Beyond Death

"Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean."

-- David Sedaris

I don't know what happens after we die, and neither do you. Sure, you can tell me what you believe, but, quite frankly, I don't want to hear it. Belief has nothing to do with death.

Mystery is what death is all about. It's the biggest, friggin' mystery there is! And it can't be solved, unravelled, or believed away. All you can do is accept your ignorance and continue to live. Until you don't. And then you'll find out.

While we're still here, there's a whole lot to do that is far more interesting than speculating on what happens next. Living in the present is one awesome, or awe-full, surprise after another. That's where our attention needs to be, not on the other shore. We'll each arrive there soone enough.

Meet you on the other side! Or, maybe not....

Beyond Soul Abandonment

"Aiming toward the future we sacrifice the present. By looking outside ourselves for what is missing, we subject ourselves, our souls, to the pain of abandonment."

-- A.H. Almaas

What if someone were to tell you that you don't need anything, that you don't need to go anywhere, that you don't need to improve yourself, make any changes, or be saved to be wildly and joyfully free right here, right now -- would you believe them? Because really, that's what old A.H. is saying. And that's what every holy man worth his loin cloth, every saint worth her halo has been saying for millenniums now. 

This is it. This moment. Right here, right now. Everything else, both past and future, is just a fantasy. You are it. At the deepest level, you and the Divine are one. No need to go on some sort of spiritual scavenger hunt, all you need is within you. 

I know, I know, it's kind of hard to believe, especially when you're having a really crappy day. But crappy days are just waves on the surface of a deep, calm ocean. No matter how big the waves, the true nature of the sea doesn't change. That's why meditation, contemplation, and "just sitting" are recommended by so many spiritual teachers and traditions -- to calm the waves of your oceanic mind and see to its depths. 

So, today's advice is simple -- don't just do something, sit there! Sit quietly for at least a small portion of your day, perhaps even for multiple small portions, and begin to see, to feel the all-rightness of the now, the prefect completeness of your self. Don't "chase what matters;" let what matters quietly reveal itself to you. 

And it will. And when it does, soul, self, time and place will be as one. One perfect moment in a series of perfect moments that make up your life. Perfectly you, perfectly present in joy!

Earth's Axis

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently as if this activity is the axis on which the whole earth revolves. Live the moment. Only this actual moment is life."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

If we could remember just this one thought, we would be fully present for the unfolding of our lives. Living each moment as axis, we would experience each moment as the sacred center of our existence, enjoy each moment alive in its full glory.

That's all their is to life -- being present, showing up, and living each tick of the clock fully, completely, consciously. Simple really. Seemingly not so hard.

Why then do we run cognitively and emotionally all over hell's half-acre? Why are we everywhere but here, now? 

Desire, bad habits, neurosis, dysfunction, sin. Call it what you will, our one real error is separating ourselves from reality, from this moment, which as Thich points out, is the only reality. Ever. This is it. Here now. One and no other. How incredibly, deliciously simple!

Breathing in, breathing out. Returning again and again to the present. Letting our perception and intuition guide us. Each day, each hour, each moment the same activity, and yet, always completely new. 

You and your tea. All is right with the world.

Seek Not

"If you know that fundamentally there is nothing to seek, you have settled your affairs."

-- Rinzai

Zen masters have a way of just cutting to the chase, don't they? No seeking, no attaining, just is-ness.

And yet, even as the truth of Rinzai's statement reverberates within us, we find ourselves time and time again back in the role of seeker. We dupe ourselves with trumped up desires, with thoughts that we need this or that thing, relationship, accomplishment or experience in order to be happy, fulfilled, enlightened or whole. I guess we need something to fill the days, hours and years. But that something can, of course, be creating, sharing, loving rather than seeking.

The problem with being caught in the seeking cycle is that separates us, at least mentally, from Reality. Instead of reveling in what is right before us, we jones after fantasies of the good life. This is the good life! Or, as Carly Simon sings, "these are the good old days." Nothing need be added because nothing is missing. Nothing. Very Zen!

When lost in the cycle of seeking, when tossed by waves of desire, breath is a lifeline. Focus on the rise and and fall of your stomach -- breathing in, breathing out. You don't have to seek to breathe; breathing just happens. As does your life. As does Reality. Right here, right now the breath of life, all of life, all in this moment free of seeking. Who could ask for anything more?

The Last Judgement

"Do not wait for the last judgement. It takes place everyday."

-- Albert Camus

Today is where the rubber meets the road. Today is where it all happens. You have nothing to wait for, no reason to delay, no final exam in your future. Be not fearful that the axe will someday fall. It is falling right now, chopping you to bits, and barely grazing your skin. Reaping and sewing, karma in action, grace flashing like summer lightning -- the dance of life.

The last judgement each and every day is more about how you relate to the world than how the world relates to you. Ultimately, it's about giving up judgement altogether, transcending duality, and living whole and complete.

The world is your feedback mechanism. It is your daily pop quiz. It is your playground. You judge the world, the world judges you, and in Reality none of those judgments matter. It's all just a Stupid Human Trick. There is no judge or jury in the sky waiting your arrival, eager to pass judgement upon your thoughts, words, and deeds. You do that everyday -- why repeat the process later? Why repeat the process now?

The only piece of advice worth giving is be a little easier on yourself, a little kinder to others. Judge less, love more. And if you're lucky one day, one judgement will actually be the last.