Very wise training, perhaps, but simply training nonetheless.
Authentic happiness is a way of being and a skill to be cultivated. When we first begin, the mind is vulnerable and untamed, like that of a monkey or a restless child. It takes practice to gain inner peace, inner strength, altruistic love, forbearance, and other qualities that lead to authentic happiness.
Practice indeed. And an ability to detach ourselves from our emotions.
The point here is that you can look at your thoughts, including strong emotions, with a pure mindfulness that is not associated with the contents of the thoughts.
That's really the secret, isn't it? A detachment from our emotions. Not a numbing of them -- but an ability to recognize them, and -- more importantly -- recognize that we are distinct from them.
It's all really so very simple. But it does take realization. And it does take practice. And it sounds like it is worth cultivating to me.
Can you see it -- there, in the picture. Look closely. Squint if you have to. Do one of those Magic Eye tricks where you focus "beyond" the picture. Look through it. Look into it. Look before it. Come on, tell me what you see.
Sunlight? Yep, I see that too. Rainwater? Well, actually I see an early morning dew. The gardener? Oh, he is a happy fellow, with light brown skin and old tattered sandals. He is gently pruning the plant, rushing a bit now, as the call to prayer has begun. Off like a shot, he's headed toward the mosque. It's only a few steps from the courtyard where this Plumaria grows.
It was tradition that moved him out of the garden. Only tradition. For surely he was visiting with God just a moment ago. You saw that too, didn't you? You see that when you look deeply into that photo, don't you? That is why I took it, and that is why I posted it here. And why you are visiting now.
God changes appearances every second. Blessed is the man who can recognize him in all his disguises. One moment he is a glass of fresh water; the next, your son bouncing on your knees, or an enchanting woman, or perhaps merely a morning walk. -- Nikos Kazantzakis
The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The strength of the fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away, they speak to me. And my heart soars. -- Chief Dan George
If you don't find God in the next person you meet, it is a waste of time looking for him further. -- Mohandas K. Gandhi
In the past, I've wondered where all of the "enlightened" people have gone. We all reference Christ and the Buddha, but that was sooooo long ago. Many make reference to more recent luminaries like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Mother Theresa. But for those that are household names, the list is very short, don't you think? And we can use all the help (pointing the way) we can get.
Well here is one more that I just stumbled across the day before yesterday. The gentleman in this video (which is just my "teaser" -- I liked the short video) mentions a woman called Peace Pilgrim. Strange name, perhaps, but a fascinating story of modern-day enlightenment (at least that's how I see it). There is no doubt in my mind that she was in tune with that which prophets and sages and gurus and yogis describe. Her words and actions illustrate the results of attaining inner peace (loving-kindness, boundless energy, unbridled joy).
For those that wonder what modern-day, western-oriented enlightenment might look like ... what expressions it might result in ... what actions one might take ... what are some practical repercussions in the work-a-day world ... and the like, I commend this story of her life. It's really just a collection of her thoughts and insights, both written and spoken, pulled together in one place by some of her friends along her journey.
Read it with an open mind, and see if any of these messages resonate somewhere deep inside. I suspect we'll talk more about Peace Pilgrim in the future.
Are you familar with TED? T=Technology, E=Entertainment, and D=Design topics. The tag line is "Ideas worth spreading". They hold a conference each year, and cover an eclectic array of topics. They are always sold out. And the tickets cost $6,000.00 each.
The TED conference for 2008 was just recently held. They are just now beginning to post the talks online -- this wasn't so in the beginning, but thankfully, has now become the norm. This was the first talk they published this year.
I found it fascinating on a personal level. First -- because my father had a cerebral hemorrhage, and so, I wonder "what if". Second -- because I have briefly experienced this sense of oneness, and find it both comforting and encouraging when others experience it as well. Third -- because we get to hear it from a scientist, whose training is in this field. She sure doesn't talk like a scientist.
But rather than hearing my reactions, perhaps you just want to check out the talk for yourself. It runs 18 minutes -- so I suggest you get yourself a cup of tea.
