Arise

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “oasis” as “a  pleasant or peaceful area or period in the midst of a difficult or hectic place or situation.”  So, my yoga mat or meditation cushion is an oasis. I’ve found it helpful to create additional peaceful places. One is my pillow, at bedtime.  As an oasis, my pillow is a place where my mind is not permitted to work or to worry.  If my mind wishes to be active, it must choose pleasant or neutral things.    A walk can be an oasis.  Thich Nhat Hanh describes mindful walking, whereby you “make a contract” with a particular distance you walk every day, such as a staircase or a hallway. “Vow that when you walk that distance every step will be solid and mindful; otherwise you will go back and do it again.  He advises, “Walk with your feet, not with your head.” My workday provides many opportunities to practice this.  I walk to and from my office to various destinations throughout the day.  Si...

in our quiet times alone sometimes we are tempted to wear our worries to the bone feel in the dark, and so alone. why alone? now see yourself reflected in the sunlight! wear it well, and dwell on joys for Love is your true Home.

Practicing asanas, deliberate initiations of movement vs. stillness, does develop an appreciation of the utility of the physical body.  I have legs, feet, arms, hands, and so forth.  I never considered my arms or legs to be my “self,” though. Practicing deep relaxation and meditation, cultivating the “space” between inner experiences, develops a similar appreciation of the utility of the mind.  I can perceive and interpret sensations, emotions, and experiences. I think in words. pictures, and so forth. My mind recalls the past and anticipates the future, able to reconsider, to plan ahead, to imagine things beyond direct experience.  Is my mind my “self”?   More and more, my “self” is experienced as one ray, one photon, of a great Light.   And though the mind is much less obviously material than the body, it seems just as much to be a tool for the Light to participate in, and navigate, the material world. 

A theme of this blog is that enlightenment appears to come in many ways.  Even if you have not set out on a spiritual path, I think glimpses of Universal Wisdom sometimes sprout along your way.  As Ferris Bueller might say, i f you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss them. When I was little more than a child, I wrote this: Humility does not mean being lower than others, but realizing others are not lower than you. Where did that come from?   And here’s some whipped cream for this sundae! Today, in my inbox, I found this post from Center for Healthy Minds: Is Humility the Soil for Happiness to Grow? https://centerhealthyminds.org/join-the-movement/is-humility-the-soil-for-happiness-to-grow May your happiness grow!

The word is ink stains the paper finding the fibers  it spreads darkly illuminating these thoughts I try to share   As a teenager, filled with emotions and ideals, I wrote many poems and songs.  This one still means a lot to me. Indeed, in this very moment, why am I writing these words, if not in an attempt at illumination? But let’s be still for a moment, and focus attention on the most unseen.  The space , between and around the words.  The blank space, unchanging, endless (HERE) and timeless (NOW) that makes the words possible. That spark of potential, the pure essence of Being.                                                                                                           ...