"The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."
-- Carl Rogers
Most of us have been taught that change begins with discontent, followed by effort. Rogers wants us to realize that acceptance is also an important component in the process. Fighting against who we are does not produce change. If anything, it produces backlash, both internally and externally. Acceptance of who we are frees up the energy of resistance and creates the space in which change is allowed to happen.
Look at yourself. Look at what you consider your worst qualities -- your laziness, or stupidity, or hot temper, or absent mindedness, or whatever it is that really bugs you about yourself. See it as clearly as possible and accept it as much as possible. Just sit with, or in, that quality. Don't fight it. Let it be and walk away and go and do something else.
Whenever the quality begins to emerge at anytime throughout your day see it, accept it, and see if you feel empowered to do things just a little bit differently. If so, make that small change. If not, let it be.
Once when I was 20 years old, and living in California with my girlfriend, I really needed a job. I'd looked everywhere but with no luck. One morning as I lay in bed not wanting to get up and pound the pavement, I said to my girlfriend, Barbara, "I'm just going to lie here in bed until somebody comes to the door and offers me a job." Less than ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. It was a couple from an apartment down stairs. Her mom owned a small business and needed a new employee. Was I interested? How could I say no? Accepting my laziness brought a job right to my door!
Now, if I was really entrepreneurial I'd write a book called How to Get a Job Without Getting Out of Bed! As it is, I think I'll just share the story with you.
So, make today Self-Acceptance Day. Since today is the 29th of February, and it only rolls around once every four years, you might want to take your self-acceptance beyond this one day, and make it an integral part of your life. Accept yourself first, change second.
Culinary Haiku
"Eat food
Not too much
Mostly plants."
Michael Pollan (On the cover of his book In Defense of Food)
Food wisdom is as important as psychological, social, or spiritual wisdom. The old "You are what you eat" mantra has been drilled into our heads so long that we take it as conventional wisdom and conveniently ignore it.
Pollan is one of the chief contemporary proponents of eating real food, in moderation. He's great at using simple, mnemonic sound bites to help us remember how to put culinary wisdom into practice. A few of his ground rules:
* If your great grandmother wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it.
* If it has more than five ingredients in it, don't eat it.
* If some of the ingredients are polysyllable words that you've never heard of and can't pronounce, don't eat it.
* Shop the edges of the grocery, not the middle.
* Don't get your fuel at the same place your car does, i.e. don't eat at The Apu Cafe at your local mini mart.
Simple, real foods, in adequate amounts. The fresher the better. The more local the better. The more organic the better. The less processed the better.
You can do it. Start today by throwing out all that crap you have stock piled in your cupboards. Bye, bye Hamburger Helper, Twinkies, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Frankenberry cereal, etc., etc. Then go out and buy some real food. Directly from the farmer, if possible, but if it's impossible because it's winter where you are, then spend most of your money in the produce aisle and wherever your grocer stocks the whole grains and nuts.
I know I don't really need to tell you this, but I will anyway: A healthy body supports a sharp mind. And increases your chances of living a longer, healthier, more enjoyable life. Today's a great day to begin changing your diet. Bon appetit!
Not too much
Mostly plants."
Michael Pollan (On the cover of his book In Defense of Food)
Food wisdom is as important as psychological, social, or spiritual wisdom. The old "You are what you eat" mantra has been drilled into our heads so long that we take it as conventional wisdom and conveniently ignore it.
Pollan is one of the chief contemporary proponents of eating real food, in moderation. He's great at using simple, mnemonic sound bites to help us remember how to put culinary wisdom into practice. A few of his ground rules:
* If your great grandmother wouldn't recognize it as food, don't eat it.
* If it has more than five ingredients in it, don't eat it.
* If some of the ingredients are polysyllable words that you've never heard of and can't pronounce, don't eat it.
* Shop the edges of the grocery, not the middle.
* Don't get your fuel at the same place your car does, i.e. don't eat at The Apu Cafe at your local mini mart.
Simple, real foods, in adequate amounts. The fresher the better. The more local the better. The more organic the better. The less processed the better.
You can do it. Start today by throwing out all that crap you have stock piled in your cupboards. Bye, bye Hamburger Helper, Twinkies, Kraft Mac & Cheese, Frankenberry cereal, etc., etc. Then go out and buy some real food. Directly from the farmer, if possible, but if it's impossible because it's winter where you are, then spend most of your money in the produce aisle and wherever your grocer stocks the whole grains and nuts.
I know I don't really need to tell you this, but I will anyway: A healthy body supports a sharp mind. And increases your chances of living a longer, healthier, more enjoyable life. Today's a great day to begin changing your diet. Bon appetit!
Stay Stubborn
"Stay stubborn, if nothing else. Don't let them tell you too much. That doesn't mean you have to be nasty."
-- Robert Frost
That was Robert Frost's advice to a group of college students in a symposium at Harvard. And I think it applies to the rest of us as well. There are always people trying to tell you stuff -- mostly their opinions, perspectives or rules. Take it all with a huge damn grain of salt! You surely don't have to believe something just because someone else says it's so. Usually their advice is rooted in self-interest, whether you, or even they, know it or not.
Earlier this morning my girlfriend was telling me something about how the vitamin C you get in vitamins isn't real vitamin C and it can't be absorbed into your system, and blah, blah, blah. I asked her "Where did you hear this?" She said, "From Dr. Kim, this doctor on the Internet." "And what's he selling?" was my next logical question. And what do you think her answer was? Vitamins, of course. His own special super duper Dr. Kim brand vitamins. Please pass the salt.
Now if I met Dr. Kim in person I wouldn't go off on him and call him a charlatan and a huckster. As Good ole Jack Frost's brother pointed out, there's no need to be nasty. You just don't have to buy his vitamins, or believe his B.S. In fact, you can choose to be loving and stubborn both at the same time. I call it "Cool Head, Warm Heart," and I actually teach a stress management program of that name.
Remember the bumper stickers you used to see (usually on foreign cars) that said "Question Authority?" That's definitely a good starting point. But I'd say you might want to take it a step further and question damn near everything you hear, whether it comes from a bona fide authority figure or not. Love the person, be skeptical of the message. Especially if that message comes from some wild and crazy blogger! Pax.
-- Robert Frost
That was Robert Frost's advice to a group of college students in a symposium at Harvard. And I think it applies to the rest of us as well. There are always people trying to tell you stuff -- mostly their opinions, perspectives or rules. Take it all with a huge damn grain of salt! You surely don't have to believe something just because someone else says it's so. Usually their advice is rooted in self-interest, whether you, or even they, know it or not.
Earlier this morning my girlfriend was telling me something about how the vitamin C you get in vitamins isn't real vitamin C and it can't be absorbed into your system, and blah, blah, blah. I asked her "Where did you hear this?" She said, "From Dr. Kim, this doctor on the Internet." "And what's he selling?" was my next logical question. And what do you think her answer was? Vitamins, of course. His own special super duper Dr. Kim brand vitamins. Please pass the salt.
Now if I met Dr. Kim in person I wouldn't go off on him and call him a charlatan and a huckster. As Good ole Jack Frost's brother pointed out, there's no need to be nasty. You just don't have to buy his vitamins, or believe his B.S. In fact, you can choose to be loving and stubborn both at the same time. I call it "Cool Head, Warm Heart," and I actually teach a stress management program of that name.
Remember the bumper stickers you used to see (usually on foreign cars) that said "Question Authority?" That's definitely a good starting point. But I'd say you might want to take it a step further and question damn near everything you hear, whether it comes from a bona fide authority figure or not. Love the person, be skeptical of the message. Especially if that message comes from some wild and crazy blogger! Pax.
No Belief
"I have made a great discovery. I no longer believe in anything. It is not the object that matters to me, but what is in-between them..."
- George Braque
Wow! George Braque said alot in three short sentences. He made three incredibly important points:
1) Belief is not essential to life; it is optional.
2) Objects don't matter.
3) It is the "in-between" that is of ultimate importance.
Beliefs are not reality. They are merely an adolescent form of wishful thinking. To be fully alive, believe in nothing and live totally in the reality of what is.
Stuff is just stuff. None of it matters. It is at best the window dressing of life.
In between all objects, all people, all thoughts is pure Nothingness, pure Spirit. To experience Spirit, we must give up all attachment to both beliefs and objects. We must "fall into the gap" between each and every thing and relax into life.
That's it. A Cliff's Notes version of the spiritual path. Detachment and surrender. You're alive, you're One, you're home.
So, try it out today. Let your beliefs go. Focus between, rather than on, things. Let the gaps between your thoughts grow. "Let go and grow" can be your simple mantra for the day. Don't believe me! Try it and see what happens.
- George Braque
Wow! George Braque said alot in three short sentences. He made three incredibly important points:
1) Belief is not essential to life; it is optional.
2) Objects don't matter.
3) It is the "in-between" that is of ultimate importance.
Beliefs are not reality. They are merely an adolescent form of wishful thinking. To be fully alive, believe in nothing and live totally in the reality of what is.
Stuff is just stuff. None of it matters. It is at best the window dressing of life.
In between all objects, all people, all thoughts is pure Nothingness, pure Spirit. To experience Spirit, we must give up all attachment to both beliefs and objects. We must "fall into the gap" between each and every thing and relax into life.
That's it. A Cliff's Notes version of the spiritual path. Detachment and surrender. You're alive, you're One, you're home.
So, try it out today. Let your beliefs go. Focus between, rather than on, things. Let the gaps between your thoughts grow. "Let go and grow" can be your simple mantra for the day. Don't believe me! Try it and see what happens.
The Final Test
"I was as sure as that I was alive, that happiness not only needs no justification, but that it is also the only final test of whether what I am doing is right for me."
-- Joanna Field
Happiness needs no justification. It bears repeating. You need no particular reason to be happy; you can just let yourself be happy. What a concept! You don't have to achieve anything, or attain certain goals, or win the Nobel Prize, or become a millionaire, you can just be happy right here, right now.
But what if you aren't happy? What if you're day-to-day existence is driving you crazy? Hmmm... Then maybe whatever it is you're doing is not right for you. It could be you have the wrong job, or the wrong partner, or live in the wrong place, or have the wrong attitude. Happiness is the default position for a human being. If you're not happy, you're doing something wrong.
Here's another approach that also works -- start doing more of what you know makes you happy. Are you happy with your friends? Spend more time with them. Happy playing tennis? Play more often. Happy having sex? Go get you some!
Whatever makes you happy -- do more of it! Whatever makes you unhappy -- quit doing it! Doing more of what you enjoy is like giving the engine of happiness more gas. Doing less of what you can't stand is like taking your foot off the brake. Not exactly quantum physics, just simple, uncommon sense.
One last happiness hint: Quit comparing! Do whatever intrinsically makes you happy. It matters not what others do or have. True happiness never comes from comparing yourself to others. It only comes from being and doing what intuitively feels right to you.
Actually, today's a great day to be happy! Do at least one thing you love to do. Get together with, or at least get in touch with, one person whose very presence, whose very being, evokes happiness in you. And the things that you are really unhappy doing, give them up, if only for one day, or start to change them. Finding happiness may not seem easy at first, but it is quite simple. Let love be your guide. Do more of what you love, less of what you don't, and happiness will begin to become your constant and loyal companion.
-- Joanna Field
Happiness needs no justification. It bears repeating. You need no particular reason to be happy; you can just let yourself be happy. What a concept! You don't have to achieve anything, or attain certain goals, or win the Nobel Prize, or become a millionaire, you can just be happy right here, right now.
But what if you aren't happy? What if you're day-to-day existence is driving you crazy? Hmmm... Then maybe whatever it is you're doing is not right for you. It could be you have the wrong job, or the wrong partner, or live in the wrong place, or have the wrong attitude. Happiness is the default position for a human being. If you're not happy, you're doing something wrong.
Here's another approach that also works -- start doing more of what you know makes you happy. Are you happy with your friends? Spend more time with them. Happy playing tennis? Play more often. Happy having sex? Go get you some!
Whatever makes you happy -- do more of it! Whatever makes you unhappy -- quit doing it! Doing more of what you enjoy is like giving the engine of happiness more gas. Doing less of what you can't stand is like taking your foot off the brake. Not exactly quantum physics, just simple, uncommon sense.
One last happiness hint: Quit comparing! Do whatever intrinsically makes you happy. It matters not what others do or have. True happiness never comes from comparing yourself to others. It only comes from being and doing what intuitively feels right to you.
Actually, today's a great day to be happy! Do at least one thing you love to do. Get together with, or at least get in touch with, one person whose very presence, whose very being, evokes happiness in you. And the things that you are really unhappy doing, give them up, if only for one day, or start to change them. Finding happiness may not seem easy at first, but it is quite simple. Let love be your guide. Do more of what you love, less of what you don't, and happiness will begin to become your constant and loyal companion.
Everything Matters
"It matters immensely. The slightest sound matters. The most momentary rhythm matters. You can do as you please, yet everything matters."
-- Wallace Stevens
Why does everything matter? Because everything is sacred. Not just some things, everything. And so they, we, all matter. I don't think Stevens tells us this to scare us. It's more like a public service announcement -- he just wants us to be aware. And not just aware of what we really, really like, or really, really dislike, but aware of everything.
But, of course, we can do as we please. We have volition, freedom of choice. The fact that everything matters doesn't suppress our free will, but it may make us much more aware of how we use it.
You see, not only is everything sacred, everything is connected, everything is One. So what you do matters because it has ramifications not just for you, but for everyone and everything. Whether you recycle, whether you smile at strangers, what you eat, what you say, even what you think -- it all matters because each and every small action produces a ripple into the entire cosmos. Once you know that, it's hard to "play small" anymore.
So, today, try on the awareness that everything matters. Keep reminding yourself, and see if it has any effect on what you choose to think, say and do. Play with the concept! Have fun with it! Spirituality shouldn't be some somber, serious and dreary thing. For God's sake, folks, we're not talking religion, here! Spirituality is the Dance of Life, a dance in which every step is sacred, every step matters, and every step has the potential to express pure, radiant joy!
-- Wallace Stevens
Why does everything matter? Because everything is sacred. Not just some things, everything. And so they, we, all matter. I don't think Stevens tells us this to scare us. It's more like a public service announcement -- he just wants us to be aware. And not just aware of what we really, really like, or really, really dislike, but aware of everything.
But, of course, we can do as we please. We have volition, freedom of choice. The fact that everything matters doesn't suppress our free will, but it may make us much more aware of how we use it.
You see, not only is everything sacred, everything is connected, everything is One. So what you do matters because it has ramifications not just for you, but for everyone and everything. Whether you recycle, whether you smile at strangers, what you eat, what you say, even what you think -- it all matters because each and every small action produces a ripple into the entire cosmos. Once you know that, it's hard to "play small" anymore.
So, today, try on the awareness that everything matters. Keep reminding yourself, and see if it has any effect on what you choose to think, say and do. Play with the concept! Have fun with it! Spirituality shouldn't be some somber, serious and dreary thing. For God's sake, folks, we're not talking religion, here! Spirituality is the Dance of Life, a dance in which every step is sacred, every step matters, and every step has the potential to express pure, radiant joy!
Learning From Everyone
"We do not learn only from great minds; we learn from everyone, if only we observe and inquire."
-- C.A. Doxiadis
I have no idea who C.A. Doxiadis is or was. I don't even know where I first encountered the quotation above. But I do know that I learned something from him or her. I learned the value of observation and inquiry in the wisdom-seeking process. And I learned, too, that everyone holds at least one piece of this puzzle called truth.
As I think back on my life so far, I realize that I've received important lessons from janitors as well as school teachers, from little kids and dying geriatrics, from homeless people, swamis, poets, priests, neurosurgeons, ice cram vendors, and life guards. People in all walks of life have taught me incredible things, and the only tuition I had to pay was my attention.
And yet I'm sure that I've missed more lessons than I've received, and that many I did receive passed through me faster than cheap beer. I need to keep reminding myself that everyone is a potential teacher, and that wisdom is, indeed, everywhere.
So, today, why not play the Hidden Teacher Game? See how many lessons you can learn from unexpected people in unexpected places. Lay down your prejudices, transcend your unconsciousness, and be fully present to the fountains of wisdom that are spring up all around you. Learn the lessons to be learned. Then bow deeply, if only in Spirit, to your teachers one and all.
-- C.A. Doxiadis
I have no idea who C.A. Doxiadis is or was. I don't even know where I first encountered the quotation above. But I do know that I learned something from him or her. I learned the value of observation and inquiry in the wisdom-seeking process. And I learned, too, that everyone holds at least one piece of this puzzle called truth.
As I think back on my life so far, I realize that I've received important lessons from janitors as well as school teachers, from little kids and dying geriatrics, from homeless people, swamis, poets, priests, neurosurgeons, ice cram vendors, and life guards. People in all walks of life have taught me incredible things, and the only tuition I had to pay was my attention.
And yet I'm sure that I've missed more lessons than I've received, and that many I did receive passed through me faster than cheap beer. I need to keep reminding myself that everyone is a potential teacher, and that wisdom is, indeed, everywhere.
So, today, why not play the Hidden Teacher Game? See how many lessons you can learn from unexpected people in unexpected places. Lay down your prejudices, transcend your unconsciousness, and be fully present to the fountains of wisdom that are spring up all around you. Learn the lessons to be learned. Then bow deeply, if only in Spirit, to your teachers one and all.
Is Having Problems a Problem?
"The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise, and thinking having problems is a problem."
-- Theodore Rubin
This quotation reminds me of the opening lines of The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck, where he informs us that life is difficult, but that once we accept that life is difficult, it is no longer difficult, it just is. Pie-in-the-sky, airy fairy expectations always prevent us from accepting reality. If you think you should live in a problem-free zone, you eat up untold energy fighting against having a problem rather than just solving it.
Do you have problems? Of course you do. So do I. So do all God's children. Life=problems. Luckily life also equals solutions, and joy, and awareness and a whole lot of other things. Some problems can be solved, some an be outgrown, some can be dissolved, and some you just have to learn to live with. Perhaps the best you can do is not eliminate problems altogether, but upgrade your problems so at least they become more and more interesting!
Personally, I prefer the term "challenges" rather than the word "problems." I know it may just sound like empty semantics, but "problem" is such a loaded word in our culture that I think it just stymies many people before they even get started. It's like the word God. I prefer the term Spirit. God has so much baggage! Spirit is much cleaner, less personalized and harder for your subconscious to react against.
So, be they challenges or problems, accept them. Step up to the plate, or sit down on your cushion, and see what you can do about them. Solve or dissolve. Don't worry, more will arrive. An endless stream of problems, challenges, opportunities, called life. One last word of advice -- enjoy!
-- Theodore Rubin
This quotation reminds me of the opening lines of The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck, where he informs us that life is difficult, but that once we accept that life is difficult, it is no longer difficult, it just is. Pie-in-the-sky, airy fairy expectations always prevent us from accepting reality. If you think you should live in a problem-free zone, you eat up untold energy fighting against having a problem rather than just solving it.
Do you have problems? Of course you do. So do I. So do all God's children. Life=problems. Luckily life also equals solutions, and joy, and awareness and a whole lot of other things. Some problems can be solved, some an be outgrown, some can be dissolved, and some you just have to learn to live with. Perhaps the best you can do is not eliminate problems altogether, but upgrade your problems so at least they become more and more interesting!
Personally, I prefer the term "challenges" rather than the word "problems." I know it may just sound like empty semantics, but "problem" is such a loaded word in our culture that I think it just stymies many people before they even get started. It's like the word God. I prefer the term Spirit. God has so much baggage! Spirit is much cleaner, less personalized and harder for your subconscious to react against.
So, be they challenges or problems, accept them. Step up to the plate, or sit down on your cushion, and see what you can do about them. Solve or dissolve. Don't worry, more will arrive. An endless stream of problems, challenges, opportunities, called life. One last word of advice -- enjoy!
Anxiety
"Anxiety is the gap between the now and the later."
-- Fritz Perls
The next moment is arriving even as I write this. And the next and the next. Now is always becoming another now. There are no gaps in reality. The only gaps are in our thinking.
Anxiety doesn't exist in nature. The squirrel doesn't awaken in the morning all worried and anxious about whether he can still find those dam nuts he hid way last fall. Anxiety only exists between our ears. But since it's taken up residence in the old Cranium Cottage, why not use it in a positive way? Look straight into the face of your anxiety and find out exactly what it is you are anxious about.
If it's something over which you have at least some control or influence, like your grade on an upcoming exam, then use the anxiety to motivate you to get your ass in gear and study! In all similar situations, use anxiety as a wake-up call. Whatever you do, don't just hang out with anxiety, feed it a big fat diet of mental energy and do nothing. Don't allow it to paralyze you.
But what if you're anxious about something that is inevitable, like, say, death? Like it or not, the old Grim Reaper is going to pay you a visit someday. You live, you die -- what's there to be anxious about?
But even though you can't avoid death altogether, you can do your damndest to forestall him! Exercising, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, drinking only in moderation, and not doing any of those stupid things they tried in the movie Jackass, are all within your control, and can possibly put your appointment with Dr. D off to a much later date.
And if you're anxious about what's going to happen after you die, you can clean up your act post haste, or change your beliefs, or read accounts from people who were declared legally dead but then came back to life, or meditate, or... In other words, there are always things that you can do to lessen your anxiety, even when the end result is both inevitable & unknown.
When anxiety rears its less-than-pretty head, there are at least four major strategies from which to choose. You can do something to lessen the anxiety, distract yourself from it and let it die from neglect, deconstruct it, or surrender it up to a Higher Power.
So, today, do an Anxiety Audit. Are you anxious about anything? If not, take the day off and go have a beer. Or two. But if you find that anxiety is present anywhere in your convoluted psyche, apply one of the four major strategies to it, or, even cooler, invent a strategy of your own! Don't hang out in the mental gap between the present and the future and play dysfunctional games with the devious Mr. A. Just do something, anything. Now.
-- Fritz Perls
The next moment is arriving even as I write this. And the next and the next. Now is always becoming another now. There are no gaps in reality. The only gaps are in our thinking.
Anxiety doesn't exist in nature. The squirrel doesn't awaken in the morning all worried and anxious about whether he can still find those dam nuts he hid way last fall. Anxiety only exists between our ears. But since it's taken up residence in the old Cranium Cottage, why not use it in a positive way? Look straight into the face of your anxiety and find out exactly what it is you are anxious about.
If it's something over which you have at least some control or influence, like your grade on an upcoming exam, then use the anxiety to motivate you to get your ass in gear and study! In all similar situations, use anxiety as a wake-up call. Whatever you do, don't just hang out with anxiety, feed it a big fat diet of mental energy and do nothing. Don't allow it to paralyze you.
But what if you're anxious about something that is inevitable, like, say, death? Like it or not, the old Grim Reaper is going to pay you a visit someday. You live, you die -- what's there to be anxious about?
But even though you can't avoid death altogether, you can do your damndest to forestall him! Exercising, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, drinking only in moderation, and not doing any of those stupid things they tried in the movie Jackass, are all within your control, and can possibly put your appointment with Dr. D off to a much later date.
And if you're anxious about what's going to happen after you die, you can clean up your act post haste, or change your beliefs, or read accounts from people who were declared legally dead but then came back to life, or meditate, or... In other words, there are always things that you can do to lessen your anxiety, even when the end result is both inevitable & unknown.
When anxiety rears its less-than-pretty head, there are at least four major strategies from which to choose. You can do something to lessen the anxiety, distract yourself from it and let it die from neglect, deconstruct it, or surrender it up to a Higher Power.
So, today, do an Anxiety Audit. Are you anxious about anything? If not, take the day off and go have a beer. Or two. But if you find that anxiety is present anywhere in your convoluted psyche, apply one of the four major strategies to it, or, even cooler, invent a strategy of your own! Don't hang out in the mental gap between the present and the future and play dysfunctional games with the devious Mr. A. Just do something, anything. Now.
Why Are You Not You?
"In the coming world they will not ask me, 'Why were you not Moses?' They will ask me, 'Why were you not Zusya?' "
-- Zusya
We all have heros and role models. At least, as children we did. We all know people whose lives, on one dimension or another, look a whole lot better than ours. We all see qualities and characteristics in others that we would love to find in ourselves. And yet, our task is not to become any of them, or even to become like them. Our task is to become ourselves.
Don't worry, I'm not about to give you the old "you're unique, like a snowflake" crap. It's February, and from my perspective, there are way too friggin' many of those damn, unique snowflakes piled up out there already! I will remind you, though, that attempting to become someone else, be it Moses, Angelina Jolie, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Georgia O'Keefe, is a monumental waste of time.
One of our challenges is that we can see the past but not the future. It is easy to attempt to be what we can see. It is much harder to be what we can't see, or can only vaguely envision.
You are unfinished business. No matter what your age, no one knows how you're going to turn out. You are constantly evolving, changing, and each new twist of the kaleidoscope gives us a whole new, beautiful perspective on you.
There are no blueprints, no seven easy steps, no Ten Commandments, even, that can tell you, or show you, how to become you. It's an inside job, all done intuitively. You may not be able to picture you, or put yourself into words, but on a very deep level, you know you. You know when you are being you and when you are faking it, or attempting to be someone else. You know the voice of intuition; you just have to turn down your I-Pod long enough to hear it!
So, beginning today, alter your focus a bit. Don't look outside yourself for what you want to become. Feel within yourself for what you truly are. Let yourself unfold as an individual, not as a clone. The world doesn't need a second anybody. The world needs, longs for, and supports, a one and only you.
-- Zusya
We all have heros and role models. At least, as children we did. We all know people whose lives, on one dimension or another, look a whole lot better than ours. We all see qualities and characteristics in others that we would love to find in ourselves. And yet, our task is not to become any of them, or even to become like them. Our task is to become ourselves.
Don't worry, I'm not about to give you the old "you're unique, like a snowflake" crap. It's February, and from my perspective, there are way too friggin' many of those damn, unique snowflakes piled up out there already! I will remind you, though, that attempting to become someone else, be it Moses, Angelina Jolie, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Georgia O'Keefe, is a monumental waste of time.
One of our challenges is that we can see the past but not the future. It is easy to attempt to be what we can see. It is much harder to be what we can't see, or can only vaguely envision.
You are unfinished business. No matter what your age, no one knows how you're going to turn out. You are constantly evolving, changing, and each new twist of the kaleidoscope gives us a whole new, beautiful perspective on you.
There are no blueprints, no seven easy steps, no Ten Commandments, even, that can tell you, or show you, how to become you. It's an inside job, all done intuitively. You may not be able to picture you, or put yourself into words, but on a very deep level, you know you. You know when you are being you and when you are faking it, or attempting to be someone else. You know the voice of intuition; you just have to turn down your I-Pod long enough to hear it!
So, beginning today, alter your focus a bit. Don't look outside yourself for what you want to become. Feel within yourself for what you truly are. Let yourself unfold as an individual, not as a clone. The world doesn't need a second anybody. The world needs, longs for, and supports, a one and only you.
Simple Tools
"A #2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere."
--Joyce A. Myers
You don't need much to craft a life. Not alot of money, or the latest technology, or an Ivy League degree, or a cadre of assistants at your beck and call. Passion and a pencil -- that's it. If you have those two, the whole world is laid out before you.
In 1999 I decided to get rid of everything I owned and start the new millennium afresh. Well, almost everything. So as not to get busted for indecent exposure I kept some clothes. I kept about 20 of my favorite books. I kept my computer and a handful of keepsakes like family pictures, and a few small heirlooms passed down from my parents and grandparents. That was it. I sold my house, my furniture, hundreds upon hundreds of books, electronic equipment, car, etc. What I couldn't sell, I gave to Goodwill. My feeling at that point was all I needed to start a new life was a computer, $1000, and an empty room. Just a little more upscale version of Joyce Myers pencil and a dream.
Now, eight years later, I've got an Internet book business with an inventory of over 10,000 books, a condo packed full of furniture, clothes, electronic equipment and hundreds upon hundreds of more books. I followed a dream, created a new life, and I think it's about time to give it all up and do it again.
You see, the nice thing about having little more than a pencil and a passion is that there's little to get in your way or distract you. You don't have to spend your time maintaining a lifestyle full of stuff you no longer need or want, relationships that are no longer supportive, or a career that's no longer fulfilling. Simplicity is powerful. It frees you and gives you the space to create a new life, a new you.
Inc. magazine has repeatedly found that most successful businesses were started with little more than a back-of-a-napkin business plan. A dream, a few beers, a napkin, and the naivete to believe you can do it, are all it takes.
So, today dream, dream big. And capture those dreams with a #2 pencil, whether on a napkin, a yellow legal pad, or in your Hello Kitty diary. Pour out your passion, lay forth your ideas, develop your visions in a simple, yet powerful, format. And then act upon them. Act today, tomorrow, and on and on, modifying your dreams as you go, always in flux, always in process, life unfolding, ideas unfurling, Spirit manifesting in new and creative ways through the unique individual that is you.
--Joyce A. Myers
You don't need much to craft a life. Not alot of money, or the latest technology, or an Ivy League degree, or a cadre of assistants at your beck and call. Passion and a pencil -- that's it. If you have those two, the whole world is laid out before you.
In 1999 I decided to get rid of everything I owned and start the new millennium afresh. Well, almost everything. So as not to get busted for indecent exposure I kept some clothes. I kept about 20 of my favorite books. I kept my computer and a handful of keepsakes like family pictures, and a few small heirlooms passed down from my parents and grandparents. That was it. I sold my house, my furniture, hundreds upon hundreds of books, electronic equipment, car, etc. What I couldn't sell, I gave to Goodwill. My feeling at that point was all I needed to start a new life was a computer, $1000, and an empty room. Just a little more upscale version of Joyce Myers pencil and a dream.
Now, eight years later, I've got an Internet book business with an inventory of over 10,000 books, a condo packed full of furniture, clothes, electronic equipment and hundreds upon hundreds of more books. I followed a dream, created a new life, and I think it's about time to give it all up and do it again.
You see, the nice thing about having little more than a pencil and a passion is that there's little to get in your way or distract you. You don't have to spend your time maintaining a lifestyle full of stuff you no longer need or want, relationships that are no longer supportive, or a career that's no longer fulfilling. Simplicity is powerful. It frees you and gives you the space to create a new life, a new you.
Inc. magazine has repeatedly found that most successful businesses were started with little more than a back-of-a-napkin business plan. A dream, a few beers, a napkin, and the naivete to believe you can do it, are all it takes.
So, today dream, dream big. And capture those dreams with a #2 pencil, whether on a napkin, a yellow legal pad, or in your Hello Kitty diary. Pour out your passion, lay forth your ideas, develop your visions in a simple, yet powerful, format. And then act upon them. Act today, tomorrow, and on and on, modifying your dreams as you go, always in flux, always in process, life unfolding, ideas unfurling, Spirit manifesting in new and creative ways through the unique individual that is you.
The Only God
"Jesus Christ is the only god. And so am I. And so are you."
-- William Blake
Leave it to good old Billy Blake to really get the Christians in an uproar. You gotta love the guy. Mostly you've got to love him because he's right. Jesus has no more legitimate claim to Divinity than you or me. He's just got better PR.
The one Numero Uno Truth is that we are all One. If you want to name that Oneness "God," be my guest. We are all part and parcel of It. No one is more God more than anyone else. It's merely that some people, like Jesus, are more aware of their own divinity, than say the bum on the street corner is. It's a matter of consciousness, not divinity. Bum=unconscious God. Jesus=conscious God. You and me= somewhere-in-between, semi-conscious God.
The only God is each of us and all of us. We can't become more God. We can become more conscious. It's the difference between Spirit and soul. As the old song tells us, "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord." Spirit is always One, always God. Soul is our individual becoming. It is the realm in which we consciously grow our awareness of our spiritual Unity. That's why some people are very soulful, and others have this weak, puny, anemic soul energy. The 98 pound soul weaklings just haven't developed their mojo, haven't grown the energy of consciousness that is within themselves.
Today is Soul Growth Sunday, the Sunday before Presidents Day each year. OK, I just made that up, but there's no reason why it shouldn't be. Lord knows we could all use some soul growth in the midst of a long, cold winter!
So, beginning today, open consciously to your own Divinity. Don't continue to "play small," as Marianne Williamson calls it. See Jesus not as the one and only God, but as a soul pioneer, as someone who has traveled the path ahead of you, and has sent back travel tips from the great soulful beyond. Know in your Spirit that you are always and already God. Experience in your soul the growing, personal embodiment of that awareness. Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, bum, you, me, everyone -- all one God.
-- William Blake
Leave it to good old Billy Blake to really get the Christians in an uproar. You gotta love the guy. Mostly you've got to love him because he's right. Jesus has no more legitimate claim to Divinity than you or me. He's just got better PR.
The one Numero Uno Truth is that we are all One. If you want to name that Oneness "God," be my guest. We are all part and parcel of It. No one is more God more than anyone else. It's merely that some people, like Jesus, are more aware of their own divinity, than say the bum on the street corner is. It's a matter of consciousness, not divinity. Bum=unconscious God. Jesus=conscious God. You and me= somewhere-in-between, semi-conscious God.
The only God is each of us and all of us. We can't become more God. We can become more conscious. It's the difference between Spirit and soul. As the old song tells us, "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord." Spirit is always One, always God. Soul is our individual becoming. It is the realm in which we consciously grow our awareness of our spiritual Unity. That's why some people are very soulful, and others have this weak, puny, anemic soul energy. The 98 pound soul weaklings just haven't developed their mojo, haven't grown the energy of consciousness that is within themselves.
Today is Soul Growth Sunday, the Sunday before Presidents Day each year. OK, I just made that up, but there's no reason why it shouldn't be. Lord knows we could all use some soul growth in the midst of a long, cold winter!
So, beginning today, open consciously to your own Divinity. Don't continue to "play small," as Marianne Williamson calls it. See Jesus not as the one and only God, but as a soul pioneer, as someone who has traveled the path ahead of you, and has sent back travel tips from the great soulful beyond. Know in your Spirit that you are always and already God. Experience in your soul the growing, personal embodiment of that awareness. Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, bum, you, me, everyone -- all one God.
Sacred Moments
"The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth of information, but to face sacred moments."
-- Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Religious talk bores me. All that "How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?" stuff is just so much theological masturbation. And beliefs -- don't bother to debate and defend your beliefs-- none of them are defensible; all are merely crutches with which to walk through the uncertainties of life. Myths and stories are at least colorful, but please remember that they are, at best, pure fiction, and, at worst, outright lies and distortions.
No, all that religious, mythological and theological junk is just so much excess baggage. None of it helps you be present to the only sacred moment there is -- this moment -- right here, right now. You see, every moment is sacred, but we miss most of them, we don't face them, because we are off in our heads somewhere. We're fantasizing about the future, obsessing about the past, or trying to live from a particular script, or in a particular way, that has nothing to do with the present.
As Rabbi Heschel knows, true spiritual living is just being here now. Whatever information, knowledge or wisdom you have right now is enough. It may, in fact, be way too much. All you need to face spiritual moments is awareness and guts. Holy books don't matter. Gurus don't matter. Membership in this or that particular church, temple, cult, or group surely doesn't matter.
Just you. Two eyes, a brain, a heart, your breath -- that's all you need. And actually, the two eyes are optional.
So, just for today, let your big, damn wealth of information go. Don't worry, it will still be there if you ever need it. Today, just be on the lookout for sacred moments. (Hint: They're everywhere!) Face them with a clear mind and an open heart, and experience the joy of traveling light.
-- Rabbi Abraham Heschel
Religious talk bores me. All that "How many angels can fit on the head of a pin?" stuff is just so much theological masturbation. And beliefs -- don't bother to debate and defend your beliefs-- none of them are defensible; all are merely crutches with which to walk through the uncertainties of life. Myths and stories are at least colorful, but please remember that they are, at best, pure fiction, and, at worst, outright lies and distortions.
No, all that religious, mythological and theological junk is just so much excess baggage. None of it helps you be present to the only sacred moment there is -- this moment -- right here, right now. You see, every moment is sacred, but we miss most of them, we don't face them, because we are off in our heads somewhere. We're fantasizing about the future, obsessing about the past, or trying to live from a particular script, or in a particular way, that has nothing to do with the present.
As Rabbi Heschel knows, true spiritual living is just being here now. Whatever information, knowledge or wisdom you have right now is enough. It may, in fact, be way too much. All you need to face spiritual moments is awareness and guts. Holy books don't matter. Gurus don't matter. Membership in this or that particular church, temple, cult, or group surely doesn't matter.
Just you. Two eyes, a brain, a heart, your breath -- that's all you need. And actually, the two eyes are optional.
So, just for today, let your big, damn wealth of information go. Don't worry, it will still be there if you ever need it. Today, just be on the lookout for sacred moments. (Hint: They're everywhere!) Face them with a clear mind and an open heart, and experience the joy of traveling light.
Loving the Truth
"To love the truth is to refuse to let oneself be saddened by it."
-- Andre Gide
You're going to die someday. And then they'll either turn you to ash or stick you in a box in the ground and throw dirt all over you. (At least you're not in Tibet where they just lay you out on the nearest rock and let the buzzards have at you!) You're going to die. That's the truth. But there's no need to be sad.
There will always be someone richer, smarter, more highly evolved, and better looking than you. That's the truth. Sadness need not accompany it.
There are lots of facts out there, but very few real truths. You're born, you die, you win some, you lose some, and some are rained out -- that's about it. Oh yeah, and the big enchilada of truths -- we're all One.
Our culture has fed us alot of myths, lies, and half-ass beliefs which the powers that be attempt to pass off as truth. Example: The economy can keep expanding infinitely. Obvious lie. And yet our whole economy is built upon it! The truth doesn't make us sad, but believing these myths lies and beliefs sure can.
Both expansion and contraction are part of life. That's the truth. Infinite expansion is a lie. You're responsible for your own life. That's the truth. Your parents, your spouse, your friends, the government, or your children are responsible for your life -- that's a lie. Knowing and accepting truth makes you strong. Believing a lie makes you weak and sad.
So, today, fearlessly seek out truth, and just as passionately ferret out lies. Jettison myth and belief. Love reality, the truth, what is. Love it because it is the only intelligent way to live. Love it because it is the only way to truly be happy. Love it and refuse to be sad.
-- Andre Gide
You're going to die someday. And then they'll either turn you to ash or stick you in a box in the ground and throw dirt all over you. (At least you're not in Tibet where they just lay you out on the nearest rock and let the buzzards have at you!) You're going to die. That's the truth. But there's no need to be sad.
There will always be someone richer, smarter, more highly evolved, and better looking than you. That's the truth. Sadness need not accompany it.
There are lots of facts out there, but very few real truths. You're born, you die, you win some, you lose some, and some are rained out -- that's about it. Oh yeah, and the big enchilada of truths -- we're all One.
Our culture has fed us alot of myths, lies, and half-ass beliefs which the powers that be attempt to pass off as truth. Example: The economy can keep expanding infinitely. Obvious lie. And yet our whole economy is built upon it! The truth doesn't make us sad, but believing these myths lies and beliefs sure can.
Both expansion and contraction are part of life. That's the truth. Infinite expansion is a lie. You're responsible for your own life. That's the truth. Your parents, your spouse, your friends, the government, or your children are responsible for your life -- that's a lie. Knowing and accepting truth makes you strong. Believing a lie makes you weak and sad.
So, today, fearlessly seek out truth, and just as passionately ferret out lies. Jettison myth and belief. Love reality, the truth, what is. Love it because it is the only intelligent way to live. Love it because it is the only way to truly be happy. Love it and refuse to be sad.
The Formula for Failure
"I can't give you a surefire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time."
-- Herbert Bayard Swope
We all want to be liked. Odds are, though, not everyone will like you 100% of the time. Trying to get that longed for 100% likeability rating will not only lead to failure, it'll also drive you crazy!
Better to have a few trusted advisors, whose opinion you highly value and whose feedback you trust. And still, even they won't always be pleased with you! I'm sure you're familiar with the old saw, "Opinions are like assholes -- everyone's got one and most of them stink!" Really the only asshole, I mean opinion, that you truly need to be concerned with is your own.
In fact, success comes much more easily if you focus not upon opinion at all, be it your own or others, but rather upon the task at hand. You do your best, and let the proverbial chips, fall where they may. You remain true to your original intent and modify your vision as called for by reality.
Simply put, it is your calling, your vocation that is important. It is your choice that matters. It is your path to walk. People who will give you their opinion most readily are usually people who have strayed form their own path to comment upon yours. And in so doing, they are hurting themselves much more than they are helping you.
So, just for today, say to hell with them all! Do what you are meant to do. Do it well; do it joyously. And when your head plops on the pillow tonight, dream sweet dreams of success.
-- Herbert Bayard Swope
We all want to be liked. Odds are, though, not everyone will like you 100% of the time. Trying to get that longed for 100% likeability rating will not only lead to failure, it'll also drive you crazy!
Better to have a few trusted advisors, whose opinion you highly value and whose feedback you trust. And still, even they won't always be pleased with you! I'm sure you're familiar with the old saw, "Opinions are like assholes -- everyone's got one and most of them stink!" Really the only asshole, I mean opinion, that you truly need to be concerned with is your own.
In fact, success comes much more easily if you focus not upon opinion at all, be it your own or others, but rather upon the task at hand. You do your best, and let the proverbial chips, fall where they may. You remain true to your original intent and modify your vision as called for by reality.
Simply put, it is your calling, your vocation that is important. It is your choice that matters. It is your path to walk. People who will give you their opinion most readily are usually people who have strayed form their own path to comment upon yours. And in so doing, they are hurting themselves much more than they are helping you.
So, just for today, say to hell with them all! Do what you are meant to do. Do it well; do it joyously. And when your head plops on the pillow tonight, dream sweet dreams of success.
No Cure 'Cept Enjoyment
"There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval."
-- George Santayana
No one knows if we "survive" death, and, if so, where we go. No one knows whether we existed before we were born. Birth and death are the facts. All reflections upon them are just opinion, specultation, or unfounded belief. Why waste your time with speculation when reality is staring you in the face? And what is reality? Your life -- right here, right now!
As Santayana points out, enjoyment is the best response to uncertainty. Attempting to combat uncertainty with soothing stories, sophisticated theology or blind belief is child's play. The real warrior, the really alive individual, has no time for idle speculation. He or she is engrossed in life, living fully each day, never knowing exactly what the next day will bring. And the not knowing is OK. In fact, the not knowing is just fine because it is the hallmark of life itself.
I'll bet there's a whole slew of stuff that you really enjoy doing that you haven't done for the longest time. Today, choose one of those things and do it. Enjoy it. And then, if you're really on a roll, enjoy doing another, and maybe even a third. Once enjoyment becomes an ingrained habit, you may find yourself enjoying even the most mundane aspects of your life -- your morning shower, your commute to work, doing the dishes, paying the bills (though that may be pushing it), etc., etc.
The enjoyment approach to life is two-fold. One, take time to do more of what you already, really enjoy. Two, let the joy ripple out into your life, so that you begin to enjoy more and more aspects of your day-to-day existance. I've noticed that if I play an exciting set or two of tennis in the morning, the whole rest of my day seems more enjoyable. If I begin my day with meditation, things just seem to open up and enjoyment springs from the most suprising sources.
Truth be known, enjoyment always springs from only one source -- within. The things we do that we really enjoy are mere catalysts that put us in touch with the joy within, the joy that is part and parcel of our true being. By living joyously we manifest the best side of ourselves. And in so doing we benefit not only ourselves, but also all those whose lives we touch, and, indeed, the whole world.
-- George Santayana
No one knows if we "survive" death, and, if so, where we go. No one knows whether we existed before we were born. Birth and death are the facts. All reflections upon them are just opinion, specultation, or unfounded belief. Why waste your time with speculation when reality is staring you in the face? And what is reality? Your life -- right here, right now!
As Santayana points out, enjoyment is the best response to uncertainty. Attempting to combat uncertainty with soothing stories, sophisticated theology or blind belief is child's play. The real warrior, the really alive individual, has no time for idle speculation. He or she is engrossed in life, living fully each day, never knowing exactly what the next day will bring. And the not knowing is OK. In fact, the not knowing is just fine because it is the hallmark of life itself.
I'll bet there's a whole slew of stuff that you really enjoy doing that you haven't done for the longest time. Today, choose one of those things and do it. Enjoy it. And then, if you're really on a roll, enjoy doing another, and maybe even a third. Once enjoyment becomes an ingrained habit, you may find yourself enjoying even the most mundane aspects of your life -- your morning shower, your commute to work, doing the dishes, paying the bills (though that may be pushing it), etc., etc.
The enjoyment approach to life is two-fold. One, take time to do more of what you already, really enjoy. Two, let the joy ripple out into your life, so that you begin to enjoy more and more aspects of your day-to-day existance. I've noticed that if I play an exciting set or two of tennis in the morning, the whole rest of my day seems more enjoyable. If I begin my day with meditation, things just seem to open up and enjoyment springs from the most suprising sources.
Truth be known, enjoyment always springs from only one source -- within. The things we do that we really enjoy are mere catalysts that put us in touch with the joy within, the joy that is part and parcel of our true being. By living joyously we manifest the best side of ourselves. And in so doing we benefit not only ourselves, but also all those whose lives we touch, and, indeed, the whole world.
A Peek of Nothingness
"God made everything out of nothing. But the nothingness shows through."
-- Paul Valery
There's a whole lot more nothing than something in the world. It may not look like it on first glance, but physicists tell us that every atom is mostly empty space. And though you may live in a densly crowded city, the majority of the land on Earth is still uninhabited. Even in the relam of the mind, where thoughts collide like out of control bumper cars, the space between thoughts, beneath thought, before thought, and beyond thought goes on and on forever.
Nothing is our friend. It will always be with us, never desert us, and continue to support us. People fear nothing because they don't realize that nothing is the building block of something. They don't understand that they themselves are nothing. They don't penetrate deeply enough to see the underlying nothingness of all somethingness.
So what good is nothing? It is the ultimate good, the uncarved block, the good that can't be used in the service of something or anything. It is ungrasped by the senses but perceived by the Spirit. It is, in fact, the Spirit, itself. It is the Impersonal that precedes the personal, the Tao, the Godhead out of which God grows.
So, today, take a peek. Look behind the curtain, lift up the hem, see through something, everything, to the Light of Nothing shining through. One hint: Simplicity aids vision. It is easier many times to see nothing when there aren't too many damn somethings around. And it doesn't matter whether those somethings are buildings, people or thoughts. That's why solitude, quiet, and simplicity have always characterized the preferred enviornment of the contemplative.
Find a quiet spot, either in your world or in your mind. Hang out there a bit. Let nothingness reveal itself to you. There is nothing you have to do.
-- Paul Valery
There's a whole lot more nothing than something in the world. It may not look like it on first glance, but physicists tell us that every atom is mostly empty space. And though you may live in a densly crowded city, the majority of the land on Earth is still uninhabited. Even in the relam of the mind, where thoughts collide like out of control bumper cars, the space between thoughts, beneath thought, before thought, and beyond thought goes on and on forever.
Nothing is our friend. It will always be with us, never desert us, and continue to support us. People fear nothing because they don't realize that nothing is the building block of something. They don't understand that they themselves are nothing. They don't penetrate deeply enough to see the underlying nothingness of all somethingness.
So what good is nothing? It is the ultimate good, the uncarved block, the good that can't be used in the service of something or anything. It is ungrasped by the senses but perceived by the Spirit. It is, in fact, the Spirit, itself. It is the Impersonal that precedes the personal, the Tao, the Godhead out of which God grows.
So, today, take a peek. Look behind the curtain, lift up the hem, see through something, everything, to the Light of Nothing shining through. One hint: Simplicity aids vision. It is easier many times to see nothing when there aren't too many damn somethings around. And it doesn't matter whether those somethings are buildings, people or thoughts. That's why solitude, quiet, and simplicity have always characterized the preferred enviornment of the contemplative.
Find a quiet spot, either in your world or in your mind. Hang out there a bit. Let nothingness reveal itself to you. There is nothing you have to do.
Breath
"There are people who are born and die and never once are aware of the breath going in and out of their body. That's how far a way they live from themselves."
-- Ajahn Chah
Breathing just happens, right? What's the big deal? The big deal is awareness. And breathing is a golden opportunity to cultivate it.
Our heads are full of ideas, plans, dreams and worries. Our hearts are full of loves, resentments, pain and joy. Our breath just keeps on keeping on no matter what thoughts crowd our minds or what emotions spring from our hearts.
But breath is kind of the Rodney Dangerfield of the body -- it gets no respect! Until your breath becomes labored or difficult, you don't even notice it. It's like physiological Muzak in that it's there unobtrusively in the background, but very seldom breaks through to the level of consciousness.
Unlike Muzak, though, breath is vitally important. It is the gateway between our internal and external worlds. It is our constant companion. It is the life force itself.
How far away from yourself do you live? How often are you quiet enough and clear enough to notice your breath? If you do no other form of meditation or prayer, just watching your breath will suffice. It will awaken you to yourself and to the world around you.
So, today, take a few moments to watch and feel breath moving in and out of your body. While at a stop light, or waiting at the dentist's office, or right before or after you turn on or off the TV, or as your head hits the pillow at night, consciously create the space to be with your breath. Don't change your breath, manipulate it or worry about it. Don't do anything. Just be with your breath.
-- Ajahn Chah
Breathing just happens, right? What's the big deal? The big deal is awareness. And breathing is a golden opportunity to cultivate it.
Our heads are full of ideas, plans, dreams and worries. Our hearts are full of loves, resentments, pain and joy. Our breath just keeps on keeping on no matter what thoughts crowd our minds or what emotions spring from our hearts.
But breath is kind of the Rodney Dangerfield of the body -- it gets no respect! Until your breath becomes labored or difficult, you don't even notice it. It's like physiological Muzak in that it's there unobtrusively in the background, but very seldom breaks through to the level of consciousness.
Unlike Muzak, though, breath is vitally important. It is the gateway between our internal and external worlds. It is our constant companion. It is the life force itself.
How far away from yourself do you live? How often are you quiet enough and clear enough to notice your breath? If you do no other form of meditation or prayer, just watching your breath will suffice. It will awaken you to yourself and to the world around you.
So, today, take a few moments to watch and feel breath moving in and out of your body. While at a stop light, or waiting at the dentist's office, or right before or after you turn on or off the TV, or as your head hits the pillow at night, consciously create the space to be with your breath. Don't change your breath, manipulate it or worry about it. Don't do anything. Just be with your breath.
Divine Acceptance
"Life is a question of accepting your divinity."
-- Doug Germann. Footprints in the Wind #448.
Look in the mirror. I'm not sure what you'll see, but I'm guessing, that upon first glance, it's not divinity. I see an an aging, balding, overweight, white guy. The words, "You look divine!" are nowhere near my lips, or even in my thoughts.
Now sit down, quiet down, and look in the mirror of your soul. Look both openly and deeply. See that little dancing spark behind, beneath and before all the extraneous, personal stuff? See that thin shard of light slicing through all the beliefs, judgments, and distorted images you have about yourself? That is your divinity, your eternal flame that never goes out, even surviving your benign, or not-so-benign, neglect.
Now, it's probably wise not to march right into work tomorrow morning and start asking folks, "Have you accepted your own divinity?" They'll think you've joined a cult, or gone off the deep end with Tom Cruise, and the question itself will be devalued. It's probably best to use the question as a Zen-like koan, and ask yourself on an ongoing basis "Have I accepted my own divinity?" One hint: The right answer never begins with the phrase, "Yes, but..."
It's not about ego. It's not about concocting some inflated image of yourself. It's about Reality. With a capital "R." You are divine. As is everyone else on the planet. Your uniqueness is not in your divinity, but rather in how you express it. Don't hurry, don't worry, you will be drawn to the perfect means of expression by your interests, passions, and talents.
For today, just focus on the accepting. See the spark. Feel it as you. Fan the flame a bit, and shine, shine, shine!
-- Doug Germann. Footprints in the Wind #448.
Look in the mirror. I'm not sure what you'll see, but I'm guessing, that upon first glance, it's not divinity. I see an an aging, balding, overweight, white guy. The words, "You look divine!" are nowhere near my lips, or even in my thoughts.
Now sit down, quiet down, and look in the mirror of your soul. Look both openly and deeply. See that little dancing spark behind, beneath and before all the extraneous, personal stuff? See that thin shard of light slicing through all the beliefs, judgments, and distorted images you have about yourself? That is your divinity, your eternal flame that never goes out, even surviving your benign, or not-so-benign, neglect.
Now, it's probably wise not to march right into work tomorrow morning and start asking folks, "Have you accepted your own divinity?" They'll think you've joined a cult, or gone off the deep end with Tom Cruise, and the question itself will be devalued. It's probably best to use the question as a Zen-like koan, and ask yourself on an ongoing basis "Have I accepted my own divinity?" One hint: The right answer never begins with the phrase, "Yes, but..."
It's not about ego. It's not about concocting some inflated image of yourself. It's about Reality. With a capital "R." You are divine. As is everyone else on the planet. Your uniqueness is not in your divinity, but rather in how you express it. Don't hurry, don't worry, you will be drawn to the perfect means of expression by your interests, passions, and talents.
For today, just focus on the accepting. See the spark. Feel it as you. Fan the flame a bit, and shine, shine, shine!
Be What You Want to See
"Start putting into the world what you would like to get out of the world."
-- A.C. Ping
Are you searching for the perfect lover, perfect job, perfect client or perfect partner? Then start being the perfect lover, perfect employee, perfect business owner, or perfect partner. The formula is simple -- be what you want to see!
But what if you're searching for the perfect computer or perfect house? You can't just be a perfect computer or a perfect house. Whenever you find yourself wanting material objects, just remember that what you really want is not the object itself, but the value or experience that the object represents for you.
Let's say that your ideal computer is fast, flexible, easy to use, and powerful. (Obviously you want a MAC and not a PC!) If those are the qualities you want to experience, then those are the qualities you need to manifest, i.e., start being fast, flexible, "user friendly," and powerful in all your dealings with the world. Put out what you want to receive, regardless of the form in which you want to receive it.
For you owning a home may represent security, financial maturity, and achievement. Fine. Start by helping others feel more secure, by making financially mature decisions, and by achieving up to your potential, and you will begin to have the very experiences the home represents. Will you get the perfect home exactly as you envision it? Possibly. But it's also possible that you'll get a much better home, or even something very different, but more aligned with your own core values.
Here's a foolproof way to decide what you need to put into the world -- listen to what you bitch about! Whatever you find lacking is what you need to give. Whatever you don't see is what you need to be!
Forty years ago Dionne Warwick sang, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That's the only thing that there's just too little of." I've yet to meet anyone who feels that the world just loves them too damn much. So, putting a little more love into the world is a really fine place to start.
-- A.C. Ping
Are you searching for the perfect lover, perfect job, perfect client or perfect partner? Then start being the perfect lover, perfect employee, perfect business owner, or perfect partner. The formula is simple -- be what you want to see!
But what if you're searching for the perfect computer or perfect house? You can't just be a perfect computer or a perfect house. Whenever you find yourself wanting material objects, just remember that what you really want is not the object itself, but the value or experience that the object represents for you.
Let's say that your ideal computer is fast, flexible, easy to use, and powerful. (Obviously you want a MAC and not a PC!) If those are the qualities you want to experience, then those are the qualities you need to manifest, i.e., start being fast, flexible, "user friendly," and powerful in all your dealings with the world. Put out what you want to receive, regardless of the form in which you want to receive it.
For you owning a home may represent security, financial maturity, and achievement. Fine. Start by helping others feel more secure, by making financially mature decisions, and by achieving up to your potential, and you will begin to have the very experiences the home represents. Will you get the perfect home exactly as you envision it? Possibly. But it's also possible that you'll get a much better home, or even something very different, but more aligned with your own core values.
Here's a foolproof way to decide what you need to put into the world -- listen to what you bitch about! Whatever you find lacking is what you need to give. Whatever you don't see is what you need to be!
Forty years ago Dionne Warwick sang, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love. That's the only thing that there's just too little of." I've yet to meet anyone who feels that the world just loves them too damn much. So, putting a little more love into the world is a really fine place to start.
Unlearning
"Education comes mainly in what we have unlearned."
-- Mark Twain
As I write this blog everyday, themes begin to emerge. One theme is the two-sided coin of simplicity and over-consumption. While previous entries have focused upon our over-consumption of material goods, it also behooves us to be aware of over-consumption on mental and psychological levels.
Think back to when you were a kid. Imagine that every Christmas, birthday and special occasion you were inundated with gifts. Way too many gifts. Gifts up the wazoo and out the yin yang! Transfer that over-receiving to the level of the mind, realize that it happens every single day, and you get a glimpse of the forced mental gluttony that takes places under the banners of child rearing, socialization and education.
As kids we are taught all kinds of things that just ain't so. Pet theories and prejudices, religious doctrines and personal opinion, old wives tales and political polemic are all peddled to us as truth. And we're young and impressionable, and so we swallow it all, or most of it at least, with the proverbial hook, line and sinker. And sink us it does. Stuck with all that psychological and mental garbage, we sink to the level of mediocrity, the level of normal neurosis, the level of most of our culture.
If what we learn at a young age, and have reinforced throughout life, is the problem, unlearning is the solution. Despite what your stepdad used to tell you, you're not fat and stupid! (OK, you could stand to lose a few pounds and Mensa isn't busting down your door to get you to join, but, hey, how many skinny Einsteins are out there anyway?) Whites aren't all prejudiced, blacks aren't all lazy, and every Latino is not an illegal immigrant. The list of crap you may have "learned" goes on and on ad nauseum.
You see, the stuff we need to unlearn is of three types -- misinformation about ourselves, misinformation about others, and misinformation about life. Everytime you are tempted to make a statement that begins with a phrase like "I am..." or "He (or she) is... " or "The world is..." you should begin to question it. Especially if it is negative. "I am lazy." Really? "She is just pure evil!" Bitchy maybe, but pure evil? "Life is unfair." Are you sure?
Old conditioning is especially insidious when we are over-emotional and uncentered. Knee jerk reactions replace open inquiry, and all the stuff we need to unlearn comes bubbling to the surface. Begin to see those times as gifts, as opportunities to see in stark relief exactly what you need to let go of in order to personally evolve.
Today is the perfect day to begin the unlearning process. Or it's a really lousy day to begin it. No matter what your opinion is, it's the only day you've got, for sure, for now, for real. And, so, see how many outdated ideas, unquestioned opinions, and needless beliefs you can retire today. Lighten the load you carry between your ears, and life will reveal to you all you need to know. The trick is simple -- let go of the mental garbage and pay attention.
-- Mark Twain
As I write this blog everyday, themes begin to emerge. One theme is the two-sided coin of simplicity and over-consumption. While previous entries have focused upon our over-consumption of material goods, it also behooves us to be aware of over-consumption on mental and psychological levels.
Think back to when you were a kid. Imagine that every Christmas, birthday and special occasion you were inundated with gifts. Way too many gifts. Gifts up the wazoo and out the yin yang! Transfer that over-receiving to the level of the mind, realize that it happens every single day, and you get a glimpse of the forced mental gluttony that takes places under the banners of child rearing, socialization and education.
As kids we are taught all kinds of things that just ain't so. Pet theories and prejudices, religious doctrines and personal opinion, old wives tales and political polemic are all peddled to us as truth. And we're young and impressionable, and so we swallow it all, or most of it at least, with the proverbial hook, line and sinker. And sink us it does. Stuck with all that psychological and mental garbage, we sink to the level of mediocrity, the level of normal neurosis, the level of most of our culture.
If what we learn at a young age, and have reinforced throughout life, is the problem, unlearning is the solution. Despite what your stepdad used to tell you, you're not fat and stupid! (OK, you could stand to lose a few pounds and Mensa isn't busting down your door to get you to join, but, hey, how many skinny Einsteins are out there anyway?) Whites aren't all prejudiced, blacks aren't all lazy, and every Latino is not an illegal immigrant. The list of crap you may have "learned" goes on and on ad nauseum.
You see, the stuff we need to unlearn is of three types -- misinformation about ourselves, misinformation about others, and misinformation about life. Everytime you are tempted to make a statement that begins with a phrase like "I am..." or "He (or she) is... " or "The world is..." you should begin to question it. Especially if it is negative. "I am lazy." Really? "She is just pure evil!" Bitchy maybe, but pure evil? "Life is unfair." Are you sure?
Old conditioning is especially insidious when we are over-emotional and uncentered. Knee jerk reactions replace open inquiry, and all the stuff we need to unlearn comes bubbling to the surface. Begin to see those times as gifts, as opportunities to see in stark relief exactly what you need to let go of in order to personally evolve.
Today is the perfect day to begin the unlearning process. Or it's a really lousy day to begin it. No matter what your opinion is, it's the only day you've got, for sure, for now, for real. And, so, see how many outdated ideas, unquestioned opinions, and needless beliefs you can retire today. Lighten the load you carry between your ears, and life will reveal to you all you need to know. The trick is simple -- let go of the mental garbage and pay attention.
Are You Dancing With Joy?
"Why aren't you dancing with joy at this very moment? That is the only relevant spiritual question."
-- Pir Vilayat Khan
Have you ever seen a dour preacher? If you've spent anytime in church, recently, or in youth, I'm sure you have. They abound like mosquitos on a hot summer's night. They're all about doom and gloom, fire and brimstone, sin and salvation. Joy never crosses their lips.
Or watch television at those odd hours when people can't sleep and rates are cheap, and you'll see another brand of joyless preacher -- the screaming and shouting, fund raising, televangelist. Alot of strutting and preening, surely. Dancing with joy -- nowhere to be found.
The thing is, you don't need a middle man between you and the Divine. God doesn't use wholesalers, and She tends to shy away from pyramid schemes. A cosmic dance instructor is unnecessary when your entire DNA is encoded to do the dance of joy.
Simply tune into the life force that runs within you, and let it move you. Or watch as the life force unfolds into the world through the people all around you. Or feel the life force move between you and all your cosmic dance partners as you dance your way through life.
It's the same force -- within, without and between. Rising-falling, expanding-contracting, giving-receiving, and the only truly intelligent, intuitive, spiritual response is to dance with joy!
So, today, allow the joy to rise within you and move though you. Tune into your own joyous heartbeat, your own wildly ecstatic blood flow, your own serenely blissful in-breath and out-breath. And as you do, allow the movement to take place, allow the Spirt to move you into your own unique dance of joy. Spin and twirl, watusi and frug, twist and shout, at least metaphorically. Dance and groove in your own beautifully crazy way. Whatever you do, don't sit this one out!
-- Pir Vilayat Khan
Have you ever seen a dour preacher? If you've spent anytime in church, recently, or in youth, I'm sure you have. They abound like mosquitos on a hot summer's night. They're all about doom and gloom, fire and brimstone, sin and salvation. Joy never crosses their lips.
Or watch television at those odd hours when people can't sleep and rates are cheap, and you'll see another brand of joyless preacher -- the screaming and shouting, fund raising, televangelist. Alot of strutting and preening, surely. Dancing with joy -- nowhere to be found.
The thing is, you don't need a middle man between you and the Divine. God doesn't use wholesalers, and She tends to shy away from pyramid schemes. A cosmic dance instructor is unnecessary when your entire DNA is encoded to do the dance of joy.
Simply tune into the life force that runs within you, and let it move you. Or watch as the life force unfolds into the world through the people all around you. Or feel the life force move between you and all your cosmic dance partners as you dance your way through life.
It's the same force -- within, without and between. Rising-falling, expanding-contracting, giving-receiving, and the only truly intelligent, intuitive, spiritual response is to dance with joy!
So, today, allow the joy to rise within you and move though you. Tune into your own joyous heartbeat, your own wildly ecstatic blood flow, your own serenely blissful in-breath and out-breath. And as you do, allow the movement to take place, allow the Spirt to move you into your own unique dance of joy. Spin and twirl, watusi and frug, twist and shout, at least metaphorically. Dance and groove in your own beautifully crazy way. Whatever you do, don't sit this one out!
Express Yourself
"Creation is a better means of self-expression than possession; it is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed."
-- Vida D. Scudder
Boy, we buy a buttload of junk! Market research says that the average consumer is exposed to over 3000 advertisements a day. And each one is saying basically the same thing -- your life will be so much better, you will be so much happier, if you just buy" this", whatever "this" is. The not-so-subtle underlying message in all these ads is "something is wrong with you and your life." But the fix is quick and painless -- just buy your way to happiness!
The only problem is, the solution doesn't work! You can't spend your way to happiness. You can't create a strong sense of self out of a Gucci bag, a Vera Wang dress and some Nine West ostrich skin boots.
So, since possession doesn't work, why not try creation? What you create is a much truer reflection of you than what you wear, own, or possess. And, furthermore, creation beats possession every time on the fulfillment scale.
What do you create? You create a really bitchin' key lime pie, or a new company that produces colorful clothing out of recycled materials, or a book on minor league baseball, or a CD of down home blues, or a retreat center that just exudes peace, or a million and one other things that you would love to do and that the world could really use and that wouldn't need millions of dollars of advertising to hype them to the masses.
The ability to create is a gift that we're all given. It is the life force working through us. Our creations are our individual manifestations of that life force; they are our gifts to the world. What will you create today?
-- Vida D. Scudder
Boy, we buy a buttload of junk! Market research says that the average consumer is exposed to over 3000 advertisements a day. And each one is saying basically the same thing -- your life will be so much better, you will be so much happier, if you just buy" this", whatever "this" is. The not-so-subtle underlying message in all these ads is "something is wrong with you and your life." But the fix is quick and painless -- just buy your way to happiness!
The only problem is, the solution doesn't work! You can't spend your way to happiness. You can't create a strong sense of self out of a Gucci bag, a Vera Wang dress and some Nine West ostrich skin boots.
So, since possession doesn't work, why not try creation? What you create is a much truer reflection of you than what you wear, own, or possess. And, furthermore, creation beats possession every time on the fulfillment scale.
What do you create? You create a really bitchin' key lime pie, or a new company that produces colorful clothing out of recycled materials, or a book on minor league baseball, or a CD of down home blues, or a retreat center that just exudes peace, or a million and one other things that you would love to do and that the world could really use and that wouldn't need millions of dollars of advertising to hype them to the masses.
The ability to create is a gift that we're all given. It is the life force working through us. Our creations are our individual manifestations of that life force; they are our gifts to the world. What will you create today?
Orderliness Leads to Originality
"Be regular and orderly in your life, like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work."
-- Gustav Flaubert
Thank God "cleanliness is next to godliness," not orderliness, because though I'm pretty damn clean, I've got along way to go to be orderly! Orderly and ordinary have always seemed liked synonyms to me. And who wants to be ordinary? But Falubert, along with Feng Shui, Zen, and organizational expert Julia Morgenstern, have made me rethink all that.
While I'm a far cry from arranging the clothes in my closet by color, or alphabetizing my cleaning supplies in tidy, little rows under the sink, I do appreciate the time and energy saved through orderliness and organization. I balance my check book, keep a daily to-do list, have my books shelved in general subject areas, write this blog every morning, and... well, hell, I guess that's about it. An orderly life is still a distant, ghost-like image on the organizational horizon.
Many creative types fear that if their life becomes too mundane their work will suffer. They're afraid that an organized life will be like Prozac -- sure things will be nice and calm, but they won't feel like themselves, they won't feel the lovely and awe-full rush of chaos that both energizes and inspires. If, like me, you've used those excuses for not getting organized, put them aside for a few days and see what getting your ducks in a row can do.
I think I'll spend a good portion of my waking hours this weekend putting my home and office in order. Unless you're already pushing the high end of the anal scale, I invite you to do the same. Let's put old Falubert to the acid test. Let's get bourgeois and orderly in our lives, and see if it frees us to create even more wildly, original work. Let our battle cry be "Regularite Supporte Originalite!"
-- Gustav Flaubert
Thank God "cleanliness is next to godliness," not orderliness, because though I'm pretty damn clean, I've got along way to go to be orderly! Orderly and ordinary have always seemed liked synonyms to me. And who wants to be ordinary? But Falubert, along with Feng Shui, Zen, and organizational expert Julia Morgenstern, have made me rethink all that.
While I'm a far cry from arranging the clothes in my closet by color, or alphabetizing my cleaning supplies in tidy, little rows under the sink, I do appreciate the time and energy saved through orderliness and organization. I balance my check book, keep a daily to-do list, have my books shelved in general subject areas, write this blog every morning, and... well, hell, I guess that's about it. An orderly life is still a distant, ghost-like image on the organizational horizon.
Many creative types fear that if their life becomes too mundane their work will suffer. They're afraid that an organized life will be like Prozac -- sure things will be nice and calm, but they won't feel like themselves, they won't feel the lovely and awe-full rush of chaos that both energizes and inspires. If, like me, you've used those excuses for not getting organized, put them aside for a few days and see what getting your ducks in a row can do.
I think I'll spend a good portion of my waking hours this weekend putting my home and office in order. Unless you're already pushing the high end of the anal scale, I invite you to do the same. Let's put old Falubert to the acid test. Let's get bourgeois and orderly in our lives, and see if it frees us to create even more wildly, original work. Let our battle cry be "Regularite Supporte Originalite!"
Two Truths
"He lead a double life. Did that make him a liar? He did not feel like a liar. He was a man of two truths."
-- Iris Murdoch
I love beer, and I love God. I love baseball, football and tennis, and I love meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Am I bipolar? Do I suffer from multiple personality disorder? No, I'm just a normal human being full of polarities, disparities and contradictions.
Consistency has never been my strong suit. Wasn't it Emerson who said, "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...?" From my perspective most people spend way too much time trying to be consistent with some crazy image they have of themselves. They attempt to force all their delightful quirks and colorful idiosyncrasies into a way-too-small, bland, vanilla container.
When I was in graduate school I facilitated a meditation group for a local ecumenical ministry. One week, as the participants assembled, a young woman said to me, "I was at the football game on Saturday, and I saw a guy who looked just like you, but he was the exact opposite of you. He was screaming and yelling and cheering and acting like a wild man." I calmly said, "Oh yea, that was me. Great game, huh?" The look on her face can only be described by that overused word that has been blatantly commandeered by Master Card, "priceless."
You may have two truths; you may have more. All of them can be lived, just not simultaneously. If all your many facets are confusing to the peanut gallery, so be it. Better to be confusing to others than untrue to yourself.
So, your task for today is a rather enjoyable one -- let a hidden side of yourself come out and play. Let your subtle humor shine. Let your sarcasm blossom. Let your smoldering sexuality run rampant. Whatever side of yourself you've been squirreling away, let it be front and center today. Live your truths, however many there may be!
-- Iris Murdoch
I love beer, and I love God. I love baseball, football and tennis, and I love meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Am I bipolar? Do I suffer from multiple personality disorder? No, I'm just a normal human being full of polarities, disparities and contradictions.
Consistency has never been my strong suit. Wasn't it Emerson who said, "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...?" From my perspective most people spend way too much time trying to be consistent with some crazy image they have of themselves. They attempt to force all their delightful quirks and colorful idiosyncrasies into a way-too-small, bland, vanilla container.
When I was in graduate school I facilitated a meditation group for a local ecumenical ministry. One week, as the participants assembled, a young woman said to me, "I was at the football game on Saturday, and I saw a guy who looked just like you, but he was the exact opposite of you. He was screaming and yelling and cheering and acting like a wild man." I calmly said, "Oh yea, that was me. Great game, huh?" The look on her face can only be described by that overused word that has been blatantly commandeered by Master Card, "priceless."
You may have two truths; you may have more. All of them can be lived, just not simultaneously. If all your many facets are confusing to the peanut gallery, so be it. Better to be confusing to others than untrue to yourself.
So, your task for today is a rather enjoyable one -- let a hidden side of yourself come out and play. Let your subtle humor shine. Let your sarcasm blossom. Let your smoldering sexuality run rampant. Whatever side of yourself you've been squirreling away, let it be front and center today. Live your truths, however many there may be!
Desire
"We all suffer the consequences of desire."
-- k.d. lang
k.d. lang made the above statement during an interview that aired this morning on CBS Sunday Morning. She said it in reference to her father leaving the family when she was 12 to run off with another woman. To her credit, k.d. said that she forgave him fairly quickly. And then, as if to express both her sympathy and understanding, she said, "We all suffer the consequences of desire."
And do we ever! No less than good old Gautma the Buddha, himself, said," Desire is the cause of all suffering." This little philosophical morsel is known in Buddhist circles as The Second Noble Truth. And while I hate to disagree with as illustrious a teacher as the Buddha, I'm not sure he got it quite right.
See, The First Noble Truth, is simply "Life is suffering." Or as I prefer to think of it, "There is suffering in life." No matter what you do, short of getting enlightened, you will always experience at least some suffering. That's just the way it is. But you will also experience great joy and wonder and happiness and contentment -- the polar opposite of suffering -- fleeting as they may be.
Granted, much of suffering is connected with desire -- both fulfilled and unfulfilled desire. You desire to be rich, or have the love of a particular person, or own a Ferrari, or sleep with Angelina Jolie, or Brad Pitt, and time and time again your desires are dashed upon the rocks of reality. And yea, it sucks, and yea, you suffer.
But just fulfilling your desires doesn't obliterate suffering. Haven't you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, experienced a momentary rush of happiness, and then five minutes, five hours, or five days later felt that familiar, gnawing, internal emptiness return? Unfulfilled desires create suffering, fulfilled desires create suffering; it seems like a no win situation.
But desire is natural. We all experience it. Is God, or Nature, such a bad programmer that unavoidable suffering is programmed right into the human system? I don't think so. I think if you look more closely at your own experience, and the experience of those around you, you will see that it is not desire that creates suffering, but rather attachment to desire. That one word "attachment" makes a all the difference.
You see, desire is part and parcel of life, even fun at times. It's a hot, jazzy rush, an energizing flash, that let's you know that you're really, truly alive. The paradox is that in order not to create suffering, you must balance desire with detachment. I know that sounds weird, but here's what I'm saying: It's OK to want it, whatever it may be, just don't be attached to whether you get it or not!
That's the understanding that the Zen Buddhists came to. It's not desire which causes suffering but the attachment to desire. In fact one definition of Zen is "Doing your damndest without giving a damn."
When desire arises, you have two intelligent options. One, you can do your damndest to fulfill it, while simultaneously not giving a damn whether you really do. (In other words, enjoy the journey, but don't worry about the destination, play the game with all your heart and forget about the score). Or two, you can do nothing except watch desire arise and watch it pass through you like a bad burrito, or, more poetically, like clouds in a Japanese sky. Either way you've faced desire with detachment.
What you don't want to do, what really will cause suffering both now and later, is to suppress the desire, push it away, or pretend it's not there. The only way to deal with desire is to face it with the most consciousness you can muster. Which, come to think of it, is really the only way to deal with life in all its many aspects.
So, beginning today, don't go unconscious in the face of desire. Don't use the fight or flight response. Watch it, play with it, enjoy it, but don't dare become attached to it. Dance lightly with desire, and you will find that it can be a vehicle of liberation rather than a cause of suffering.
-- k.d. lang
k.d. lang made the above statement during an interview that aired this morning on CBS Sunday Morning. She said it in reference to her father leaving the family when she was 12 to run off with another woman. To her credit, k.d. said that she forgave him fairly quickly. And then, as if to express both her sympathy and understanding, she said, "We all suffer the consequences of desire."
And do we ever! No less than good old Gautma the Buddha, himself, said," Desire is the cause of all suffering." This little philosophical morsel is known in Buddhist circles as The Second Noble Truth. And while I hate to disagree with as illustrious a teacher as the Buddha, I'm not sure he got it quite right.
See, The First Noble Truth, is simply "Life is suffering." Or as I prefer to think of it, "There is suffering in life." No matter what you do, short of getting enlightened, you will always experience at least some suffering. That's just the way it is. But you will also experience great joy and wonder and happiness and contentment -- the polar opposite of suffering -- fleeting as they may be.
Granted, much of suffering is connected with desire -- both fulfilled and unfulfilled desire. You desire to be rich, or have the love of a particular person, or own a Ferrari, or sleep with Angelina Jolie, or Brad Pitt, and time and time again your desires are dashed upon the rocks of reality. And yea, it sucks, and yea, you suffer.
But just fulfilling your desires doesn't obliterate suffering. Haven't you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, experienced a momentary rush of happiness, and then five minutes, five hours, or five days later felt that familiar, gnawing, internal emptiness return? Unfulfilled desires create suffering, fulfilled desires create suffering; it seems like a no win situation.
But desire is natural. We all experience it. Is God, or Nature, such a bad programmer that unavoidable suffering is programmed right into the human system? I don't think so. I think if you look more closely at your own experience, and the experience of those around you, you will see that it is not desire that creates suffering, but rather attachment to desire. That one word "attachment" makes a all the difference.
You see, desire is part and parcel of life, even fun at times. It's a hot, jazzy rush, an energizing flash, that let's you know that you're really, truly alive. The paradox is that in order not to create suffering, you must balance desire with detachment. I know that sounds weird, but here's what I'm saying: It's OK to want it, whatever it may be, just don't be attached to whether you get it or not!
That's the understanding that the Zen Buddhists came to. It's not desire which causes suffering but the attachment to desire. In fact one definition of Zen is "Doing your damndest without giving a damn."
When desire arises, you have two intelligent options. One, you can do your damndest to fulfill it, while simultaneously not giving a damn whether you really do. (In other words, enjoy the journey, but don't worry about the destination, play the game with all your heart and forget about the score). Or two, you can do nothing except watch desire arise and watch it pass through you like a bad burrito, or, more poetically, like clouds in a Japanese sky. Either way you've faced desire with detachment.
What you don't want to do, what really will cause suffering both now and later, is to suppress the desire, push it away, or pretend it's not there. The only way to deal with desire is to face it with the most consciousness you can muster. Which, come to think of it, is really the only way to deal with life in all its many aspects.
So, beginning today, don't go unconscious in the face of desire. Don't use the fight or flight response. Watch it, play with it, enjoy it, but don't dare become attached to it. Dance lightly with desire, and you will find that it can be a vehicle of liberation rather than a cause of suffering.
The Great Heresy
"The great heresy, and the only real heresy, is the idea that anything is separate, distinct, and different essentially from other things."
-- G. de Purucker
Heresy, as the word is usually used, just means a deviation from the status quo, a departure from the party line. A heretic is someone who dares to think for him, or her, self, rather than march in cognitive lockstep with the powers that be.
What GdP points out to us here is that there's really only one Great Truth, and so only one real heresy. The Great Truth, the only Universal Truth, is that we are all One. Thus it follows that the only real heresy is to posit separation, to emphasize difference and distinction over Unity.
It's like the old hymn says, "We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord." Not just you and me and baby makes three, but all sentient beings, all life forms, are in essence the same God Stuff. Whether you're nodding in agreement, or shaking your head in disbelief, the fact is that most of us are heretics on a daily basis. That is, we don't act as if everything is essentially the same. We, instead, use our time, energy, and intelligence to focus upon surface level differences -- race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, level of education, religious indoctrination, etc.
So, just for today, experiment with looking deeper. Experiment with seeing and feeling the Unity, rather than creating the separation. Don't worry -- your mind won't lose it's ability to discriminate! You won't mistake Arnold Schwartzenegger for Hannah Montana, or your romantic partner for the family dog. What you will do, what you can do, is balance the cognitive mind's ability to emphasize difference with the intuitive mind's ability to perceive Oneness. And when you do, you will finally know that, indeed, we are all in this together.
-- G. de Purucker
Heresy, as the word is usually used, just means a deviation from the status quo, a departure from the party line. A heretic is someone who dares to think for him, or her, self, rather than march in cognitive lockstep with the powers that be.
What GdP points out to us here is that there's really only one Great Truth, and so only one real heresy. The Great Truth, the only Universal Truth, is that we are all One. Thus it follows that the only real heresy is to posit separation, to emphasize difference and distinction over Unity.
It's like the old hymn says, "We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord." Not just you and me and baby makes three, but all sentient beings, all life forms, are in essence the same God Stuff. Whether you're nodding in agreement, or shaking your head in disbelief, the fact is that most of us are heretics on a daily basis. That is, we don't act as if everything is essentially the same. We, instead, use our time, energy, and intelligence to focus upon surface level differences -- race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, level of education, religious indoctrination, etc.
So, just for today, experiment with looking deeper. Experiment with seeing and feeling the Unity, rather than creating the separation. Don't worry -- your mind won't lose it's ability to discriminate! You won't mistake Arnold Schwartzenegger for Hannah Montana, or your romantic partner for the family dog. What you will do, what you can do, is balance the cognitive mind's ability to emphasize difference with the intuitive mind's ability to perceive Oneness. And when you do, you will finally know that, indeed, we are all in this together.
What Are You Working On?
"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."
-- Carlos Castenada
I'm continually amazed at how much work people put into maintaining their misery! You have to keep thinking miserable thoughts, creating miserable emotions, doing miserable things, over and over and over again to keep "enjoying" a truly miserable life. Whew -- I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
With exactly the same amount of energy, or even less, you can choose instead to focus on your strengths, think positive thoughts, do empowering things, and create a life built on happiness, abundance and grace.
Coming from strength allows you to be a true force for good in the world. Coming out of misery disempowers you, and merely allows you to spread more misery. You become contagious, like Typhoid Annie, and anytime you meet someone with a compromised psychological immune system, you infect them with misery, too. Your own little gift to the world.
As humans, we are energy conversion devices. We take in energy in the form of food, ideas, psychological impressions, perceptions, etc., and, through work, we convert those raw materials into both tangible (physical) and intangible (psychological, emotional, spiritual) results. Rally's says, "You gotta eat." They're focused on the input. Castaneda says, "You gotta work." He's focused on the output.
The really important question is: What do you want the results of your work to be? Because its not so much the amount of work you do, but the focus of your work, that determines both the quality of your results and the quality of your life.
So, today, quit making yourself miserable! Quit spreading misery like the plague and, instead, work from your strengths. Invest your energy in thoughts and actions that make you feel good and simultaneously make the world a better place. Remember: Fun is the universal antidote to misery. Good clean (or dirty) fun. You choose. Either way, forgo misery, choose fun!
-- Carlos Castenada
I'm continually amazed at how much work people put into maintaining their misery! You have to keep thinking miserable thoughts, creating miserable emotions, doing miserable things, over and over and over again to keep "enjoying" a truly miserable life. Whew -- I'm exhausted just thinking about it!
With exactly the same amount of energy, or even less, you can choose instead to focus on your strengths, think positive thoughts, do empowering things, and create a life built on happiness, abundance and grace.
Coming from strength allows you to be a true force for good in the world. Coming out of misery disempowers you, and merely allows you to spread more misery. You become contagious, like Typhoid Annie, and anytime you meet someone with a compromised psychological immune system, you infect them with misery, too. Your own little gift to the world.
As humans, we are energy conversion devices. We take in energy in the form of food, ideas, psychological impressions, perceptions, etc., and, through work, we convert those raw materials into both tangible (physical) and intangible (psychological, emotional, spiritual) results. Rally's says, "You gotta eat." They're focused on the input. Castaneda says, "You gotta work." He's focused on the output.
The really important question is: What do you want the results of your work to be? Because its not so much the amount of work you do, but the focus of your work, that determines both the quality of your results and the quality of your life.
So, today, quit making yourself miserable! Quit spreading misery like the plague and, instead, work from your strengths. Invest your energy in thoughts and actions that make you feel good and simultaneously make the world a better place. Remember: Fun is the universal antidote to misery. Good clean (or dirty) fun. You choose. Either way, forgo misery, choose fun!
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