Sunday, April 27, 2014

Discipline



Santa Monica

Awakening first requires intention.  We start by having a desire for a different way of living, a different way of being.  We are dissatisfied with our life circumstances.  We believe there must be something more.  Perhaps we have experienced glimpses of a more peaceful and connected way of life.  We yearn for more.

Once we have the intention to awaken, we need to know how to do so.  There are infinite available tools to awaken:  books, websites, teachers, nature itself.  If we ask, all of the necessary tools will be presented to us.  Once we ask, the response will be instantaneous.  All we have to do is be open to the answers.  They may come in unexpected and surprising ways.  Best not to have any expectations.

Discipline does not seem like a necessary trait for awakening.  However, the pull of unconscious thinking and shared belief systems is extremely strong.  Without the discipline to use the available tools and shift our awareness in every moment from thought to presence, we are lost.

We also need courage.  It takes courage to examine deeply buried thoughts, and to surrender our beliefs.  We may become estranged from family members, lose friends, and be ostracized by the groups who we no longer share belief systems with.

Intention, tools, courage, discipline.  Awakening can happen in a flash of insight or take a lifetime.  It is, of course, up to us.  If we embrace the uncertainty and mystery of Life with an open heart, this very moment can be a new beginning.  We could live with passion and adventure, and fulfill our life's purpose.

Let's have the discipline to stay in Presence.


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Mindfulness Part 2

Coromandel, New Zealand

Every moment we are presented with a choice.  We can act, think and believe as we have in the past.  No judgment.  If we are happy with our lives, we can proceed in the same manner.

However, if we are dissatisfied with how things are, or believe that life can offer us so much more, we can shift our attention away from unconscious thinking and bring it to the activity that we are currently engaged in.

We can feel the ground beneath our feet as we walk, listening to the sound of the wind in the trees.  We can truly listen to what our beloved is saying to us without judgment or agenda.  We can hear the sound of children playing and feel the cool breeze on our face.  We can go deep within and touch the hand of God.

Let's be mindful of everything we do.


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Mindfulness


Alpacas, New Zealand

If our attention is on the past or future, we are obviously not paying attention to what we are doing in the present.  It is like we are zombies, spaced out and acting in accordance with our programming.  We are conditioned from birth and our conditioning continues in the present.  We are barely alive.

Life can be a beautiful unfolding, moving from one miracle to the next if only we allow it to.  All that we have to do is put our attention on what we are doing.  If we are walking, let's walk.  If we are talking, let's talk.  If we are listening, let's listen.  If we are being, let's be.

We can shift our attention away from our compulsive thinking and into the present by being aware of our senses.  When we wash our hands, are we feeling the cool water flow over our skin or are we thinking about things in the past or the future?  When we are listening to a friend, are we really hearing him or her or are we thinking about what we want to say?  When we look at a tree or a bird, do we even see it?

It is not meditating.  It is paying attention to what we are doing: walking, seeing, breathing, feeling.  It is not passive.  It is allowing life to be just as it is.  It will unfold for us in ways beyond what we can imagine.  Life becomes the greatest adventure we can contemplate.  All that we have to do is allow it to.

Let's live mindfully.