Last night I saw the Michael Jackson Immortal World tour with the Cirque du Soleil. This was the third time I've seen them live and it seems like every time I see them they get better. Either they are maturing over time or I am open to more possibilities as I age.
I shall settle for both being true.
And on that note, I wanted to share something. I will happily confess that as a teenager I enjoyed Michael Jackson's music. My passion for dancing has not abated over the years and as you might imagine I spent many an afternoon learning from a master dancer with friends.
What was interesting was that during the show many memories were conjured for me. I remembered spending time with friends practicing dance moves, excited that we'd get to hit the dance floor that night. I attribute many a spin and fancy dance move to Michael and his creative genius.
I was also struck by the emotions that surfaced as I watched the creative genius of the Cirque pay tribute to this pop icon. I suspect that many of Michael's fans had a similar experience. However, I found myself observing the sensations that arose.
Instinctively I shifted into a meditative awareness. An emotion would surface and would be followed by a specific memory related to it. But the meditator in me could not help but note that this sensation, and image, would pass away. As a result I found myself fully enjoying the show. I was completely present.
On the way back to the car I found myself processing what had just happened and suddenly felt an excruciating pain in my right foot. The pain became so intense that I had to stop walking. Again, the meditator in me noted that the pain was impermanent and I told myself that it would pass away (awareness of the true nature of sensations is something that is integral to my approach to meditation). I started walking again and after a few minutes the pain was completely gone.
I immediately realized that by being present to the emotional memories from my childhood evoked by the show I had been able to allow a process of release. I had gained an insight about my childhood. But more importantly, I had facilitated whatever had needed to shift deep within my subconscious mind.
It was a magical night, but directly experiencing truth in action only added to the magic of the soul. If you find yourself in such a moment, where intense emotional memories from the past surface, strive to be present. Know that the emotions you are experiencing will inevitably pass away. Such a harmonious awareness will do much to help you release what needs to be released from the past. And who knows, by being fully present you may get to experience even more magic in the moment.
Showing posts with label Contemplation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contemplation. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Who's Driving the Car?
During a recent meditation an amusing image surfaced in my awareness I wanted to share. What popped into my mind was related to the different stages of the journey of awakening, the passengers that we acquire over time, and the people we meet along the way. Suddenly I had this image of clowns surrounding a car and trying to get into it. And then I received a couple of comments through this blog that reminded me of the clowns we can meet along the way.
I have come to believe that those we meet along the way that lash out in hate are simply tempting us to not love them. I’m grateful that I’ve recognized that regardless of the actions everyone is deserving of love. I might not like your actions but I will always love you. If you lash out at me in anger I will respond from a place of love, and through this response I will retain my truth and be in the best position to support you as you make your journey through life.
The amusement of the chaos of clowns conjured a smile at the time but there’s actually a serious realization to be had. We start our journey in a state of sleep. I’ve often felt as though life is a road trip through space and time. We need to start from a place of forgetting so that we can experience everything anew.
The master of our journey is that part of us that is an individualized aspect of God. It’s often called Spirit and it knows that the destination of our spiritual journey is ultimately to gain a harmonious awareness of our entire nature. In other words, our journey is about integration with every aspect of our experience to the point of peaceful, compassionate, and loving wholeness.
Our Spirit guides the driver, our mind, through the softly spoken voice of intuition. The unaware driver though is often too overwhelmed with the noise from the engine and those noisy passenger-clowns to really hear that inner voice. And this is understandable from a certain perspective. The driver not only represents our analytical and discerning mind but is also responsible for planning and logic. It considers the information and knowledge it has. In our state of sleep the driver doesn’t hear the gentle inner voice of intuition and as such doesn’t really know where the most meaningful destination is. The mind can see the road, the scenery and the other cars on the road. It misreads signs and often gets lost. However, the mind that is asleep thinks it is the master and knows it wants to get to the destination as quickly as possible and to have as much fun as is conceivable.
You could say that our car is our body, the engine our emotions, and that ideally the driver is our objective, analytical mind (sometimes referred to as our ego). Our master, or subjective mind, is our Spirit.
In this state of sleep our mind receives directions from the emotions that rise out of our subconscious nature. And so blindly obeying our fears our sleep-state led us unknowingly into difficult circumstances. But at some point our Spirit begins to awaken. Perhaps done with the incessant feeling of being a victim raging against the truth of love within we decided we are done.
As we begin to awaken we start to realize that we have the capacity to put our fears behind us, to control the circumstances of our lives. We start to realize that we could be our own masters. Our Spirit started to give directions to our mind. But to continue this process of awakening we have to give up blaming others. At some point we start to take personal responsibility for what moves through our consciousness and experience, because we realize that the mind is the creative factor.
Those clowns around us that lash out in hatred (our neighbours), or those clowns within that try to convince us that we are less than we are (our passengers), represent the false beliefs we have picked up on the journey. We let the clowns in our car because we do not fully understand the experiences in the world. And the thing is we’ve had some of these clowns as passengers from our earliest years. These passenger-clowns represent hidden fears that get in between us and that part of us that is Eternal Presence. We may manage to quieten these clowns but they do become active.
Sometimes we even allow them to jump into the driver’s seat. The person sharing their comments with me in response to an earlier blog would love for me to validate their perspective of the world. But I cannot do that. If I did I would be letting them drive my car. In fact, contradicting the directions of the Master is a favourite trick of a clown.
However, it is essential to remember that our passengers are a part of who we are. By seeing the truth of ourselves in spite of their promptings we can transform them into something greater. My passenger-clowns may squirt water on my face from time to time and blind me to the road but that water will eventually evaporate.
More interestingly is that our old thought-habit patterns, the clown-antics of the past, have a tendency to reflect our fears on to the people around us. When we are asleep or newly awakened we might find ourselves desiring to harm, or hide from, our neighbours as a form of aversion. We might also find ourselves desiring to have our neighbours, or their possessions, as a form of craving. And yet all aversion or craving will do is to create suffering.
The best answer I’ve come up with so far is to love my clowns. Through acts of forgiveness and harmonious awareness we dissolve away hidden fears. There are two types of people in the world: Those that blame their neighbours for their own clowns or those that take responsibility for the clowns in their car and respond from a place of love. What type of person are you?
I have come to believe that those we meet along the way that lash out in hate are simply tempting us to not love them. I’m grateful that I’ve recognized that regardless of the actions everyone is deserving of love. I might not like your actions but I will always love you. If you lash out at me in anger I will respond from a place of love, and through this response I will retain my truth and be in the best position to support you as you make your journey through life.
 |
| How Many Clowns Are In Your Car? |
The master of our journey is that part of us that is an individualized aspect of God. It’s often called Spirit and it knows that the destination of our spiritual journey is ultimately to gain a harmonious awareness of our entire nature. In other words, our journey is about integration with every aspect of our experience to the point of peaceful, compassionate, and loving wholeness.
Our Spirit guides the driver, our mind, through the softly spoken voice of intuition. The unaware driver though is often too overwhelmed with the noise from the engine and those noisy passenger-clowns to really hear that inner voice. And this is understandable from a certain perspective. The driver not only represents our analytical and discerning mind but is also responsible for planning and logic. It considers the information and knowledge it has. In our state of sleep the driver doesn’t hear the gentle inner voice of intuition and as such doesn’t really know where the most meaningful destination is. The mind can see the road, the scenery and the other cars on the road. It misreads signs and often gets lost. However, the mind that is asleep thinks it is the master and knows it wants to get to the destination as quickly as possible and to have as much fun as is conceivable.
You could say that our car is our body, the engine our emotions, and that ideally the driver is our objective, analytical mind (sometimes referred to as our ego). Our master, or subjective mind, is our Spirit.
In this state of sleep our mind receives directions from the emotions that rise out of our subconscious nature. And so blindly obeying our fears our sleep-state led us unknowingly into difficult circumstances. But at some point our Spirit begins to awaken. Perhaps done with the incessant feeling of being a victim raging against the truth of love within we decided we are done.
As we begin to awaken we start to realize that we have the capacity to put our fears behind us, to control the circumstances of our lives. We start to realize that we could be our own masters. Our Spirit started to give directions to our mind. But to continue this process of awakening we have to give up blaming others. At some point we start to take personal responsibility for what moves through our consciousness and experience, because we realize that the mind is the creative factor.
Those clowns around us that lash out in hatred (our neighbours), or those clowns within that try to convince us that we are less than we are (our passengers), represent the false beliefs we have picked up on the journey. We let the clowns in our car because we do not fully understand the experiences in the world. And the thing is we’ve had some of these clowns as passengers from our earliest years. These passenger-clowns represent hidden fears that get in between us and that part of us that is Eternal Presence. We may manage to quieten these clowns but they do become active.
Sometimes we even allow them to jump into the driver’s seat. The person sharing their comments with me in response to an earlier blog would love for me to validate their perspective of the world. But I cannot do that. If I did I would be letting them drive my car. In fact, contradicting the directions of the Master is a favourite trick of a clown.
However, it is essential to remember that our passengers are a part of who we are. By seeing the truth of ourselves in spite of their promptings we can transform them into something greater. My passenger-clowns may squirt water on my face from time to time and blind me to the road but that water will eventually evaporate.
More interestingly is that our old thought-habit patterns, the clown-antics of the past, have a tendency to reflect our fears on to the people around us. When we are asleep or newly awakened we might find ourselves desiring to harm, or hide from, our neighbours as a form of aversion. We might also find ourselves desiring to have our neighbours, or their possessions, as a form of craving. And yet all aversion or craving will do is to create suffering.
The best answer I’ve come up with so far is to love my clowns. Through acts of forgiveness and harmonious awareness we dissolve away hidden fears. There are two types of people in the world: Those that blame their neighbours for their own clowns or those that take responsibility for the clowns in their car and respond from a place of love. What type of person are you?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Why Do I Meditate? (Part III)
With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I shall leave you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.
If you’ve done much reading (or listening to masters) about meditation you’ll have likely been confronted with something along the lines of, you don’t strive to become One, you let go and surrender. For many years I kept coming across this sort of statement. And it may strike you as obvious to read this, but I’m not talking about the white-flag kind of surrender either.
At first I wanted to understand what that meant. What do you mean, let go? Let go of what? Surrender to what? Surrender to the moment? What’s the ‘moment’? And then one day, during a meditation I began to discover what all those questions were pointing toward.
It turned out that for many meditations until that point I had been improvising. I had taken an intellectual idea, assumed it as my truth, and had gone along with it. I hadn’t fully experienced surrender and only had an intellectual grasp of what it meant to let go of something I couldn’t physically touch.
In that moment I directly experienced what it was to let go. I found myself experiencing Oneness and in an instant I knew that one didn’t try to surrender – when I was confronted with Oneness I couldn’t help myself. It was as if that part of me that was Truth, individualized aspect of Spirit, was completely revealed. But this had only been made possible because I had been improvising in spiritual practice. And somehow those parts of me that had been getting in the way, like clouds in front of the sun, suddenly parted and the magnificence of it all shone through. In the face of those rays of Truth I was home.
Once you’ve glimpsed such Truth suddenly life takes on a new meaning. I wanted to play. I wanted to enjoy. I found myself in situations where people would laugh at what I would say. Suddenly, I was funny (just ask my wife – she’ll you how un-funny I used to be). The urge to be so serious about life suddenly dissolved, years of earnestness now a fading memory. Having glimpsed the Truth, the creative nature of it All had become so apparent. Spontaneity became a habit, release a pleasure – faith had been transcended by knowing and I was becoming. From that moment on I realized that I was seeing through apparent reality and surrendering to the Eternal Reality.
And once I had experienced this for myself, the yearning that had been so subtle for so many years shifted. It was grosser, more obvious. Priorities changed. Suddenly I didn’t need to ‘convince’ others with my intellectual passion and my philosophy. I stopped drinking. I became vegetarian and then vegan. It was not that I was trying to do these things, rather that old habits no longer did me. Drinking wine would not feel good and the sensations of getting drunk were far less interesting that those evoked through being fully and completely present. Meat in my stomach would feel heavy and I felt a lightness through a new approach to food that felt great. I discovered cooking. It turns out that I love to cook!
In that moment, recognizing the combined effects of meditation to this point, I knew that I was both nothing and yet everything. I had leapt into the Great Oneness and knew that logic and reasoning were insignificant. The dissolution of old habits that no longer served me began to accelerate. My whole outlook and participation in life had begun to irrevocably shift.
Through practices we purify and pacify the objective mind. We gain control of the objective mind. There was a time when I believed that the monkey mind was a derogatory term, suggesting a mischievous critter jumping through the trees, like the objective mind moves from thought to thought. With practice the objective mind becomes a tool. Like mental scientist I had discovered an instrument at my disposal. Suddenly I was beginning to realize that I could be a metaphysical surgeon, cutting away at the dis-eases of life. With practice my objective mind was starting to become more like a finely tuned instrument for life. I was struck by the effortlessness in making decisions, in somehow knowing what to do without knowing why. Indeed, the process of shifting from faith to knowing and then becoming is truly a marvel.
The objective mind offers so much potential. It is in its nature to move around. And why not – as a facilitator between the apparent reality (which is always in movement) and the Subjective Mind we need its ability to move so freely and translate this experience of space and time. Renouncing the nature of our objective mind is to set aside a part of us that we created through will, and thus to denounce something that was in actuality an expression of the One Mind.
Suddenly, the secret was laid bare. And once you have glimpsed this secret you will never be able to fully let the realization go. The secret is actually profoundly simple. It is laid bare by the wisdom to neither deny nor be tempted to forget the True Self. And the only explanation I have for this knowing and profound transformation is my practice of meditation.
If you’ve done much reading (or listening to masters) about meditation you’ll have likely been confronted with something along the lines of, you don’t strive to become One, you let go and surrender. For many years I kept coming across this sort of statement. And it may strike you as obvious to read this, but I’m not talking about the white-flag kind of surrender either.
At first I wanted to understand what that meant. What do you mean, let go? Let go of what? Surrender to what? Surrender to the moment? What’s the ‘moment’? And then one day, during a meditation I began to discover what all those questions were pointing toward.
It turned out that for many meditations until that point I had been improvising. I had taken an intellectual idea, assumed it as my truth, and had gone along with it. I hadn’t fully experienced surrender and only had an intellectual grasp of what it meant to let go of something I couldn’t physically touch.
In that moment I directly experienced what it was to let go. I found myself experiencing Oneness and in an instant I knew that one didn’t try to surrender – when I was confronted with Oneness I couldn’t help myself. It was as if that part of me that was Truth, individualized aspect of Spirit, was completely revealed. But this had only been made possible because I had been improvising in spiritual practice. And somehow those parts of me that had been getting in the way, like clouds in front of the sun, suddenly parted and the magnificence of it all shone through. In the face of those rays of Truth I was home.
Once you’ve glimpsed such Truth suddenly life takes on a new meaning. I wanted to play. I wanted to enjoy. I found myself in situations where people would laugh at what I would say. Suddenly, I was funny (just ask my wife – she’ll you how un-funny I used to be). The urge to be so serious about life suddenly dissolved, years of earnestness now a fading memory. Having glimpsed the Truth, the creative nature of it All had become so apparent. Spontaneity became a habit, release a pleasure – faith had been transcended by knowing and I was becoming. From that moment on I realized that I was seeing through apparent reality and surrendering to the Eternal Reality.
And once I had experienced this for myself, the yearning that had been so subtle for so many years shifted. It was grosser, more obvious. Priorities changed. Suddenly I didn’t need to ‘convince’ others with my intellectual passion and my philosophy. I stopped drinking. I became vegetarian and then vegan. It was not that I was trying to do these things, rather that old habits no longer did me. Drinking wine would not feel good and the sensations of getting drunk were far less interesting that those evoked through being fully and completely present. Meat in my stomach would feel heavy and I felt a lightness through a new approach to food that felt great. I discovered cooking. It turns out that I love to cook!
In that moment, recognizing the combined effects of meditation to this point, I knew that I was both nothing and yet everything. I had leapt into the Great Oneness and knew that logic and reasoning were insignificant. The dissolution of old habits that no longer served me began to accelerate. My whole outlook and participation in life had begun to irrevocably shift.
Through practices we purify and pacify the objective mind. We gain control of the objective mind. There was a time when I believed that the monkey mind was a derogatory term, suggesting a mischievous critter jumping through the trees, like the objective mind moves from thought to thought. With practice the objective mind becomes a tool. Like mental scientist I had discovered an instrument at my disposal. Suddenly I was beginning to realize that I could be a metaphysical surgeon, cutting away at the dis-eases of life. With practice my objective mind was starting to become more like a finely tuned instrument for life. I was struck by the effortlessness in making decisions, in somehow knowing what to do without knowing why. Indeed, the process of shifting from faith to knowing and then becoming is truly a marvel.
The objective mind offers so much potential. It is in its nature to move around. And why not – as a facilitator between the apparent reality (which is always in movement) and the Subjective Mind we need its ability to move so freely and translate this experience of space and time. Renouncing the nature of our objective mind is to set aside a part of us that we created through will, and thus to denounce something that was in actuality an expression of the One Mind.
Suddenly, the secret was laid bare. And once you have glimpsed this secret you will never be able to fully let the realization go. The secret is actually profoundly simple. It is laid bare by the wisdom to neither deny nor be tempted to forget the True Self. And the only explanation I have for this knowing and profound transformation is my practice of meditation.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Why Do I Medtiate? (Part II)
With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I shall leave you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.
The more I have meditated the more often I have experienced mystical moments. Trying to describe the indescribable is futile. But the closest I’ve come to articulating words for this Infinite subject is to say that such moments are sublime. There’s an expansiveness and weightlessness that transcends words. Sometimes it feels like a faded awareness of where my body ends and the air around me starts. It is as if I am expanding, and yet this expansiveness of I am is actually a re-joining. My soul’s choice to wear this garment I call a body is suddenly exposed, and with a mental and emotional gasp I sit in wonder at how beautifully peaceful, still and loving the eternal moment is. Time stops, ideas and thoughts evaporate.
And yet with experience of such moments I have come to realize that this is not the goal. Such blissful moments of expansiveness, whilst entrancing, are merely something to be enjoyed along the way, just like the apparent reality. However, the key with both is to en-joy without losing the sense of the truth; to be in the world without being seduced by it.
A question that has emerged through practice is; “Well this is nice. I wonder what will happen next.”
This question is an important one. When we do not lose ourselves to mystical, blissful moments we can continue a rich journey of discovery and development. And the journey is about experience and choice. By acknowledging the pleasure of the moment whilst reminding myself that there is yet more to seek I am not ceasing my development. If anything I am cultivating a grounded-ness that will serve me well as I continue. For I am convinced that the moment we start thinking we’ve made it is the very same moment we have succumbed to the ego’s desire. The ego wants the experience to be unchanging. And it would like nothing better, after all these years of having its duties as a prison guard being eroded, to return to as the gaoler, only in this case I would be the one handing it the keys.
The part of us that is soul, individualized incarnation of Oneness, will truly only be satisfied by a full and complete return to the One. This yearning is what drives us, and has driven so many masters and seekers to aspire and explore as the enlightened mystic. Yet, my experience, and the spiritual texts of note that I have read, has made it clear that it is only through practice that I will find my way.
I am not one of those avatars that came to earth and decided that I would be enlightened through an instant of awakening. I, like so many others, have chosen to delve deeply into the journey of discovery and will awaken gradually, sequentially and inevitably.
So far my journey of spiritual practice has taught me that the intellect alone is a poor judge at how best to spend time. My philosophical wanderings, debates, and intellectual reasoning have never brought me to dwell upon what my True Self actually is. Certainly, I’ve spun a fine series of words at times. But experience has taught me that entering into practice has done more to reveal that yearning for Self Realization than any number of steps along the path of the intellect.
I will confess that I aspire to be awakened. I wish to be in this world but not of it. My desire is to show up in every moment, armed with unconditionally loving thoughts, words and deeds.
The irony as I write this is that I know that there was a time when I thought I understood what such an aspiration meant. And in this moment I understand more than I did, and will in the future know more than I do now. What I do know in this moment is that I am yet to reveal what this fully means. But without a shadow of a doubt I know that my aspiration to be an enlightened mystic will only be realized through practice.
Over the course of my life I have made many choices and reacted to many sensations. As a child in a dysfunctional home it was not 5 years before social services placed me under a care order. In my earliest years of a being exposed to heroin (my birth father was an addict), alcohol and violence I got to experience impressions of apparent reality that were beyond my ability to process. I know what it is to be a vulnerable child. I know that the first 10 years of my life were filled with much blood, shouting, angst and abuse. And yet, regardless of how innocent and helpless I was, I reacted in those moments and in turn agreed to the expressed beliefs around me that this world worked a certain way. Over the course of the next 15 years I played these beliefs out, carved more grooves in my reservoir of memories, and so enforced the earlier memories. In short, I spent the first 25 years of my life completely lost to this world and my mind. It had me, and I was heart-brokenly seduced by it.
Spiritual practice has been necessary to counter my early years. The fears and desires of so many years needed a rebuttal. Meditation has been central to this righting of the scales. And now after many years of slowly working my way toward balance I have become very clear upon a simple truth revealed through my direct experience – meditation as a practice is serving the purpose of smoothing away the old grooves of separation and polishing in grooves of love. When my spiritual practices have served their purpose, when I have been liberated and freed from every last vestige of the pain, fear and separation I so often felt they will no longer be needed.
Before I became intimately partnered with meditation as a practice I was occupied with whatever sensations surfaced. My objective mind would analyze what arose from the depths, and like a slave I would stumble through life not even feeling the chafing of the shackles. I would wallow in emotion, lose myself to anger and act out the stories that had been passionately played for me as a child. I would see boredom as a cue to find something to do, to keep me busy. I would act upon impulses of lack, inherited from a childhood of poverty, and buy toys to support my need to be kept busy.
Meditation is a practice that cleanses the mind. I have glimpsed moments beyond description that have validated that yearning I felt so long ago. My mind feels purity more than it feels deprivation these days. When I feel a sensation of boredom I meditate or read a spiritual book. When I get done with meditation I pray. My meditation practice has inspired me to aspire for more.
The more I have meditated the more often I have experienced mystical moments. Trying to describe the indescribable is futile. But the closest I’ve come to articulating words for this Infinite subject is to say that such moments are sublime. There’s an expansiveness and weightlessness that transcends words. Sometimes it feels like a faded awareness of where my body ends and the air around me starts. It is as if I am expanding, and yet this expansiveness of I am is actually a re-joining. My soul’s choice to wear this garment I call a body is suddenly exposed, and with a mental and emotional gasp I sit in wonder at how beautifully peaceful, still and loving the eternal moment is. Time stops, ideas and thoughts evaporate.
And yet with experience of such moments I have come to realize that this is not the goal. Such blissful moments of expansiveness, whilst entrancing, are merely something to be enjoyed along the way, just like the apparent reality. However, the key with both is to en-joy without losing the sense of the truth; to be in the world without being seduced by it.
A question that has emerged through practice is; “Well this is nice. I wonder what will happen next.”
This question is an important one. When we do not lose ourselves to mystical, blissful moments we can continue a rich journey of discovery and development. And the journey is about experience and choice. By acknowledging the pleasure of the moment whilst reminding myself that there is yet more to seek I am not ceasing my development. If anything I am cultivating a grounded-ness that will serve me well as I continue. For I am convinced that the moment we start thinking we’ve made it is the very same moment we have succumbed to the ego’s desire. The ego wants the experience to be unchanging. And it would like nothing better, after all these years of having its duties as a prison guard being eroded, to return to as the gaoler, only in this case I would be the one handing it the keys.
The part of us that is soul, individualized incarnation of Oneness, will truly only be satisfied by a full and complete return to the One. This yearning is what drives us, and has driven so many masters and seekers to aspire and explore as the enlightened mystic. Yet, my experience, and the spiritual texts of note that I have read, has made it clear that it is only through practice that I will find my way.
I am not one of those avatars that came to earth and decided that I would be enlightened through an instant of awakening. I, like so many others, have chosen to delve deeply into the journey of discovery and will awaken gradually, sequentially and inevitably.
So far my journey of spiritual practice has taught me that the intellect alone is a poor judge at how best to spend time. My philosophical wanderings, debates, and intellectual reasoning have never brought me to dwell upon what my True Self actually is. Certainly, I’ve spun a fine series of words at times. But experience has taught me that entering into practice has done more to reveal that yearning for Self Realization than any number of steps along the path of the intellect.
I will confess that I aspire to be awakened. I wish to be in this world but not of it. My desire is to show up in every moment, armed with unconditionally loving thoughts, words and deeds.
The irony as I write this is that I know that there was a time when I thought I understood what such an aspiration meant. And in this moment I understand more than I did, and will in the future know more than I do now. What I do know in this moment is that I am yet to reveal what this fully means. But without a shadow of a doubt I know that my aspiration to be an enlightened mystic will only be realized through practice.
Over the course of my life I have made many choices and reacted to many sensations. As a child in a dysfunctional home it was not 5 years before social services placed me under a care order. In my earliest years of a being exposed to heroin (my birth father was an addict), alcohol and violence I got to experience impressions of apparent reality that were beyond my ability to process. I know what it is to be a vulnerable child. I know that the first 10 years of my life were filled with much blood, shouting, angst and abuse. And yet, regardless of how innocent and helpless I was, I reacted in those moments and in turn agreed to the expressed beliefs around me that this world worked a certain way. Over the course of the next 15 years I played these beliefs out, carved more grooves in my reservoir of memories, and so enforced the earlier memories. In short, I spent the first 25 years of my life completely lost to this world and my mind. It had me, and I was heart-brokenly seduced by it.
Spiritual practice has been necessary to counter my early years. The fears and desires of so many years needed a rebuttal. Meditation has been central to this righting of the scales. And now after many years of slowly working my way toward balance I have become very clear upon a simple truth revealed through my direct experience – meditation as a practice is serving the purpose of smoothing away the old grooves of separation and polishing in grooves of love. When my spiritual practices have served their purpose, when I have been liberated and freed from every last vestige of the pain, fear and separation I so often felt they will no longer be needed.
Before I became intimately partnered with meditation as a practice I was occupied with whatever sensations surfaced. My objective mind would analyze what arose from the depths, and like a slave I would stumble through life not even feeling the chafing of the shackles. I would wallow in emotion, lose myself to anger and act out the stories that had been passionately played for me as a child. I would see boredom as a cue to find something to do, to keep me busy. I would act upon impulses of lack, inherited from a childhood of poverty, and buy toys to support my need to be kept busy.
Meditation is a practice that cleanses the mind. I have glimpsed moments beyond description that have validated that yearning I felt so long ago. My mind feels purity more than it feels deprivation these days. When I feel a sensation of boredom I meditate or read a spiritual book. When I get done with meditation I pray. My meditation practice has inspired me to aspire for more.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Why Do I Meditate? (Part I)
With my departure on a 10 day meditation retreat I thought I would write a blog on why I meditate. When I began I had intended a single entry. By the time I was done I realized that I had significantly more words than would comfortably fit in a single entry. So with that in mind I’ve prepared a series of blog entries where I explore the question of why I meditate. And with technology empowering me to schedule posts when I am not even at a computer I invite you to read while I spend time in my metaphysical cave.
As I continue on my spiritual journey I'm becoming clearer about some essential realizations. The first and foremost is that the practice of meditation is the most important component of what I aspire to.
Meditation has empowered me to re-train and re-culture my mind. It has been central in my quest to uncover more about myself, which in turn has helped me to clarify my aspirations. The perseverance and determination to thrive with the practice of meditation has been a platform from which I have been able to consciously redesign my circumstances.
Those of you familiar with the spiritual practice of Affirmative Prayer (also known as Spiritual Mind Treatment) may point to that practice as a tool for conscious creation. And as someone who has spent years learning about crafting prayers I would have to agree with you. However, through meditation I have established a profound clarity, expansiveness and a direct sense of love. Combining meditation and prayer is like adding jet fuel to a moped. When I pray following meditation it always has a feel that cannot be compared to prayer alone.
Central to the Buddha's teaching on meditation was the idea that we should strive for mastery of the mind. I have rephrased this as ‘mastery of the objective mind’. The more I've delved into this practice the more I've come to realize that mastery of the objective mind is actually a skill. The more I practice using this skill the better I become at it. Over time I've gotten better at being the one that directs my objective mind, not the other way around (which used to so often be the case).
The objective mind (the analyst, critic, linear planner, and judge) is a tool and a facilitator. That part of me that is subjective mind (true self, soul, etc.) created the objective mind with will. Every time I use operate through my objective mind without awareness of the true self I blindly imprint memories, mental conditions, values and agreements beneath the surface of my consciousness.
The Buddha talked about the carving of grooves, or in the Pali language Saṅkhāra, beneath the surface of our conscious awareness. I explain it thus:
The great gift of meditation to me has been a way for me to re-train my objective mind. I've spent many hours refining such skills as focus, concentration and harmonious awareness. And the deeper I've travelled along this path the more indescribably beautiful the journey with this practice has become. Old grooves have been smoothed away (a process for which I will explain more about at a later entry in this series) and I have found an increase in my ability to concentrate. A direct effect of meditation for me has shown up in my being able to maintain a harmonious and loving awareness so much more than I used to be able to. Meditation has yielded great mental discipline for me. And because it has changed my thinking it has literally changed my life.
As I continue on my spiritual journey I'm becoming clearer about some essential realizations. The first and foremost is that the practice of meditation is the most important component of what I aspire to.
Meditation has empowered me to re-train and re-culture my mind. It has been central in my quest to uncover more about myself, which in turn has helped me to clarify my aspirations. The perseverance and determination to thrive with the practice of meditation has been a platform from which I have been able to consciously redesign my circumstances.
Those of you familiar with the spiritual practice of Affirmative Prayer (also known as Spiritual Mind Treatment) may point to that practice as a tool for conscious creation. And as someone who has spent years learning about crafting prayers I would have to agree with you. However, through meditation I have established a profound clarity, expansiveness and a direct sense of love. Combining meditation and prayer is like adding jet fuel to a moped. When I pray following meditation it always has a feel that cannot be compared to prayer alone.
Central to the Buddha's teaching on meditation was the idea that we should strive for mastery of the mind. I have rephrased this as ‘mastery of the objective mind’. The more I've delved into this practice the more I've come to realize that mastery of the objective mind is actually a skill. The more I practice using this skill the better I become at it. Over time I've gotten better at being the one that directs my objective mind, not the other way around (which used to so often be the case).
The objective mind (the analyst, critic, linear planner, and judge) is a tool and a facilitator. That part of me that is subjective mind (true self, soul, etc.) created the objective mind with will. Every time I use operate through my objective mind without awareness of the true self I blindly imprint memories, mental conditions, values and agreements beneath the surface of my consciousness.
The Buddha talked about the carving of grooves, or in the Pali language Saṅkhāra, beneath the surface of our conscious awareness. I explain it thus:
About the soul is a reservoir of memories. Each emotionally charged reaction, mental-conditioning, value, agreement, belief or attitude I dwell upon is carved like a groove upon my reservoir of memories. We have grooves that align with our aspirations and grooves that align with reactions to belief in separation. The more intense the emotional experience with that moment the deeper the groove my reactions carve.When we go through life without an awareness of what is going on beneath the surface we get caught up in the same old thing. We experience boredom. We get into a rut. The idea of feeling invigorated or renewed becomes more challenging.
The great gift of meditation to me has been a way for me to re-train my objective mind. I've spent many hours refining such skills as focus, concentration and harmonious awareness. And the deeper I've travelled along this path the more indescribably beautiful the journey with this practice has become. Old grooves have been smoothed away (a process for which I will explain more about at a later entry in this series) and I have found an increase in my ability to concentrate. A direct effect of meditation for me has shown up in my being able to maintain a harmonious and loving awareness so much more than I used to be able to. Meditation has yielded great mental discipline for me. And because it has changed my thinking it has literally changed my life.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
More Meditation...
It is confirmed. I will be on meditation retreat from August 17 to 28 - 10 days of intense meditation and service. I've no doubts as to the power of being surrounded by others doing such deep practice nor of the removal of distractions. I also count myself blessed to be able to do this retreat before September and the meditation course I'll be teaching at the Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton. A perfect way to prepare.
I have also started working on a vision for a weekly meditation gathering in Edmonton. The feedback from the 3 sessions we've done once a month through the summer has been wonderful. I keep getting the sense, signs and comments that it is time to begin creating this.
In a recent meditation I saw myself in the future (more grey hair was the giveaway). I was on stage and sitting on a meditation cushion. As I spent time contemplating this vision I had the distinct feeling that meditation is going to be central to my path of spiritual advisor and teacher. I am still cooking but the sense of something wonderful unfolding is with me every day.
I have also started working on a vision for a weekly meditation gathering in Edmonton. The feedback from the 3 sessions we've done once a month through the summer has been wonderful. I keep getting the sense, signs and comments that it is time to begin creating this.
In a recent meditation I saw myself in the future (more grey hair was the giveaway). I was on stage and sitting on a meditation cushion. As I spent time contemplating this vision I had the distinct feeling that meditation is going to be central to my path of spiritual advisor and teacher. I am still cooking but the sense of something wonderful unfolding is with me every day.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
You Have to Walk the Path Yourself
As I continue to explore the expressions of spirituality online I am struck by the abundance of quotes, texts and written discourses. Many quotes I read provide something for us to contemplate. Yet, as Krishnamurti once said, 'most of us live as mere technicians.' For all the technical understanding of how to live consciously, even when someone points the way, we must be the ones who make the journey. You have to walk the path yourself.
I once heard a story of a wise man that taught classes for seekers of Truth. Every day a young man would come to hear the master's discourses. He had listened dutifully for a couple of years. One day this same man came a little early and found the wise man alone. He approached him and spoke aloud a question that had been been forming for sometime.
"Master, I have a question that keeps arising in my mind, raising doubts."
"Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path; have them clarified. What is your question?"
"Master, for a couple of years now I have been coming to your classes, and I have noticed there are many different students, older and younger, who come to listen to you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached enlightenment or close to it. I can see that many experience change in their lives. They are better than they were before, although I cannot say they are fully enlightened. But I also notice that a large number of students, including myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse. They have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better. Why should this be, master? People come to you, such a great man and clearly a master of Truth, with such compassion. Why don't you use your power and compassion to guide them to enlightenment?"
The master smiled and said, "Young man, where do you come from?"
"Master, I was born in Bombay, India."
"I would imagine that you have thought about returning there. And if asked could tell people the best way to travel to Bombay?"
"Yes Master. I am sure I could."
"And having come from Bombay, having travelled and thought about this path many times, you must know it well?"
"Oh yes Master. I know the path very well. I might almost say that if I were blindfolded I could find it on a map."
"And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must know you are from Bombay, or at least from India?"
"Definitely. I have even discussed my hometown with other students. And there's no doubt that in between my memory and research I can describe it as well as anyone else, perhaps better."
"Then I've no doubts that others have asked you about the path from here to Bombay. Do you hide anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?"
"What is there to hide, master? I explain it to them as clearly as I can. Very plainly, master."
"And these people to whom you give such a clear explanation, do all of them reach Bombay?"
"How can that be, master? Only those who travel the entire distance to its end, only they will reach Bombay."
"This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path from here to enlightenment and so knows it perfectly. They come to me and ask, 'What is the path to englightenment?' And what is there to hide? I explain it to them clearly: 'This is the path.' If somebody just nods his head and says, 'Well said, well said, a very good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but I won't take the trouble to travel it,' then how can such a person reach the final goal? I do not carry anyone on my shoulders to take him to the final goal. Nobody can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say, 'Well, this is the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work and you will reach the final goal.' But each person has to travel themselves, has to take every step, travel every step on the path himself. He who has taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has taken a hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer the goal. He who has taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have to walk the path yourself."
The message of this story is obvious. No one can quiet our mind for us. We have to learn what is necessary to quiet the active mind. No one can reveal Eternal Presence within us, we must reveal it within ourselves. In my experience revealing Eternal Presence "comes only when the thinker and the thought are one, when there is no duality such as the thinker controlling thought."
I will continue to explore such ideas over the coming months. And yet I know that this blog, filled with words as it is, is a limited vehicle for such ideas. And regardless of the eloquence of words, it is only when we walk the path ourselves that we can possibly hope to reach the destination. Otherwise, all we will be is a technician of Love, not a Lover.
With the realization of the limitations of words alone to inspire and support you I have an exciting announcement. As you may already know I have been working with a web designer to create a new home for this blog (currently planned for before the end of July). When the new site is released meditation podcasts will be available.
I have already begun recording guided meditations. For those who prefer a shorter time in sitting I shall be publishing two to three 30 minute meditations. However, I am most excited about the series of 1 hour guided Revealing Eternal Presence Meditations, designed to be followed in order and guiding you from the very first steps of this approach through to a fully established meditation practice. You will be able to download these audio files for yourself and be guided by me in the technique of Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation (an e-mail subscription option will allow you to be automatically notified when a new podcast has been published to KnowTheFlow). These meditation podcasts will be yet one more instance of someone pointing the way. However, maintaining a daily meditation practice is a very meaningful step in making your own way toward the destination. More details will be provided once the site is launched.
The goal of making these meditations available freely on this site is to offer you an opportunity to be guided in practicing quieting your mind. Whilst these blog entries are intended to inspire and support you, it is my experience that sharing my meditation practice is a more a more significant contribution than words alone. It is my deepest hope that you are inspired by such offerings and if the time is right embark upon a most wonderful journey with me.
Know the Flow and be happy my friends.
I once heard a story of a wise man that taught classes for seekers of Truth. Every day a young man would come to hear the master's discourses. He had listened dutifully for a couple of years. One day this same man came a little early and found the wise man alone. He approached him and spoke aloud a question that had been been forming for sometime.
"Master, I have a question that keeps arising in my mind, raising doubts."
"Oh? There should not be any doubts on the path; have them clarified. What is your question?"
"Master, for a couple of years now I have been coming to your classes, and I have noticed there are many different students, older and younger, who come to listen to you. Some of them, I can see, have certainly reached enlightenment or close to it. I can see that many experience change in their lives. They are better than they were before, although I cannot say they are fully enlightened. But I also notice that a large number of students, including myself, are as they were, or sometimes they are even worse. They have not changed at all, or have not changed for the better. Why should this be, master? People come to you, such a great man and clearly a master of Truth, with such compassion. Why don't you use your power and compassion to guide them to enlightenment?"
The master smiled and said, "Young man, where do you come from?"
"Master, I was born in Bombay, India."
"I would imagine that you have thought about returning there. And if asked could tell people the best way to travel to Bombay?"
"Yes Master. I am sure I could."
"And having come from Bombay, having travelled and thought about this path many times, you must know it well?"
"Oh yes Master. I know the path very well. I might almost say that if I were blindfolded I could find it on a map."
"And your friends, those who know you well, certainly they must know you are from Bombay, or at least from India?"
"Definitely. I have even discussed my hometown with other students. And there's no doubt that in between my memory and research I can describe it as well as anyone else, perhaps better."
"Then I've no doubts that others have asked you about the path from here to Bombay. Do you hide anything or do you explain the path to them clearly?"
"What is there to hide, master? I explain it to them as clearly as I can. Very plainly, master."
"And these people to whom you give such a clear explanation, do all of them reach Bombay?"
"How can that be, master? Only those who travel the entire distance to its end, only they will reach Bombay."
"This is what I want to explain to you, young man. People keep coming to me knowing that this is someone who has walked the path from here to enlightenment and so knows it perfectly. They come to me and ask, 'What is the path to englightenment?' And what is there to hide? I explain it to them clearly: 'This is the path.' If somebody just nods his head and says, 'Well said, well said, a very good path, but I won't take a step on it; a wonderful path, but I won't take the trouble to travel it,' then how can such a person reach the final goal? I do not carry anyone on my shoulders to take him to the final goal. Nobody can carry anyone else on his shoulders to the final goal. At most, with love and compassion one can say, 'Well, this is the path, and this is how I have walked on it. You also work and you will reach the final goal.' But each person has to travel themselves, has to take every step, travel every step on the path himself. He who has taken one step on the path is one step nearer the goal. He who has taken a hundred steps is a hundred steps nearer the goal. He who has taken all the steps on the path has reached the final goal. You have to walk the path yourself."
***
The message of this story is obvious. No one can quiet our mind for us. We have to learn what is necessary to quiet the active mind. No one can reveal Eternal Presence within us, we must reveal it within ourselves. In my experience revealing Eternal Presence "comes only when the thinker and the thought are one, when there is no duality such as the thinker controlling thought."
I will continue to explore such ideas over the coming months. And yet I know that this blog, filled with words as it is, is a limited vehicle for such ideas. And regardless of the eloquence of words, it is only when we walk the path ourselves that we can possibly hope to reach the destination. Otherwise, all we will be is a technician of Love, not a Lover.
With the realization of the limitations of words alone to inspire and support you I have an exciting announcement. As you may already know I have been working with a web designer to create a new home for this blog (currently planned for before the end of July). When the new site is released meditation podcasts will be available.
I have already begun recording guided meditations. For those who prefer a shorter time in sitting I shall be publishing two to three 30 minute meditations. However, I am most excited about the series of 1 hour guided Revealing Eternal Presence Meditations, designed to be followed in order and guiding you from the very first steps of this approach through to a fully established meditation practice. You will be able to download these audio files for yourself and be guided by me in the technique of Revealing Eternal Presence Meditation (an e-mail subscription option will allow you to be automatically notified when a new podcast has been published to KnowTheFlow). These meditation podcasts will be yet one more instance of someone pointing the way. However, maintaining a daily meditation practice is a very meaningful step in making your own way toward the destination. More details will be provided once the site is launched.
The goal of making these meditations available freely on this site is to offer you an opportunity to be guided in practicing quieting your mind. Whilst these blog entries are intended to inspire and support you, it is my experience that sharing my meditation practice is a more a more significant contribution than words alone. It is my deepest hope that you are inspired by such offerings and if the time is right embark upon a most wonderful journey with me.
Know the Flow and be happy my friends.
Friday, June 3, 2011
U2 and their Platform: Please Remember the 3,000+ Non-Violent Protesters in Burmese Prisons
I had the joy to go to the U2 concert in Edmonton on June 1st. I was aware of their activism but to see it directly in action was inspiring. Through their talents and gifts they have built a massive platform that touches millions of souls. And right in the middle of what will likely stand as the best concert in my life my heart was moved.
Towards the end of the concert Bono asked us to please remember the 3,000 plus non-violent protestors in Burmese prisons. The dictatorship has renamed the country Myanmar but changing a country's name does not hide the truth. And here U2 is using their platform to spread a vital message. I wish the media would pick this sort of thing up but then I suppose that is not how news works. And for those of you who weren't there I uploaded the song to YouTube below. It was recorded in HD so you can switch to fullscreen for a clearer view.
Did you notice all those white lanterns? Each of those had the Amnesty International sign on them. And even now as I replay this video I am moved. I may not have a massive platform in this lifetime, but I am delighted by U2's effort to make such a meaningful use of their influence. Thank you guys!
It is possible that I might be in the uncertain land of copyright infringement, but I'm going to take a gamble and assume that U2 won't object to me forwarding this message. This sort of message needs to be more broadly put onto platforms. This world we live in may only be an apparent reality, but unwholesome actions warrant compassion. And sometimes compassion involves standing up for what you believe in. And raising your voice to defend others unable to defend themselves whilst you retain a balanced mindfulness and are centred in your emotions is, to my mind, a beautiful example of making the most of this life. Those 3,000+ non-violent protestors have in effect been put in prison for the crime of 'democracy', punished for the desire to express freedom and support a duly elected leader.
Influenced by both Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and by more specifically Buddhist concepts, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped found the National League for Democracy on 24 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she left the country, but she refused. She was released after 20 years of house arrest, but over 3,000 more like her are still incarcerated. More can be read about her here.
I would not consider myself overtly political. I'm actually not interested in efforts to rule countries, where the focus is on power over things and people. However, I've got a deep respect for people like Aung San Suu Kyi and Mahatma Ghandi. To stand up for the unwholesome behaviour towards others speaks to selflessness. And yet the 3,000+ non-violent protestors that are still locked up are just as prized in my heart. I am adding them to my daily prayer list. As Bono says in the video, please remember these victims, hold them in your hearts, hold them in your prayers. 3,000 souls...
Side note: If you want to see a few other pictures of the concert I've uploaded them here. 4 of them were taken on my iPhone with a photostiching app. This offers a wider field of view but may look a little fuzzy in places.
Know the Flow and be happy my friends.
Towards the end of the concert Bono asked us to please remember the 3,000 plus non-violent protestors in Burmese prisons. The dictatorship has renamed the country Myanmar but changing a country's name does not hide the truth. And here U2 is using their platform to spread a vital message. I wish the media would pick this sort of thing up but then I suppose that is not how news works. And for those of you who weren't there I uploaded the song to YouTube below. It was recorded in HD so you can switch to fullscreen for a clearer view.
Did you notice all those white lanterns? Each of those had the Amnesty International sign on them. And even now as I replay this video I am moved. I may not have a massive platform in this lifetime, but I am delighted by U2's effort to make such a meaningful use of their influence. Thank you guys!
It is possible that I might be in the uncertain land of copyright infringement, but I'm going to take a gamble and assume that U2 won't object to me forwarding this message. This sort of message needs to be more broadly put onto platforms. This world we live in may only be an apparent reality, but unwholesome actions warrant compassion. And sometimes compassion involves standing up for what you believe in. And raising your voice to defend others unable to defend themselves whilst you retain a balanced mindfulness and are centred in your emotions is, to my mind, a beautiful example of making the most of this life. Those 3,000+ non-violent protestors have in effect been put in prison for the crime of 'democracy', punished for the desire to express freedom and support a duly elected leader.
Influenced by both Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence and by more specifically Buddhist concepts, Aung San Suu Kyi entered politics to work for democratization, helped found the National League for Democracy on 24 September 1988, and was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered freedom if she left the country, but she refused. She was released after 20 years of house arrest, but over 3,000 more like her are still incarcerated. More can be read about her here.
I would not consider myself overtly political. I'm actually not interested in efforts to rule countries, where the focus is on power over things and people. However, I've got a deep respect for people like Aung San Suu Kyi and Mahatma Ghandi. To stand up for the unwholesome behaviour towards others speaks to selflessness. And yet the 3,000+ non-violent protestors that are still locked up are just as prized in my heart. I am adding them to my daily prayer list. As Bono says in the video, please remember these victims, hold them in your hearts, hold them in your prayers. 3,000 souls...
Side note: If you want to see a few other pictures of the concert I've uploaded them here. 4 of them were taken on my iPhone with a photostiching app. This offers a wider field of view but may look a little fuzzy in places.
Know the Flow and be happy my friends.
Friday, May 20, 2011
What's My Purpose? A Way to get Clear on Why
If you've ever asked yourself, why am I here, did you fail to come up with a meaningful answer? Are you currently struggling to manifest an experience that lines up with what you know you really want? If the answer is yes to both questions you may want to read on.
Have you ever read a vision statement and been confused by it. A high level and long-term vision that's hard to understand doesn't strike me as a good foundation for inspiring myself each day. But I think a vision is more than simply a pie-in-the-sky paragraph. For me a vision should clarify why I'm here, how I'm going to go about living my purpose and how I will think, speak and act as I go through life. In this blog I am going to focus on the first step of building a personal vision by answering the first question, what's my purpose?
In my experience, one of the great challenges to creating a life that really excites us, a life that pulls us out of bed and turns work into pleasure, is knowing what we want. Even if we do get clear on what we want, what happens if our desire turns out to not be quite as satisfying as we originally thought it would be when we get it? Personally, I want to be inspired about the life I live and the work I do. I want to be clear about what I do and why. I want to have a vision for myself that clarifies all this.
Perhaps the challenge is that on a personal level we need to get clearer about why we are doing things rather than where we are going? Perhaps this is why visions so often end up clouded and unclear? A couple of years ago I went through the process I'm about to share with you. The result was my purpose statement:
How did I get to that? Well, I started by thinking about what I really wanted to do in life, my self-determined reason for being in the world. In my case I had begun training to become a Licensed Practitioner (RScP) with the Centres for Spiritual Living and was very clear that I wanted to do two things. Firstly, I wanted to get my own life in spiritual order. And secondly, I felt a deep yearning to serve others in doing the same. I realized that I needed to get clear on an overarching reason for being. It wouldn't do to have someone else tell me this, or to read about it. I would have to delve into my experience to get to the heart of it.
The first realization was that with spending so much time focusing on spirituality I needed to define what spirituality meant to me. After some contemplation I came to the conclusion that spirituality for me is about the transformation of knowing Love (and note the capital L - this refers to unconditional love, the Love of the Divine). In that moment it became clear; all my work, all the classes on the path to becoming a spiritual coach, were all about transforming my knowing Love in my life.
As I dug deeper into my own purpose I realized I came back to the yearning I had to serve others. As you have no doubt already experienced as we deepen in our spiritual awareness we begin to realize that we're all connected. In turn, this connection reveals compassion and a deep-rooted desire to help others. For a long time I have been driven by a feeling of compassion as I see the suffering of others and have committed to a lifetime of service in a spiritual capacity. I arrived at the realization that I would love to help others realize what I've discovered for myself. And so the idea of inspiring and serving came to mind. It was a simple step to bring these two ideas together and in turn my purpose statement was born.
It's been some two years since I developed my purpose statement. I did make one minor change recently, tweaking the word support to serve. Your purpose may evolve over the years, but if it changes quickly or radically then maybe you've got work to do.
In closing, get clear on what you really want to do with your life. Is this something you yearn for? When you think of this it should make you smile, make your heart leap, or both. Once you're clear then finish the sentence, 'My purpose is to...' When you're done and you read it you should feel your heart move or a smile appear on your face. Reading your purpose statement should leave you with a feeling of excitement, of certainty, and a knowing that you are clear on why you are here. And you'll know you've got it right when you look at it a year or two later and it still moves you.
Have you ever read a vision statement and been confused by it. A high level and long-term vision that's hard to understand doesn't strike me as a good foundation for inspiring myself each day. But I think a vision is more than simply a pie-in-the-sky paragraph. For me a vision should clarify why I'm here, how I'm going to go about living my purpose and how I will think, speak and act as I go through life. In this blog I am going to focus on the first step of building a personal vision by answering the first question, what's my purpose?
In my experience, one of the great challenges to creating a life that really excites us, a life that pulls us out of bed and turns work into pleasure, is knowing what we want. Even if we do get clear on what we want, what happens if our desire turns out to not be quite as satisfying as we originally thought it would be when we get it? Personally, I want to be inspired about the life I live and the work I do. I want to be clear about what I do and why. I want to have a vision for myself that clarifies all this.
Perhaps the challenge is that on a personal level we need to get clearer about why we are doing things rather than where we are going? Perhaps this is why visions so often end up clouded and unclear? A couple of years ago I went through the process I'm about to share with you. The result was my purpose statement:
My purpose is to inspire and serve the transformation of knowing Love.
How did I get to that? Well, I started by thinking about what I really wanted to do in life, my self-determined reason for being in the world. In my case I had begun training to become a Licensed Practitioner (RScP) with the Centres for Spiritual Living and was very clear that I wanted to do two things. Firstly, I wanted to get my own life in spiritual order. And secondly, I felt a deep yearning to serve others in doing the same. I realized that I needed to get clear on an overarching reason for being. It wouldn't do to have someone else tell me this, or to read about it. I would have to delve into my experience to get to the heart of it.
The first realization was that with spending so much time focusing on spirituality I needed to define what spirituality meant to me. After some contemplation I came to the conclusion that spirituality for me is about the transformation of knowing Love (and note the capital L - this refers to unconditional love, the Love of the Divine). In that moment it became clear; all my work, all the classes on the path to becoming a spiritual coach, were all about transforming my knowing Love in my life.
As I dug deeper into my own purpose I realized I came back to the yearning I had to serve others. As you have no doubt already experienced as we deepen in our spiritual awareness we begin to realize that we're all connected. In turn, this connection reveals compassion and a deep-rooted desire to help others. For a long time I have been driven by a feeling of compassion as I see the suffering of others and have committed to a lifetime of service in a spiritual capacity. I arrived at the realization that I would love to help others realize what I've discovered for myself. And so the idea of inspiring and serving came to mind. It was a simple step to bring these two ideas together and in turn my purpose statement was born.
It's been some two years since I developed my purpose statement. I did make one minor change recently, tweaking the word support to serve. Your purpose may evolve over the years, but if it changes quickly or radically then maybe you've got work to do.
In closing, get clear on what you really want to do with your life. Is this something you yearn for? When you think of this it should make you smile, make your heart leap, or both. Once you're clear then finish the sentence, 'My purpose is to...' When you're done and you read it you should feel your heart move or a smile appear on your face. Reading your purpose statement should leave you with a feeling of excitement, of certainty, and a knowing that you are clear on why you are here. And you'll know you've got it right when you look at it a year or two later and it still moves you.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Quality of Compassion
I was on a meditation retreat when Osama Bin Laden was killed. As a consequence I got to read and hear about his assassination when I returned from days away focusing on awareness and equanimity. What I also recall hearing whilst away was that the harm we do to others we do to ourselves. For you see, we are all connected. We are all a part of an Infinite Spirit that gives us all life.
Imagine then for a moment the state of my mind upon being hit with newspaper photos and television images of people rejoicing in joy and screaming in delight at the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. And it has not ended there. In the press a debate is waging about the relevance of patriotism and the appropriateness of vengeance. There is a school of thought that because Osama killed so many that he deserved to be shot in the face, and that the release of his 'death face' photo is appropriate because it will bring a sense of closure.
I do not share these views. I will honour them as the choices of individuals but this tide of celebration at the death of anyone is not, and will never be, my choice regardless of the extent of their unwholesome actions. Why would I say this? In short, because I believe that compassion for all life is a paramount value and I am willing to go on the record to state this. I have compassion for those who were killed as a result of Osama's orders. I have compassion and love for those close to his victims that suffer.
However, when I think about the the harm Bin Laden did I know that in harming so many he harmed himself. There is another school of thought, one that I did not invent but I feel compelled to raise. This school of thought was taught by the Buddha and by many other masters. Simply put, one should have compassion for any agressor of any unwholesome action.
My mind boggles at the numbers surrounding Bin Laden's unwholesome choices during his life. I cannot begin to comprehend what it means to be responsible for the death of thousands. I cannot begin to comprehend the pain that many tens of thousands more have suffered as well. But I do believe that Bin Laden deserves my compassion. When I heard the news I cried. Why did I cry? Well, after a period of contemplation I have come to realize that I cried for two reasons. Firstly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of the victims. And secondly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of Bin Laden.
This may be a response that shocks you. Whether you agree or disagree with me you are invited to comment on this blog and share your opinions. However, before you post bear in mind that I am being guided by the idea that in believing in God I seek to emulate the qualities of God. I cannot believe that Spirit 'rejoiced' at Bin Laden's death and I do believe that compassion is a quality of God worth living in all moments, regardless of conditions. Just because Osama Bin Laden chose as he did does not invalidate that he was a living being, and as such an individualized expression of God. To celebrate his death is to set aside compassion and a knowing that everyone is God in action.
I choose compassion and loving-kindness regardless of conditions or opinions. Know the Flow as you go and be happy.
Imagine then for a moment the state of my mind upon being hit with newspaper photos and television images of people rejoicing in joy and screaming in delight at the news of Osama Bin Laden's death. And it has not ended there. In the press a debate is waging about the relevance of patriotism and the appropriateness of vengeance. There is a school of thought that because Osama killed so many that he deserved to be shot in the face, and that the release of his 'death face' photo is appropriate because it will bring a sense of closure.
I do not share these views. I will honour them as the choices of individuals but this tide of celebration at the death of anyone is not, and will never be, my choice regardless of the extent of their unwholesome actions. Why would I say this? In short, because I believe that compassion for all life is a paramount value and I am willing to go on the record to state this. I have compassion for those who were killed as a result of Osama's orders. I have compassion and love for those close to his victims that suffer.
However, when I think about the the harm Bin Laden did I know that in harming so many he harmed himself. There is another school of thought, one that I did not invent but I feel compelled to raise. This school of thought was taught by the Buddha and by many other masters. Simply put, one should have compassion for any agressor of any unwholesome action.
My mind boggles at the numbers surrounding Bin Laden's unwholesome choices during his life. I cannot begin to comprehend what it means to be responsible for the death of thousands. I cannot begin to comprehend the pain that many tens of thousands more have suffered as well. But I do believe that Bin Laden deserves my compassion. When I heard the news I cried. Why did I cry? Well, after a period of contemplation I have come to realize that I cried for two reasons. Firstly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of the victims. And secondly, I cried out of compassion for the suffering of Bin Laden.
This may be a response that shocks you. Whether you agree or disagree with me you are invited to comment on this blog and share your opinions. However, before you post bear in mind that I am being guided by the idea that in believing in God I seek to emulate the qualities of God. I cannot believe that Spirit 'rejoiced' at Bin Laden's death and I do believe that compassion is a quality of God worth living in all moments, regardless of conditions. Just because Osama Bin Laden chose as he did does not invalidate that he was a living being, and as such an individualized expression of God. To celebrate his death is to set aside compassion and a knowing that everyone is God in action.
I choose compassion and loving-kindness regardless of conditions or opinions. Know the Flow as you go and be happy.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Spirituality and Social Media
I was sent a link to a USA Today article about Pastors flocking to Facebook. This article came as no surprise to me. After all, I've been using this blog, Facebook and Twitter as a Practitioner. However, elements of this article did stand out and inspired this blog.
There are a few points that come to mind as I read this. Firstly, Facebook is not a marriage killer. Facebook is a way to connect with friends. If a marriage is already at risk, then Facebook will make it easier to connect with others. But if a marriage is already suffering from emotional connection and intimacy then Facebook will not be the cause of the end of the marriage. I would much rather look at cause than symptom. But then as I prepare to enter Ministerial training such comments help me to clarify my own vision for Ministry.
The idea of 'fasting from facebook' is actually quite interesting. The key though I think is to be clear about why you've chosen to fast in the first place. If this is about separating oneself from the attachment from Facebook or blogging (such as I have just done for a couple of weeks) as a part of showing an attachment whatfor, then I think there is value in that.
And as for the Pope's comment, I think there's merit to human and real life connection. But I think the comment is a bit of a glossary. It provides a snapshot into an idea that is much more complex than how it's presented. Do you honestly think that people will choose sending you a facebook message when they're face to face with you? Of course not. Is it possible that I might be motivated to go out less often because I connect with you on Facebook? Maybe. But then, sometimes it is nice to sit in the comfort of your own home and engage with friends on your own terms. Don't feel in the mood for chatting? Then review your inbox at your own pace. However, the real benefit of Facebook is that it actually provides a way to build relationships with your real life friends because it offers a chance to build on that real life bond. In addition, it also provides opportunities to connect with friends of friends.
But beyond all this is an unshakable reality; humans crave relationship. I have come to believe that a central reason for this is that relationships provide us a mirror for our journey. Our friends and experiences with them provide us with awareness and fulfillment, and a chance to evolve in ways we could not do so alone.
I really did appreciate the example about a single mother posting a thank-you comment. The pastor's response was great and an excellent example of my earlier point; Facebook offers an opportunity to connect away from real life meetings and to build on the relationship overall. And in my opinion those spiritual leaders that talk about connecting with younger community members really are getting the idea.
I am glad to say that the Centres for Spiritual Living already operate a very democratic way. The Religion I've brought into is all about suggesting ways in 'how' one might think and leaves the 'what to think' to the individual (and I'd have it no other way). And the upcoming merger of the International and United Centres for Spiritual Living excites me on so many levels. Not only is this a reverse of the trend of religious organizations splitting, but more importantly the definition of member communities (Centres and the like) is being relaxed to allow the inclusion of virtual, or on-line, Centres. Dr. Kenn Gordon, the current President of the ICSL really gets the potential of the Internet and spiritual community.
My vision around spirituality, and my Ministerial vision, and the Internet has evolved over the past 5 years or so. I won't be surprised to reflect on this post in 5 years time and smile at how much it has evolved since now. But regardless of what technology offers, and how it influences the human dynamic, it is still an expression of form. It is the consciousness of the people behind the form (the technology and tools) that matters most. Personally, I don't self-censor my posts based on who might read them. I look to Social Media as a mirror. If my comments, tweets and blog posts are depressing that's probably a reflection of where I am at. And when you think about it, aren't your friends also a mirror?
"Social media use hasn't won universal blessings from religious leaders. Last month, a New Jersey minister called Facebook a marriage killer. A group of New York rabbis blogged about whether people should "fast from Facebook" during Passover. And last year, Pope Benedict XVI warned Roman Catholics not to allow virtual connections to overshadow real ones."
There are a few points that come to mind as I read this. Firstly, Facebook is not a marriage killer. Facebook is a way to connect with friends. If a marriage is already at risk, then Facebook will make it easier to connect with others. But if a marriage is already suffering from emotional connection and intimacy then Facebook will not be the cause of the end of the marriage. I would much rather look at cause than symptom. But then as I prepare to enter Ministerial training such comments help me to clarify my own vision for Ministry.
The idea of 'fasting from facebook' is actually quite interesting. The key though I think is to be clear about why you've chosen to fast in the first place. If this is about separating oneself from the attachment from Facebook or blogging (such as I have just done for a couple of weeks) as a part of showing an attachment whatfor, then I think there is value in that.
And as for the Pope's comment, I think there's merit to human and real life connection. But I think the comment is a bit of a glossary. It provides a snapshot into an idea that is much more complex than how it's presented. Do you honestly think that people will choose sending you a facebook message when they're face to face with you? Of course not. Is it possible that I might be motivated to go out less often because I connect with you on Facebook? Maybe. But then, sometimes it is nice to sit in the comfort of your own home and engage with friends on your own terms. Don't feel in the mood for chatting? Then review your inbox at your own pace. However, the real benefit of Facebook is that it actually provides a way to build relationships with your real life friends because it offers a chance to build on that real life bond. In addition, it also provides opportunities to connect with friends of friends.
But beyond all this is an unshakable reality; humans crave relationship. I have come to believe that a central reason for this is that relationships provide us a mirror for our journey. Our friends and experiences with them provide us with awareness and fulfillment, and a chance to evolve in ways we could not do so alone.
I really did appreciate the example about a single mother posting a thank-you comment. The pastor's response was great and an excellent example of my earlier point; Facebook offers an opportunity to connect away from real life meetings and to build on the relationship overall. And in my opinion those spiritual leaders that talk about connecting with younger community members really are getting the idea.
I am glad to say that the Centres for Spiritual Living already operate a very democratic way. The Religion I've brought into is all about suggesting ways in 'how' one might think and leaves the 'what to think' to the individual (and I'd have it no other way). And the upcoming merger of the International and United Centres for Spiritual Living excites me on so many levels. Not only is this a reverse of the trend of religious organizations splitting, but more importantly the definition of member communities (Centres and the like) is being relaxed to allow the inclusion of virtual, or on-line, Centres. Dr. Kenn Gordon, the current President of the ICSL really gets the potential of the Internet and spiritual community.
My vision around spirituality, and my Ministerial vision, and the Internet has evolved over the past 5 years or so. I won't be surprised to reflect on this post in 5 years time and smile at how much it has evolved since now. But regardless of what technology offers, and how it influences the human dynamic, it is still an expression of form. It is the consciousness of the people behind the form (the technology and tools) that matters most. Personally, I don't self-censor my posts based on who might read them. I look to Social Media as a mirror. If my comments, tweets and blog posts are depressing that's probably a reflection of where I am at. And when you think about it, aren't your friends also a mirror?
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Acknowledgement
This past Monday I went through the final step of my journey toward becoming a Licensed Practitioner with the International Centres for Spiritual Living. After some 6 years of study and in particular the past 2 years as a result of Practitioner training I am now a submission of paperwork away from this milestone. In turn, next year I plan on entering into Ministerial studies.
And yet for as much as this milestone might have brought me delight I have spent the past week in contemplation. I did not rush to blog about the success. At first I was not clear on this. I did post a tweet and an update to my Facebook account. I was struck by two sides to this experience. On one side many friends offered me lovely comments and congratulations. I remarked upon this to my wife and she offered me deep wisdom. She spoke that for as much as I might have spent many hours posting blogs and tweets, many of such words shared were more about an ideal than about me. The news of my passing the oral panel was a real story about me. This real side of me is something that others can relate to, and in turn respond to. The flood of comments compared to any other tweet or blog was significant. I do from time to time get a comment or an email about the inspiration that my words will sometimes provide. But in truth as I consider the deep wisdom shared with me I realized that something was shifting within.
I am, I confess, evaluating the motive behind my blogs and tweets. Back in January 2009 when I started this blog as a way of committing to Journalling on my Practitioner training I was telling myself that my entries were a form of spiritual practice. However, nearly 2 years and close to 200 blog posts later I believe that an examination of motives is well overdue. I realized that over time I had sometimes blogged because I felt that there would be expectation from others that I blogged. And then as is often the case I found my period of reflection interrupted by a comment around acknowledgement. The central idea is that if we seek to put ourselves out 'there' we must be mindful of whether we are actually seeking acknowledgement. And if we are seeking acknowledgement from others there is this subtle sense of separation that comes from forgetting that the truest acknowledgement is not to be found from outside of ourselves.
I thought about this and came to a conclusion. I do not believe I have shifted into blogging with this desire as the central driving force. But I will confess that this experience has awakened in me a realization of the deep work I have to do. I do not need to check the site statistics to see who visits this blog. And yet I have been. I do not need to be concerned if one or one thousand people come in a month, a week, or a day. In fact, if we do things with the motive of inspiring consciousness it should be because we have the deepest faith that God is in all. And the risk of seeking to write blogs with such eloquence will do little for me if through my words I create an artificial barrier to who I really am.
I have a longing and a deep yearning to live in awareness. I think that in subtle ways I have become to distracted to this. The road to Practitioner is an allure in this regard. It is a path that focuses on training you to enter into service to others. And yet for this, or the path of Ministry, all work must start with the self. I realized that the deepest work I have yet to do is to find myself in such a state that I am inspired and transformed in the ways of knowing Love. In such a state of awareness Practitioner consciousness and Minstry will effortlessly follow.
And so, for as much as I share this good news with you, I do want you to know that I am going through a form of transformation. I may blog less frequently, or more. I may tweet less frequently, or more. I will be deleting the site monitor after this blog and most certainly not checking on the number of followers on Twitter. But whatever I do, I shall be connecting to a deep and abiding knowing that in the One Mind I have perfect acknowledgement. Any other form of acknowledgement is a shadow that pales under this Light of Truth. This is who and where I am, and is an expression of intimacy. I am allowing you to see into me through these blogs. And whatever you may see there know that I am focused on the deep work I must do. If such sharing should inspire you, then I shall be humbled, but my need to be acknowledged by you will be silent.
That is good work indeed. Perhaps I am ready to be a Licensed Practitioner after all. Know the Flow as you go, brothers and sisters in Light.
And yet for as much as this milestone might have brought me delight I have spent the past week in contemplation. I did not rush to blog about the success. At first I was not clear on this. I did post a tweet and an update to my Facebook account. I was struck by two sides to this experience. On one side many friends offered me lovely comments and congratulations. I remarked upon this to my wife and she offered me deep wisdom. She spoke that for as much as I might have spent many hours posting blogs and tweets, many of such words shared were more about an ideal than about me. The news of my passing the oral panel was a real story about me. This real side of me is something that others can relate to, and in turn respond to. The flood of comments compared to any other tweet or blog was significant. I do from time to time get a comment or an email about the inspiration that my words will sometimes provide. But in truth as I consider the deep wisdom shared with me I realized that something was shifting within.
I am, I confess, evaluating the motive behind my blogs and tweets. Back in January 2009 when I started this blog as a way of committing to Journalling on my Practitioner training I was telling myself that my entries were a form of spiritual practice. However, nearly 2 years and close to 200 blog posts later I believe that an examination of motives is well overdue. I realized that over time I had sometimes blogged because I felt that there would be expectation from others that I blogged. And then as is often the case I found my period of reflection interrupted by a comment around acknowledgement. The central idea is that if we seek to put ourselves out 'there' we must be mindful of whether we are actually seeking acknowledgement. And if we are seeking acknowledgement from others there is this subtle sense of separation that comes from forgetting that the truest acknowledgement is not to be found from outside of ourselves.
I thought about this and came to a conclusion. I do not believe I have shifted into blogging with this desire as the central driving force. But I will confess that this experience has awakened in me a realization of the deep work I have to do. I do not need to check the site statistics to see who visits this blog. And yet I have been. I do not need to be concerned if one or one thousand people come in a month, a week, or a day. In fact, if we do things with the motive of inspiring consciousness it should be because we have the deepest faith that God is in all. And the risk of seeking to write blogs with such eloquence will do little for me if through my words I create an artificial barrier to who I really am.
I have a longing and a deep yearning to live in awareness. I think that in subtle ways I have become to distracted to this. The road to Practitioner is an allure in this regard. It is a path that focuses on training you to enter into service to others. And yet for this, or the path of Ministry, all work must start with the self. I realized that the deepest work I have yet to do is to find myself in such a state that I am inspired and transformed in the ways of knowing Love. In such a state of awareness Practitioner consciousness and Minstry will effortlessly follow.
And so, for as much as I share this good news with you, I do want you to know that I am going through a form of transformation. I may blog less frequently, or more. I may tweet less frequently, or more. I will be deleting the site monitor after this blog and most certainly not checking on the number of followers on Twitter. But whatever I do, I shall be connecting to a deep and abiding knowing that in the One Mind I have perfect acknowledgement. Any other form of acknowledgement is a shadow that pales under this Light of Truth. This is who and where I am, and is an expression of intimacy. I am allowing you to see into me through these blogs. And whatever you may see there know that I am focused on the deep work I must do. If such sharing should inspire you, then I shall be humbled, but my need to be acknowledged by you will be silent.
That is good work indeed. Perhaps I am ready to be a Licensed Practitioner after all. Know the Flow as you go, brothers and sisters in Light.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The Dalai Lama Tweets. How Cool is That?
Have you heard of Twitter? No? Well, I've got to tell you that it is actually a profound tool for spiritual practice. Don't believe me? Well, did you know the the Dalai Lama tweets? That's right. He tweets as @DalaiLama and I love that pretty much every day he tweets a nugget of consciousness.
Today I got a tweet from the His Holiness the Dalai Lama that read as follows:
Anything, any practice, or any belief system that we have that distracts us from allowing the Divine to shine through us warrants mindfulness. And as I started to think about this I was inspired to look at the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti:
The Dalai Lama's genius in this morning's Tweet was many-fold. However, a couple of things are clear to me. I agree that the path to Truth is littered with good hearts and universal responsibility. Our conceptual thoughts about our religion are only worthy if such thoughts are allowed to empower acceptance and loving debate. And the path we each take is a moving, fluid set of experiences all designed to stimulate us into remembering why we are here. If we find ourselves frozen upon the glacier of dogma and theology the attachment is as self-defeating as harming another.
The Dalai Lama Tweets! I hope that in reading this blog you now have an appreciation of how a technology such as Twitter can be a tool to support spiritual practice. His tweet inspired me to write this blog, and given that you've gotten to this point in my post, his tweet has also inspired you in spiritual contemplation. How cool is that?
Today I got a tweet from the His Holiness the Dalai Lama that read as follows:
"I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion."Given the consciousness of this living avatar I'm never surprised by the awareness that he brings to his tweets. But his tweet today really jumped out at me. As I got to the word 'religion' a word jumped into my mind - Attachment. And then, as is often the case in such moments, I shifted into contemplation mode. The conversation in my head went thus:
"Oh that's interesting, I wonder why the word 'attachment' surfaced in that moment?"And then I paused. At that point the conversation shifted to the level of feelings and words that would be harder to capture in writing. But in short, the point that I wanted to make with this blog, and that was inspired by HHDL, is that religion is as slippery slope as anything else that can lead us to attachment. What do I mean by that?
"Well, it surfaced when I got to the word 'religion'"
"Ooooo...interesting. Perhaps these words are associating themselves because the DL is trying to say that the outcomes associated with religion (acting with a good heart and maintaining a constant state of universal responsibility) don't require religion? It feels like an inner message is that religion is just a path, a vehicle, that helps us to develop and refine such a state?"
Anything, any practice, or any belief system that we have that distracts us from allowing the Divine to shine through us warrants mindfulness. And as I started to think about this I was inspired to look at the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti:
"Religion is the frozen thought of man out of which they build temples."
"All ideologies are idiotic, whether religious or political, for it is conceptual thinking, the conceptual word, which has so unfortunately divided man."
"I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect."Granted, Krishnamurti and the Dalai Lama are examples of individuals who made the decision very early on to awaken. And I acknowledge that when Krishnamurti talks about a 'pathless land' he is speaking about an ideal. For many of us religion is a wonderful path that can allow, supports, and empower us to expand the knowing of success, abundance and love in our lives every day. But the message within these words, inspired by Twitter, is that if religion becomes a path that you insist is the only way then you have become attached. And in attachment you cannot find liberation.
The Dalai Lama's genius in this morning's Tweet was many-fold. However, a couple of things are clear to me. I agree that the path to Truth is littered with good hearts and universal responsibility. Our conceptual thoughts about our religion are only worthy if such thoughts are allowed to empower acceptance and loving debate. And the path we each take is a moving, fluid set of experiences all designed to stimulate us into remembering why we are here. If we find ourselves frozen upon the glacier of dogma and theology the attachment is as self-defeating as harming another.
The Dalai Lama Tweets! I hope that in reading this blog you now have an appreciation of how a technology such as Twitter can be a tool to support spiritual practice. His tweet inspired me to write this blog, and given that you've gotten to this point in my post, his tweet has also inspired you in spiritual contemplation. How cool is that?
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Being and Repression
I was speaking with a friend yesterday over tea and he mentioned an observation he had had during a retreat he had been on. He spoke about the idea of repression, and that he believed that in many cases those walking the spiritual path had listened to the guru or the teacher, who had said 'do not be angry or sad' and had decided to repress this. In time, this might lead to depression or some form of imbalance.
As I contemplate this I think that the guru's words are right but the manner in which the words have been interpreted is off. At least, this contemplation is a work in progress and what I understand in this moment. It occurs to me that "do not be angry" must be examined. If your spiritual teacher said that to you what would you do?
Perhaps you might hear it and figure, I must not be angry. You might respond by thinking that you should never get angry, that you should not lose your temper. This might sound like a good idea. But it is not liberating. As the Buddha advised we must neither cling nor deny. We must take the middle path. Extending this idea to this topic that would mean that setting an intent to never get angry is a denial. You would in effect be pushing anger away.
And this would apply to fear. This would apply to a physical reaction where the body reacts by producing adrenelin. This in turn might cause physical shaking. Would it be of value to berate yourself for feeling fear or anger, or for the fact that your body produced chemicals to heighten your awareness?
I think what the key word is BE. Do not BE angry. Do you not lose yourself to it. Observe the anger. Say, 'oh look at that, I am angry.' Ideally you would be an obsever of the and sit with the emotion until it had left of its own accord. You would observe the body, its reactions, sensations, as well as your emotions, feelings, and other responses in your mind. As a wise man once said, it is well to acknowledge the anger and to not collapse into it.
Being on the spiritual journey is key. Repression is a lost opportunity to observe. Practicing being with your emotional reactions and feelings is an opportunity to come to know yourself better. I shall share a final story. Tonight I was stopped by the police whilst driving. The reason, when I turned at a turning light I shifted into the right lane instead of the left most lane. He didn't give me a ticket, but merely said that everyone does it and they want to educate people. As I contemplate this event a few things occur. For one thing I remember a while before turning on another turn during an orange turning light. I think they spotted me then and wanted to pull me over. I think that he was looking for a reason and all he had was that flimsy excuse. I recall feeling adrenalin and my hands shaking as I pulled my license out. I was less aware in that moment. As I look back a part of me knows that I am still barely a beginner on this journey. I am working on waking up. But one thing is for sure, if I was posting about disappointed I am in myself and that I should focus on not having shaking hands in the future, or experiencing adrenelin working through my system I would be missing something. I might miss that at some level this experience was God in action. The insight of the orange light tells me that had I slowed down the cop would not have noticed me and then followed me for 10 minutes until he found his flimsy excuse. As I look back I knew he was going to pull me over and was waiting. I even chose the gas station to pull over at to offer him the option to continue on. But in that turn I broke a rule and he had what he needed.
And do you notice the irony? In subtle and small ways I was asleep. I was focused on him, not clearing my mind. I was focused on what he would do, how I should drive. When stopped, I was focused on my shaking hands. I didn't have fear, but as I look back I know I am only just beginning the process of waking up. I celebrate this experience. And as I contemplated this later I was inspired by thoughts that led to this blog. But thankfully, at no point have I denied what I should be, or doing. I recognize that I simply need to be the observer. Repression is not being.
As I contemplate this I think that the guru's words are right but the manner in which the words have been interpreted is off. At least, this contemplation is a work in progress and what I understand in this moment. It occurs to me that "do not be angry" must be examined. If your spiritual teacher said that to you what would you do?
Perhaps you might hear it and figure, I must not be angry. You might respond by thinking that you should never get angry, that you should not lose your temper. This might sound like a good idea. But it is not liberating. As the Buddha advised we must neither cling nor deny. We must take the middle path. Extending this idea to this topic that would mean that setting an intent to never get angry is a denial. You would in effect be pushing anger away.
And this would apply to fear. This would apply to a physical reaction where the body reacts by producing adrenelin. This in turn might cause physical shaking. Would it be of value to berate yourself for feeling fear or anger, or for the fact that your body produced chemicals to heighten your awareness?
I think what the key word is BE. Do not BE angry. Do you not lose yourself to it. Observe the anger. Say, 'oh look at that, I am angry.' Ideally you would be an obsever of the and sit with the emotion until it had left of its own accord. You would observe the body, its reactions, sensations, as well as your emotions, feelings, and other responses in your mind. As a wise man once said, it is well to acknowledge the anger and to not collapse into it.
Being on the spiritual journey is key. Repression is a lost opportunity to observe. Practicing being with your emotional reactions and feelings is an opportunity to come to know yourself better. I shall share a final story. Tonight I was stopped by the police whilst driving. The reason, when I turned at a turning light I shifted into the right lane instead of the left most lane. He didn't give me a ticket, but merely said that everyone does it and they want to educate people. As I contemplate this event a few things occur. For one thing I remember a while before turning on another turn during an orange turning light. I think they spotted me then and wanted to pull me over. I think that he was looking for a reason and all he had was that flimsy excuse. I recall feeling adrenalin and my hands shaking as I pulled my license out. I was less aware in that moment. As I look back a part of me knows that I am still barely a beginner on this journey. I am working on waking up. But one thing is for sure, if I was posting about disappointed I am in myself and that I should focus on not having shaking hands in the future, or experiencing adrenelin working through my system I would be missing something. I might miss that at some level this experience was God in action. The insight of the orange light tells me that had I slowed down the cop would not have noticed me and then followed me for 10 minutes until he found his flimsy excuse. As I look back I knew he was going to pull me over and was waiting. I even chose the gas station to pull over at to offer him the option to continue on. But in that turn I broke a rule and he had what he needed.
And do you notice the irony? In subtle and small ways I was asleep. I was focused on him, not clearing my mind. I was focused on what he would do, how I should drive. When stopped, I was focused on my shaking hands. I didn't have fear, but as I look back I know I am only just beginning the process of waking up. I celebrate this experience. And as I contemplated this later I was inspired by thoughts that led to this blog. But thankfully, at no point have I denied what I should be, or doing. I recognize that I simply need to be the observer. Repression is not being.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Meditation Stories
I've been meaning to write this blog for nearly a week now. But with how things have been moving it's simply not happened. The story I really wanted to share concerned sitting in an airport lounge waiting to board the plane. I happened to be meditating as I often do when things are quiet when my 3 and a half year old daughter obviously felt the need to engage with daddy. Noticing that my eyes were closed she said, "Daddy, stop meditating!" Of course, I immediately stopped and enjoyed some time with her before we eventually got onto the plane.
But really stood out for me, above and beyond how adorable that experience was, was that my three year old daughter not only knows the word meditation but can recognize it. I was certainly never exposed to such ideas as a child and I get the feeling that as the population that's beginning to awake starts to expand that more and more children are going to grow up with such examples. And in turn this just gets me to thinking about the unfolding consciousness that is ever expanding. When people try and tell me that things are getting worse I simply cannot agree with them. I believe this is a very exciting time to be alive. I also look forward to the younger generations coming into their own.
On the topic of meditation I did have an amazing experience to also share. The Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, had a Board retreat yesterday. My being involved stems back to the Circle of Love. At the retreat I'd happened to mention to Patrick Cameron that I was applying to be a volunteer instructor with the Board Development Program in Alberta (and I have an interview this Wednesday). This is an excellent opportunity to serve non-profit boards in delivering best practices in governance. When he heard this he asked me if I'd like to observe the upcoming Board retreat. I agreed, but on the condition that I could simply observe and hold the space as a Practitioner.
Well, that day was yesterday. I arrived at 9am, pulled up a chair at the back of the room, and then spent the day in meditation and prayer. I cannot stress how beautiful the experience was. Ironically, a couple of years ago I had served on the board as Vice President but had stepped back for a few reasons. Firstly, I was beginning my Practitioner studies and wanted to focus. I also felt that the board experience and how it was functioning was off for me. In short, I don't believe I was ready for the role.
Yesterday though I got to sit in silence. In fact, even when questions came up about the past, that I could have answered, I remained silent. I spent the day focusing on the Divine within everyone present expressing itself. At many points during the day I was entranced by the expression and explosion of Spirit in the room, marvelling at the gifts and talents being revealed. A few times my mind did wander, but in 5-10 seconds I found myself pulling myself back to empty mind. I also felt my heart filled, as if as Rumi put it, I was looking through the eyes of the heart.
As I think on this 7 hour meditation experience I was truly gifted to have been in such service. I can still feel the echo of yesterday and would enter into such service again in a heartbeat. As I compare the experience of being on the board and being a Practitioner for the board the latter is undoubtedly the more profound experience.
But really stood out for me, above and beyond how adorable that experience was, was that my three year old daughter not only knows the word meditation but can recognize it. I was certainly never exposed to such ideas as a child and I get the feeling that as the population that's beginning to awake starts to expand that more and more children are going to grow up with such examples. And in turn this just gets me to thinking about the unfolding consciousness that is ever expanding. When people try and tell me that things are getting worse I simply cannot agree with them. I believe this is a very exciting time to be alive. I also look forward to the younger generations coming into their own.
On the topic of meditation I did have an amazing experience to also share. The Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton, had a Board retreat yesterday. My being involved stems back to the Circle of Love. At the retreat I'd happened to mention to Patrick Cameron that I was applying to be a volunteer instructor with the Board Development Program in Alberta (and I have an interview this Wednesday). This is an excellent opportunity to serve non-profit boards in delivering best practices in governance. When he heard this he asked me if I'd like to observe the upcoming Board retreat. I agreed, but on the condition that I could simply observe and hold the space as a Practitioner.
Well, that day was yesterday. I arrived at 9am, pulled up a chair at the back of the room, and then spent the day in meditation and prayer. I cannot stress how beautiful the experience was. Ironically, a couple of years ago I had served on the board as Vice President but had stepped back for a few reasons. Firstly, I was beginning my Practitioner studies and wanted to focus. I also felt that the board experience and how it was functioning was off for me. In short, I don't believe I was ready for the role.
Yesterday though I got to sit in silence. In fact, even when questions came up about the past, that I could have answered, I remained silent. I spent the day focusing on the Divine within everyone present expressing itself. At many points during the day I was entranced by the expression and explosion of Spirit in the room, marvelling at the gifts and talents being revealed. A few times my mind did wander, but in 5-10 seconds I found myself pulling myself back to empty mind. I also felt my heart filled, as if as Rumi put it, I was looking through the eyes of the heart.
As I think on this 7 hour meditation experience I was truly gifted to have been in such service. I can still feel the echo of yesterday and would enter into such service again in a heartbeat. As I compare the experience of being on the board and being a Practitioner for the board the latter is undoubtedly the more profound experience.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Acceptance and BS
Last night's meditation was followed up with a great series of questions and discussion. One of the words that kept coming up was the idea of acceptance. And wouldn't you know it - when I am busy contemplating an idea something lands in my lap to stoke the flames of consideration and empower the refinement of the idea.
The idea of acceptance is central to the idea of 'interfaith'. As a concept acceptance might be regarded as difficult to some. This might be because truly accepting the idea of interfaith, as the Dalai Lama would suggest, calls upon one to evaluate their relationship with one's own religion. But what is religion? http://www.dictionary.com/ says that religion is:
More and more each day I am reminded that the spiritual path is a truly individual one. Spirituality for me is about becoming love in action. And I am not talking about romantic love. I am talking about deep spiritual love. The kind of love that sits and has tea with other words like kindness. The kind of love that inspires me to get up in the morning, do my yoga, and as my forehead is touched to the ground to say, "may I be allowed to serve this day."
In my relatively short life I have also come to realize that my unique journey has brought me to where I am today. I would have it no other way, nor do I practice regret. I celebrate that I am continually evolving my ideas of understanding my Belief System (or BS for short). All of the challenges I have encountered have deepened and stretched me. I have never been given more than I can handle. And as I look to my life I am filled with gratitude for who I am today. I spend as many moments focusing on love and acceptance as I can. Compassion and a sense of overflowing love for all that I see fills my days. If I took any any experiences of the past would I be where I am now? Would I benefit from Divine subtraction? I cannot know. Perhaps only the Infinite consciousness of the Divine can know that.
A belief I have then is that any effort to convince another of what they should, or should not, believe in is flawed. No individual person, or organization has an infinite consciousness. No one person, Minister, Rabbi, or Guru can know what is best for you. Only you can discover what your truth is to you.
Another question that was asked centered around the idea of having the urge to convince others about the Belief System (or BS) that you have that has you so excited. But to this I urge you seek silence before words. So what if others are asleep? What does it matter to you? I once read that the urge to convince another about why your BS is so amazing is really a projection of your own insecurities about the beliefs you live and carry. Certainly, I am here blogging about my beliefs, but I have no expectations of you regarding what I write. In fact, I wholeheartedly invite you, as Don Miguel Ruiz would suggest, to not believe a word that I say. Every night when I start the meditation circle with an affirmative prayer I encourage participants to accept what resonates as truth and let all other words pass them by.
Acceptance is tied very closely to compassion. And it might be debated that the spirit of compassion forms the ethical heart of all religions. I think that the starting point for those who follow a set of beliefs and practices, and prescribe to religion, is to respect the right of others to hold their own beliefs. And in turn, I think a more refined level of awareness is to celebrate that others have come to where they are, and are striving to live the spirit of compassion in their lives. As I prepare for Ministerial studies you can bet that this will be a core element of the platform upon which I stand.
I really would have it no other way. I am seeing less bad in the world, mainly because there is less bad in me. More and more each day I come to recognize the changable nature of this world we live in and the eternal nature of the Infinite Consciousness I like to call God. What if all the stuff you've been labelling as bad is actually God expanding an awareness of itself? What if the challenges, trials, and objectionable content of life that you label as bad is actually the fuel of an expanding awareness? If anything, the clearer I become about my spirituality the more I celebrate that I had to make some really interesting choices while sleepwalking to be who I am today.
Or put more simply, has anyone ever really managed to change your belief system because of something they said, or did to you? I would suggest that if you looked back on your life that you might come to conclude, as I have, that the true shifts in my BS came because I came to a realization for myself. Certainly, I may have heard an intellectual idea, or have been inspired by the feeling an event or person evoked. But in the end, my choice to change who I am was always my choice. And my choices have always been made upon the foundation of who I was at that point. Why would I want to take that from you as you live your life?
No, I would have it no other way. And if anything, should an individual, organization, religion, or event, trigger discomfort and the reaction to resist (not accept) within me, then I see that as an opportunity for contemplation. What part of my BS is offending my Divine self?
The idea of acceptance is central to the idea of 'interfaith'. As a concept acceptance might be regarded as difficult to some. This might be because truly accepting the idea of interfaith, as the Dalai Lama would suggest, calls upon one to evaluate their relationship with one's own religion. But what is religion? http://www.dictionary.com/ says that religion is:
"a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion."So religion is about beliefs and practices then? I found this course of enquiry interesting. As someone who is preparing to enter into Ministerial studies I am clear about my beliefs in this moment and look to my spiritual practices as a key foundation of my life. And yet as was pointed out by a participant last night even attachment to our beliefs has the potential to lead to suffering. What if the Dalai Lama is indeed correct in saying that no one religion can meet all of humanity's needs? Or more interestingly, what if the point of religion is to help us find and then embody our own spiritual yearning? And what might I mean by this?
More and more each day I am reminded that the spiritual path is a truly individual one. Spirituality for me is about becoming love in action. And I am not talking about romantic love. I am talking about deep spiritual love. The kind of love that sits and has tea with other words like kindness. The kind of love that inspires me to get up in the morning, do my yoga, and as my forehead is touched to the ground to say, "may I be allowed to serve this day."
In my relatively short life I have also come to realize that my unique journey has brought me to where I am today. I would have it no other way, nor do I practice regret. I celebrate that I am continually evolving my ideas of understanding my Belief System (or BS for short). All of the challenges I have encountered have deepened and stretched me. I have never been given more than I can handle. And as I look to my life I am filled with gratitude for who I am today. I spend as many moments focusing on love and acceptance as I can. Compassion and a sense of overflowing love for all that I see fills my days. If I took any any experiences of the past would I be where I am now? Would I benefit from Divine subtraction? I cannot know. Perhaps only the Infinite consciousness of the Divine can know that.
A belief I have then is that any effort to convince another of what they should, or should not, believe in is flawed. No individual person, or organization has an infinite consciousness. No one person, Minister, Rabbi, or Guru can know what is best for you. Only you can discover what your truth is to you.
Another question that was asked centered around the idea of having the urge to convince others about the Belief System (or BS) that you have that has you so excited. But to this I urge you seek silence before words. So what if others are asleep? What does it matter to you? I once read that the urge to convince another about why your BS is so amazing is really a projection of your own insecurities about the beliefs you live and carry. Certainly, I am here blogging about my beliefs, but I have no expectations of you regarding what I write. In fact, I wholeheartedly invite you, as Don Miguel Ruiz would suggest, to not believe a word that I say. Every night when I start the meditation circle with an affirmative prayer I encourage participants to accept what resonates as truth and let all other words pass them by.
Acceptance is tied very closely to compassion. And it might be debated that the spirit of compassion forms the ethical heart of all religions. I think that the starting point for those who follow a set of beliefs and practices, and prescribe to religion, is to respect the right of others to hold their own beliefs. And in turn, I think a more refined level of awareness is to celebrate that others have come to where they are, and are striving to live the spirit of compassion in their lives. As I prepare for Ministerial studies you can bet that this will be a core element of the platform upon which I stand.
I really would have it no other way. I am seeing less bad in the world, mainly because there is less bad in me. More and more each day I come to recognize the changable nature of this world we live in and the eternal nature of the Infinite Consciousness I like to call God. What if all the stuff you've been labelling as bad is actually God expanding an awareness of itself? What if the challenges, trials, and objectionable content of life that you label as bad is actually the fuel of an expanding awareness? If anything, the clearer I become about my spirituality the more I celebrate that I had to make some really interesting choices while sleepwalking to be who I am today.
Or put more simply, has anyone ever really managed to change your belief system because of something they said, or did to you? I would suggest that if you looked back on your life that you might come to conclude, as I have, that the true shifts in my BS came because I came to a realization for myself. Certainly, I may have heard an intellectual idea, or have been inspired by the feeling an event or person evoked. But in the end, my choice to change who I am was always my choice. And my choices have always been made upon the foundation of who I was at that point. Why would I want to take that from you as you live your life?
No, I would have it no other way. And if anything, should an individual, organization, religion, or event, trigger discomfort and the reaction to resist (not accept) within me, then I see that as an opportunity for contemplation. What part of my BS is offending my Divine self?
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Circle of Love (Part 1)
Today I returned from spiritual retreat at the Circle of Love Gathering 2010. Words cannot describe such an event. However, I feel inspired to throw words onto the screen just in case they manage to evoke a pale shadow of what was, and what is.
I am still trying to place the pieces in my mind. The many beautiful servants of the Divine, the teachers, the structured program, the content, the sharing, the atmosphere, the beauty...but most of all, the love. There was a spectrum of love and in the circle we entered there was indeed much of the deepest sharing through the heart.
As you might know I actively tweet as @KnowTheFlow. I kept my iPhone with me and would tweet as something came up that needed to be captured. This was a wonderful opportunity to broadcast nuggets and at this point provides a sweet way to share these moments. Below are the Tweets I made during the retreat. Each came to me through a mixture of inspiration and insight. But above all, the more I opened to spiritual love the clearer my sight became. As Rumi would say, these tweets were seen through the eyes of the heart:
I am still trying to place the pieces in my mind. The many beautiful servants of the Divine, the teachers, the structured program, the content, the sharing, the atmosphere, the beauty...but most of all, the love. There was a spectrum of love and in the circle we entered there was indeed much of the deepest sharing through the heart.
As you might know I actively tweet as @KnowTheFlow. I kept my iPhone with me and would tweet as something came up that needed to be captured. This was a wonderful opportunity to broadcast nuggets and at this point provides a sweet way to share these moments. Below are the Tweets I made during the retreat. Each came to me through a mixture of inspiration and insight. But above all, the more I opened to spiritual love the clearer my sight became. As Rumi would say, these tweets were seen through the eyes of the heart:
- As I surrendered, like a wave to the ocean and a leaf to the wind, I could feel my heartbeat beating me.
- As I show up in silence and immerse myself in the moment I realize that the greatest service is to quietly be the Truth of who I am.
- Love is this annihilating force that devours itself. You can be afraid or you can surrender knowing the source of that love.
- What if we are not here to change the world? What if the world is here to change us?
- Today is that day of realizing that presence, of making that presence real.
- I bring my noble, great need to the Beloved, to the One that loves to satisfy that need.
- If you want to know God fall in live with we.
- I am content, nay delighted, to be the shade of the tree of love.
- Spirit loves the self. It's only through the self that it can be expressed.
- What has to die was never real anyway.
- We are here to express and build our knowledge of spiritual love.
- Entwined within acceptance and openness is that which created the need within us that desires to satisfy our yearning need.
- Without disappointment how could we treasure ecstasy?
- I don't engage in conflict. I stand in my power (of spiritual love)
- We don't create the effects on our life, but we participate in the cause.
I am inspired to call out two tweets in particular though. I have had a purpose statement that captures why I am alive. It is central to my devotion to service. I made a subtle change, replacing 'consciousness' to 'knowing love' at the end. It now reads:
- My purpose is to inspire and support the transformation of knowing Love.
Any progress to simplify an understanding always feels closer to the Divine. And yet the next tweet also deserves a mention. I had forgotten this affirmation but was reminded of it during a conversation. I now speak this when I am in child's pose during my morning meditation. There is something powerful in placing your forehead upon the floor in surrender and saying, "May I be allowed to be of service this day."
And now I must close this post with a promise to complete and present a poem that has begun to write itself. I shall share this in part 2.
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