A natural state

A pond of water, when undisturbed is by its nature calm. When the wind blows the surface is affected. When the storm comes the rain also affects the water. If the wind or storm is strong enough the effect goes deeper. But the universe cannot sustain the wind or storms indefinitely. Their effect it temporary, or impermanent. When the wind stops, when the storm subsides, the the water returns to its natural state, calm. Even when the storm was great and the effects reached to the depths of the pond, the water will return to the natural state, calm.

I wonder about the human condition. Can we also return to a state of calm after the storms have past. Our storms can not be sustained indefinitely either. Once they pass, let them pass and allow yourself to be like the pond, return to a calm state.

Thank You

Definitions

I have a quote displayed on the blog, "We can only see what we see from where we stand. We cannot see what others see from where they stand. For us to see what they see, the best we can do is stand beside them". This quote talks about points of view and points of reference. What I experience is dependent upon my point of view and point of reference. If I change either, my point of view or point of reference than the experience changes, the definitions of the experience change.

We define everything is some way or another. These definitions help us cope with our day, help to make sense of everything we encounter. But we can get stuck in definitions. and thus suffer based on definitions that are unmoving. I believe that if we can adjust our point of view and point of reference then the definition will naturally change and we will become unstuck. Thus lessening our suffering.

Thank You

Endless journey

I see something clearer today. As I go through this day I am experiencing things that seem to have the effect of raising my stress level. I remember what I said in another previous post and am practicing this, but... There are always 'things' that can cause us stress. The list is endless. Is human life an endles journey of suffering? Suffering in one form or another, physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiriutally. I see life being lived out this way in so many, myself included. Do we have to suffer so much?? I don't have a definitive answer to this, but in my heart I believe that we can become free of suffering. There is a way. I can feel it. Is the answer contained in the teaching of some of our past spiritual teachers, maybe. But I think that there is an answer already within me and I believe that there is already an answer contained within you as well.

When I look and see that there is an endless list of potential things that can cause me suffering, It awakens me to the knowledge that this may be true for others. So, part one, I choose to reduce the amount of times I make that list for others. Part two, as I see that the list can become endless it somehow changes for me and starts to loose its power. Maybe it is like being a tree, sometimes the wind blows strong, sometimes the rain comes in storms, sometimes it is too hot, somtimes it is too cold, and so on. But these things come and these things go. How can I really accomplish anything by getting upset at the wind, or the storm or the heat or the cold. Sometimes these things can relieve my stress as much as they can increase my stress. So maybe they are truly neutral and it is my view that changes their effect on me.

Perhaps this is more the answer for me. Seeing the neutrality of things rather than assigning them plus or minus values, positive or negative influence.

Thank You

I see

Today I was visiting another Blog. I was just browsing but came across a quote from a book that I have already read.

"You people today curl up in bed with their walkmen [iPods today] and listen to unwholesome music, songs that water seed of great sadness and agitation in them. when we practice Right View and Right Thinking, we will put all of our tapes and CDs that water only seeds of anguish into a box and not listen to them anymore."

Now I do this type of practice with audio and visual content already. Not really out of a practice, but more because I am drawn or guided to do this. Some of these audio and visual stimulus just make me feel unwell. But I digress here. As I read these words, it reached deeped within my mind and heart and a deeper understanding blossomed. At least for me. As I go through my day I encounter other forms of stimuli that have perhaps unwelcome affects upon me. Now is it the stimuli itself that is the root cause of my distress or is it how I deal with the stimuli that is the source of my distress? I believe that the later is more true. So here is what I have come to understand deeper today. I can take my thoughts or feelings that I am thinking or feeling, that water the seeds of discontent, and put them in the box and not experience them anymore or not listen to them anymore.

I don't think that I will lock away these feelings and thoughts like in supression but more in a way of release. I will put them in a box and release them out to the universe, out to the Divine.

Thank You

Pay Attention

You know, there is an universe of discovery in every moment. It is there, and it is always changing. For us to experience this, all we need to do is simply pay attention. In those moments when you can pay attention, leaving yourself behind, wonderful insights are made available. The mundane is no longer mundane. The exciting is no longer exciting.

Here is where I find some of my most valuable teachings. My inspiritational lessons. Here is where I can be. Everything can be everything. I can be everything. Everything can be me. All things exist in a neutral state of existance, nothing is greater and nothing is lesser. The universe truly becomes infinite, by definition as well as by experience.

Thank You

I Am

A little while ago I was sitting in my living room. I looked outside and it was raining. I watched and thought about the rain. Then I became a rain drop. I fell from the sky and landed on the ground. I was absorbed by the earth and nurtured a tree. Then I grew into a leaf of the tree. I lived as a leaf and in the fall season, I fell from the tree. In the spring I became the grass. A bird came by and ate me and I became the bird. I took flight back to the sky.

I am the rain. I am the earth. I am the tree. I am the grass. I am the bird.

I am

Getting in the way

Today I wish to continue on about attachments. We struggle in our daily lives, many ways. As childern we are very accepting and we live very much in the moment. Also young children really don't carry their emotions for very long. generally they are content until someting upsets their contentment and when that is resoloved they naturally return back to their contentment state. You see they have not built attachments to the past experiences or future expectations. They do something quite naturally, they forgive and move on.

Attachments get in the way of our own healing. We attach to our anger, we attach to our pain. We will not forgive, and thus we suffer in a prison of our own creation. Forgivness is not always for the other, the one who caused our suffering, but for us the one who is suffering. Forgivness is the key to our prison. When we forgive we free ourselves, then healing can occur. Forgivness releases the pain we hold.

Why not try it? Why not just forgive yourself? Are you not worthy? Just try and see how it feels. Let go the emotional and mental debts you hold on yourself.

Thank You

Never Mind 'What eats Fear' What is the source of fear?

What is the source of our fears?

Upon further consideration, I came to the conclusion that it may be better to find the source of the fear and deal with that rather than trying to understand it afterwards. Stop the nurturing of the fear in the first place.

So again why do we fear? I am sure that there are countless answers for this question. Perhaps a different answer for every fear. Or maybe some answers that address many fears. But I came to an answer that seesm to fit with me. It is something that I have already touch upon in an earlier post. Attahments. Sounds simple but I feel that it may be true. Consider, I may fear death because I am attached to life. I fear sickness beacuse I am attached to health. I may fear flying because I am afraid of crashing, again attachment to life.

Please understand, I do not belittle fears, quite the opposite. I have had and do have my share. But if I could live in the moment without attachment then what would I have to fear.

The trick now is to try and accomplish living this way. I feel that in the type of world we currently inhabit, it is an ongoing practice. I really believe that it can be attained, at least to some degree. But we have to be vigilant and ever present.

Like any worthy skill, there has to be a starting point and there requires much practice.

Thank You

What Eats Fear

Fear

I am having a conversation today, and in the context of the conversation the topic of being afraid of talking to someone about something came up. The specific topic isn't really important here, but the fact that someone could be afraid to talk is. I have definately been there. I have been afraid to say somethings to some people. I know that there have been times that my own children have been faced with telling me something that they are not proud about and have been afraid to speak to me.

This is an everyday type of thing. Perhaps you share in my observation here. Afraid to talk with a partner, a friend, a employer, a collegue, a parent, the list goes on and on. Sometimes we will go to great length to avoid these conversations.

Here is my struggle today. In many cases the results of the conversations, onced faced, are much less serious then we imagine them to be. In hindsight we often see our original fear as silly. But that is only from hindsight. We had to live through that fear to see that it was not necessary to begin with.

So today I question,'what eats fear'. I have many ideas, but no solutions.

Perhaps fear is my teacher. Perhaps I can take each instance and learn something from it and compound the experiences so that I don't have to learn any one twice. Eventyally I could reduce the amount of fear I experience. Maybe that is one answer to my question, "what eats fear?', knowledge and experience.

I don't think that this is the end of this particular topic, but for now, I will lay it to rest.

Thank You

Illusion of Anger

A while ago I was feeling stressed. I was angering easily. One morning I awoke feeling agitated and everything seemed to make me more agitated and angry. The day seemed to be getting in my way, things seemed to be harder this day and I was late for work. All through this I was more and more frustrated and angry. As I was just about to go to work, my daughter delayed me more as she was now late for school and I had to now drive her. This was making me more late for work. As I drove her I was fuming and was upset with her for making me more late. I dropped her off at the school and instead of just rushing to work, I paused to watch her walk into the school. I still felt angry but didn't want to be that way. I watched her and thought I love her so much why do I want to be angry anymore. Then I could see my anger, it was like a huge monster. Many, many, times larger than me, so big and so powerful. Then I felt my love for my daughter. It was like a small bright light. I could see myself standing before this huge anger monster and with this small bright light of love. In the face of my love for my daughter, the anger monster changed from a solid powerful entity to translucent and smoke like and then just dissipated. I was shocked and felt the anger within me leave, totally.

You see I learned that day that the power and dominance of anger is just an illusion in the face of Love.

Thank You