Bless You
Hearing others around me sneeze typically evokes an offer of "God Bless You" or perhaps a less theistical "Bless You". I do this despite my lack of believe in a God who listens and keeps a log as to whom should be blessed as a result. I do it in the spirit of humanity. Offerings of good blessings to all is something we should do for ourselves and those around us, whether friends, family or strangers.
Some who are very religious in the Christian faith, upon hearing a sneeze, do not offer these blessings. Perhaps, given their deep devotion, the blessing is assumed. Or, is it because those around them do not share their religious devotion and are therefore not deserving? Or maybe they don't see the need for us on earth to work together to unite humanity since we have a supreme overseer? Regardless, we should all be awake to the importance and presence of all of us in the world community without judgement.
Did I just judge? Need to work on that.....
Friday, February 7, 2014
Saturday, February 1, 2014
The Taunting
They sat there, taunting me with their silent awesomeness. I had brought them out of storage for my girl to try on again, to see if they would offer her the comfort she seeks in a shoe. They sat there on the floor for a couple of days and each time I saw them or walked past them, they spoke to me. They told me the tales of the places they would go, the hikes and camping trips they would partake in. They were practically screaming to me, causing great conflict. Craving? You bet. They knew I could not resist.
Before long, two pairs of shoes with similar potential for greatness we're bounding across the country to be delivered to my doorstep. They've now been here for three days, still housed in the outer box they were shipped in. I've not yet set my eyes on them. Will they live up to the greatness I've bestowed upon them? Until I know otherwise, they absolutely will.
They sat there, taunting me with their silent awesomeness. I had brought them out of storage for my girl to try on again, to see if they would offer her the comfort she seeks in a shoe. They sat there on the floor for a couple of days and each time I saw them or walked past them, they spoke to me. They told me the tales of the places they would go, the hikes and camping trips they would partake in. They were practically screaming to me, causing great conflict. Craving? You bet. They knew I could not resist.
Before long, two pairs of shoes with similar potential for greatness we're bounding across the country to be delivered to my doorstep. They've now been here for three days, still housed in the outer box they were shipped in. I've not yet set my eyes on them. Will they live up to the greatness I've bestowed upon them? Until I know otherwise, they absolutely will.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Tension
Tension is all throughout life. People tend to see tension as a bad thing but if it is truly all around us, how can it be bad? Should it not be something that we accept and learn from? To build muscles, we must put them under tension. A rubber band when engaged is under tension, keeping the contents below it in an organized state. Without tension, music would be drab and dull.
Lately, I've been working to understand how to balance some of the aspects of my spiritual practice with life "outside" of my practice. My Buddhist studies teach me to be calm and mindful. These are good traits that have benefits throughout life. But it also teaches me to not attach to things and to watch the sense doors, basically to not cling to arousal, to not crave and to be egoless.
To be strong as a man as well as to be fully effective in my work, I thrive on being alive in ways that are somewhat counter to the Buddhist teachings. To remain physically healthy, I need to have a strong pulse. To be passionate. To be fully alive to sensation. To desire. To crave. To be fully effective in work, I need to also be passionate. Passionate about results. Passionate about the individuals on my team, to help them grow and be personally successful while adding to the success of the company.
From a work standpoint, I have this conflict where I want to be calm and non attached but at the same time I need to be fully engaged and passionate. The same is true in my relationship. I love being fully awake, fully passionate and mindful of feeling. It is possible to follow the practice while being fully awake and effective, I just need to understand the importance of having balance.
Focus on the breath. Work on being calm and creating space to grow. Be compassionate to others and share loving kindness. Work to minimize desire and craving but understand that on a larger scale and not so much the day to day. There is a lot of room for which to continue to practice and grow and to develop myself further in the nature of life. But understand the tension is normal and learn to work with it. There is no "outside" of the practice. The practice is life. Be one. Understand the ebb and flow but remember that, while intricate with multiple layers, we are but one person. Find and hold that balance.
Tension is all throughout life. People tend to see tension as a bad thing but if it is truly all around us, how can it be bad? Should it not be something that we accept and learn from? To build muscles, we must put them under tension. A rubber band when engaged is under tension, keeping the contents below it in an organized state. Without tension, music would be drab and dull.
Lately, I've been working to understand how to balance some of the aspects of my spiritual practice with life "outside" of my practice. My Buddhist studies teach me to be calm and mindful. These are good traits that have benefits throughout life. But it also teaches me to not attach to things and to watch the sense doors, basically to not cling to arousal, to not crave and to be egoless.
To be strong as a man as well as to be fully effective in my work, I thrive on being alive in ways that are somewhat counter to the Buddhist teachings. To remain physically healthy, I need to have a strong pulse. To be passionate. To be fully alive to sensation. To desire. To crave. To be fully effective in work, I need to also be passionate. Passionate about results. Passionate about the individuals on my team, to help them grow and be personally successful while adding to the success of the company.
From a work standpoint, I have this conflict where I want to be calm and non attached but at the same time I need to be fully engaged and passionate. The same is true in my relationship. I love being fully awake, fully passionate and mindful of feeling. It is possible to follow the practice while being fully awake and effective, I just need to understand the importance of having balance.
Focus on the breath. Work on being calm and creating space to grow. Be compassionate to others and share loving kindness. Work to minimize desire and craving but understand that on a larger scale and not so much the day to day. There is a lot of room for which to continue to practice and grow and to develop myself further in the nature of life. But understand the tension is normal and learn to work with it. There is no "outside" of the practice. The practice is life. Be one. Understand the ebb and flow but remember that, while intricate with multiple layers, we are but one person. Find and hold that balance.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
The Mindful Slip
Walking into my daughter's apartment, my bare soled shoes hit a patch of icy moisture left from shuttling our items from our car into her place on the cold winter night. Feet sliding out from under me, I caught myself before I tumbled onto the floor. This scene was repeated a few hours later upon our return from dinner. I escaped unharmed again but learned that the combo of my shoes on her wet kitchen floor were a bad match. Not seeing it coming, I blindly walked forward as though things would be as I expected them to be.
The day prior, I had woken in a bit of a down mode, but I cleared the haze by delving into my mediation practice, reading some inspirational pieces and then meditating. That turned my morning around and left me with some positive direction for how to continue to drive myself and my practice forward. Later, as the day progressed however, my mind started to slip as I became distracted with other issues.
From time to time we will hit a patch of ice and start to go into a fall. We need to be able to catch ourselves when this happens but also, we should anticipate and knowledge that slips will occur. When they do, we will be better prepared to not only catch ourselves but to learn faster and make the necessary adjustments to keep us on our feet.
Walking into my daughter's apartment, my bare soled shoes hit a patch of icy moisture left from shuttling our items from our car into her place on the cold winter night. Feet sliding out from under me, I caught myself before I tumbled onto the floor. This scene was repeated a few hours later upon our return from dinner. I escaped unharmed again but learned that the combo of my shoes on her wet kitchen floor were a bad match. Not seeing it coming, I blindly walked forward as though things would be as I expected them to be.
The day prior, I had woken in a bit of a down mode, but I cleared the haze by delving into my mediation practice, reading some inspirational pieces and then meditating. That turned my morning around and left me with some positive direction for how to continue to drive myself and my practice forward. Later, as the day progressed however, my mind started to slip as I became distracted with other issues.
From time to time we will hit a patch of ice and start to go into a fall. We need to be able to catch ourselves when this happens but also, we should anticipate and knowledge that slips will occur. When they do, we will be better prepared to not only catch ourselves but to learn faster and make the necessary adjustments to keep us on our feet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)