I realize some people are inarticulate, unartful and unaware. I have been and continue to be so. I have let my expectations of anyone not being that way get in the way of what I should be doing. My attachment to wanting to give back in some little way and have that gift received with recognition has also failed to produce any benefit for anyone.
Any less than I feel right now or at anytime is of my own creation. And, we don't feel less than, we feel as if others view us that way. Once again, our issue of requiring anyone to acknowledge us, recognize us, validate us.
Us. Them. There is no duality. We must keep this in mind. They are me. They are doing what I have and what I still could do. They are bits of coming together and falling apart. Just like me.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Every Day is the Same Day
As the sun rises on this, my last morning, I feel renewed optimism of what I can do for others, how I can manage my issues to make that effort increasingly effective and more efficient.
Everyday is the same day, but every day can be a new effort, a new goal, a new belief. We just have to apply this effort joyously, reach for a goal effortlessly and believe that we can make this life work for the benefit of all.
Bless you, Bless this land, Bless this community.
From every sunrise, through every sunset and into the night.
Everyday is the same day, but every day can be a new effort, a new goal, a new belief. We just have to apply this effort joyously, reach for a goal effortlessly and believe that we can make this life work for the benefit of all.
Bless you, Bless this land, Bless this community.
From every sunrise, through every sunset and into the night.
The Suffering Pebbles of our Life
Suffering is momentary. Self and others are the same, parts of the whole of the universe. Suffering is our failed attempt at taking ourselves out of that whole and standing alone.
We all wish to use the universe as a pretty backdrop for our lives, that somehow we're the lead character and the world or the universe is our elaborate stage. It is just as a stage play, our lives. At the end, the stage is still here; it may be reused as is, tore down, shut down, burnt down or even turned into a strip mall.
It is our separateness that is the issue, that the pebble in our shoe is somehow different and outside of ourselves. That's how we view people when we see them as against us rather than for us. It's as if they are the pebble in our shoe instead of that cushy insole we love so much.
We all wish to use the universe as a pretty backdrop for our lives, that somehow we're the lead character and the world or the universe is our elaborate stage. It is just as a stage play, our lives. At the end, the stage is still here; it may be reused as is, tore down, shut down, burnt down or even turned into a strip mall.
It is our separateness that is the issue, that the pebble in our shoe is somehow different and outside of ourselves. That's how we view people when we see them as against us rather than for us. It's as if they are the pebble in our shoe instead of that cushy insole we love so much.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Touching on the Basic Goodness of Your Life
When we're doing something we enjoy or see something beautiful, we feel good inside. What we're feeling in those moments is our own goodness. It's that basic goodness that connects everything in the universe that we're resonating with in those good feeling moments. For some reason we find it easier to see that basic goodness in settings, activities or even other people then we do to see that within ourselves everyday of our life.
For instance, you walk through a nature park. You see the sun, the clouds the beautiful blue sky; you see the waving trees, as if they're waving to you, the flowing grasses too. You think, this is what makes me feel good. That goodness was already inside of you, but the goodness of a natural setting is too obvious to not take note and treasure. We should also treasure the basic goodness that is at the core of our human experience in anyway we can. If that means taking a walk in the woods, then that's what we need to do.
Stacking our day with these moments of basic goodness can provide us with a wealth that is always replenishable and is beyond any object, place or person. Objects are lost, places can be bulldozed or burnt, people die and perish. If we see that our good feeling is attached to what brings it out of us, when something happens to that object, place or person we'll suffer immensely. Yet, the basic goodness of our existence remains.
As long as we continue to see how we feel as being directed by external forces, we'll always be dependent on conditions going our way. If feelings truly originate from outside of us, what can we ever do to make our lives better? Will we be like a flag on a pole whipping in whatever way the winds blows, never going anywhere?
Be curious about your feelings, explore them thoroughly, thoughtfully and continuously. If we begin to be curious about where these feelings originate, you'll find your own truth about it.
For instance, you walk through a nature park. You see the sun, the clouds the beautiful blue sky; you see the waving trees, as if they're waving to you, the flowing grasses too. You think, this is what makes me feel good. That goodness was already inside of you, but the goodness of a natural setting is too obvious to not take note and treasure. We should also treasure the basic goodness that is at the core of our human experience in anyway we can. If that means taking a walk in the woods, then that's what we need to do.
Stacking our day with these moments of basic goodness can provide us with a wealth that is always replenishable and is beyond any object, place or person. Objects are lost, places can be bulldozed or burnt, people die and perish. If we see that our good feeling is attached to what brings it out of us, when something happens to that object, place or person we'll suffer immensely. Yet, the basic goodness of our existence remains.
As long as we continue to see how we feel as being directed by external forces, we'll always be dependent on conditions going our way. If feelings truly originate from outside of us, what can we ever do to make our lives better? Will we be like a flag on a pole whipping in whatever way the winds blows, never going anywhere?
Be curious about your feelings, explore them thoroughly, thoughtfully and continuously. If we begin to be curious about where these feelings originate, you'll find your own truth about it.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Your Role in Your State of Mind
Our state of mind is dependent on how we approach each moment and less about what's happening to us and around us. There are many states of mind within all of us. Through exploring and utilizing honest analysis of our current thoughts and feelings, we can begin to see which states of mind are helpful in certain situations and which are not so helpful.
Even anger has a positive role at various points. This is not a witch hunt; we cannot burn our feelings at the stake to get rid of them; feelings always resurface unexpectedly if we haven't thoroughly taken care.
All of our feelings are vital to our existence as human beings; these feelings help us figure out this world. This is why we are very reactive to our environment. Maybe, this is why people resist their environment so forcefully, believing that somehow it's the heat that makes them angry. Just like our feelings, the environment changes. If we look at the weather in this way, it doesn't seem so terrible that it's hot today, as it could be wet tomorrow or next week it'll be cold.
Looking at the continuity of our experience can help take care of our feelings. As long as we look at our life and our environment as an ever-changing, dynamic system, life becomes more workable.
Many have said that this person makes them angry; this person puts a smile on their face; this situation makes me cry; this joke makes me laugh. Certainly, our external world can bring these natural sensations out of us, but they do not create any of these feelings on their own. Anger is always inside, as is happiness. We do have the superior role in which way we come at any situation.
Above all, the mind is very wild and patience is key in navigating it in uncertain terrain. We all lose it. When we lose it, if we are honest with ourselves, we'll realize that whatever it is we're feeling has been with us for a long time. It is not easy to do this in the heat of the moment. The more we attempt to get a gap in there of thinking or even breating, the more chance we have to let the anger disipate and find the real source within us. The more we come at life with a happy state of mind, the easier the worst of situations will be. It's ok to not agree.
Which sounds more workable, sickness with happiness or sickness with anger? Whatever is helpful, do it.
Even anger has a positive role at various points. This is not a witch hunt; we cannot burn our feelings at the stake to get rid of them; feelings always resurface unexpectedly if we haven't thoroughly taken care.
All of our feelings are vital to our existence as human beings; these feelings help us figure out this world. This is why we are very reactive to our environment. Maybe, this is why people resist their environment so forcefully, believing that somehow it's the heat that makes them angry. Just like our feelings, the environment changes. If we look at the weather in this way, it doesn't seem so terrible that it's hot today, as it could be wet tomorrow or next week it'll be cold.
Looking at the continuity of our experience can help take care of our feelings. As long as we look at our life and our environment as an ever-changing, dynamic system, life becomes more workable.
Many have said that this person makes them angry; this person puts a smile on their face; this situation makes me cry; this joke makes me laugh. Certainly, our external world can bring these natural sensations out of us, but they do not create any of these feelings on their own. Anger is always inside, as is happiness. We do have the superior role in which way we come at any situation.
Above all, the mind is very wild and patience is key in navigating it in uncertain terrain. We all lose it. When we lose it, if we are honest with ourselves, we'll realize that whatever it is we're feeling has been with us for a long time. It is not easy to do this in the heat of the moment. The more we attempt to get a gap in there of thinking or even breating, the more chance we have to let the anger disipate and find the real source within us. The more we come at life with a happy state of mind, the easier the worst of situations will be. It's ok to not agree.
Which sounds more workable, sickness with happiness or sickness with anger? Whatever is helpful, do it.
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