The Simple Pleasures

A tree’s gift of a stick on green grass under a blue sky…

 

Saying the Hard Things

Today, it has become necessary for me to say some things to a beloved friend that I believe will be difficult for her to hear.  Communicating simply, honestly, and peacefully was never one of my stronger points, but I have been facing the discomfort of changing to become more communicative, and I welcome the opportunity to grow in this way.  So today’s post is really counsel to myself and to anyone out there who finds it difficult to say the hard things; and, I’d be grateful for feedback and suggestions in the comments.

Remember:

• Say it simply
• Say it honestly
• Say it peacefully
• Say it with love
• Say it with the intention to restore balance
• Say it with the intention not to manipulate, control or change the other person’s behavior
• Say it with the intention, rather, of setting or restoring healthy boundaries
• Say it without expectation
• Say it with absolute freedom
• Say it with respect for the other person’s absolute freedom
• Say it without blame of self or other
• Say it with compassion for self and other
• Say it with Mindfulness
• Listen Deeply, knowing that every word spoken and really heard presents an opportunity for growth

The Necessities (?) of Life.

A couple of weeks ago, I lamented leaving the Adirondacks on a journey through them to Montreal.   The pristine wildernesses left such an impression upon me.  Like a chance encounter between destined lovers who meet each other for the first time as they are both en route to continents in opposite hemispheres, the vision settled into my mind and took root.  It has changed me somehow, and my mind has been almost recklessly calculating how to get back there, how soon I can be there again, and what I can do to prevent us having to be separated for long stretches of time.

Luckily, my partner is an experienced back-country trekker who is more at home in a tent than she is our apartment.  And, so, it took zero art of persuasion to convince her that we should plan a week-long expedition into the heart of the West Canada Lakes Wilderness area.

Now, I’m your average car-camper.  For me, camping generally means slugging along a host of  comforts and half a cupboard of food that I can engineer into a fabulous “foodie” cooking experience using the rarely employed technology of an open fire.  Clothes for every weather, paint and canvas in case I feel like getting creative in the woods, two pairs of flip-flops (one for inside the tent; one for outside), travel scrabble set, cumfy pillow, and the ever important good coffee-making paraphernalia.

Needless to say, I’ve had to practice letting go.  We’ll be eating pre-packaged, freeze-dried meals, and packing in one extra set of ultra-lite clothing.   Instant coffee and survival gear.  Every single item that goes in our packs must be set before the judge and jury of my experienced back-packer, and it would be a grand understatement to claim that she is a vigilant guard of weight management.

At first, letting go was a little difficult: “What do you mean, I can’t pack every kind of snack I think I might have the urge to chomp on?” “What do you mean, I can’t pack four pairs of jeans?” “What do you mean I’ll not be able to eat fresh fruit and veggies for a week?”  But, as we peel away all the extras, one by one, and as I settle my mind into being comfortable with only the barest of necessities, I find myself actually becoming happier and happier.

All of these little cravings add up– so much so, that if I weren’t willing to work loose their stranglehold on me (and one or two moments certainly popped up in which my willingness evaporated), I would miss out on the opportunity to be where my soul finds absolute respite and harmony.

Thank you, Katie, for helping to free me a little bit at a time.  Adirondacks, here we come!!

Body Consciousness

Using the mind to look for reality is delusion. Not using the mind to look for reality is awareness.

-Bodhidharma, “The Wake-Up Sermon”

Have you ever been in a state of mental agitation and noticed that sensations were taking place in your body, too?  Detaching from thoughts in those moments and just noticing the rising and falling away of sensations in the body can be a wonderful way to increase consciousness and awareness.  The body has a consciousness that the chatter of the mind often over-dominates and obscures.   When the narrative about something in the past or future is quieted, and one begins to notice sensations in the body that have arisen in a state of agitation (heat or tingling in the hands, face, or chest area, for example), one begins to notice that the body experiences energetically what the mind experiences through fear or grasping. Fear or grasping underlies and propels the mind’s narrative, whereas energetic agitation in the body rises and dissipates if it is allowed to just be without the mind feeding into it.  The body is a dynamic energetic system that has the potential to perceive itself energetically as a drop of water does in an ocean–as fluid with the universe.  In the place of awareness that is reached when the chatter of the mind is quieted, real consciousness may arise from just noticing the sensations occurring in the body.

A Thought Provoking Blog Award

Ben Naga was one of the (well-earned) recipients of a new blog award, created by Just a Thought, entitled “A Thought Provoking Blog”.  Ben Naga’s blog is exactly that, so if you haven’t become a regular reader yet, you’re in for a lot of challenging and whimsical consciousness-expanding delights.  I thank you, B.N., for the honor of the nomination, which comes with the pleasurable responsibilities of posting the award-logo and of naming a few other blogs for the award.

There are far too many to possibly name (I am grateful every day for the wise reflections, comments, and images of all my friends and fellow bloggers), but here are a few of blogs whose words and insights have truly helped me to expand my consciousness:

Living in the Now

Julie Hansen Intuitive

Fierce Buddhist

Spiritual Mysticism

The Way Home

The Wondrous Dharma

Known is a Drop, Unknown is an Ocean

As ever, I wish blessings and light upon one and all.

The Ultimate Attainment

The past is already past.

Don’t try to regain it.

The present does not stay.

Don’t try to touch it.

From moment to moment.

The future has not come;

Don’t think about it

Beforehand.

Whatever comes to the eye,

Leave it be.

There are no commandments

To be kept;

There’s no filth to be cleansed.

With empty mind really

Penetrated, the dharmas

Have no life.

When you can be like this,

You’ve completed

The ultimate attainment.

             -P’ang Yün (龐蘊 Hõ Un)

Soul Love

“Soul love is serene because it is accepting.  It accepts the universe as it is; it allows things to be the way they are.  Your soul does not live in a world of polarity…Your soul loves others regardless of how they live their lives, act, dress, speak, or behave.  Your soul does not put up walls. Instead it melts barriers through its acceptance…If you feel resistance to accepting people [as they are], discover and evolve the subpersonality who does not want to accept others. Start by loving and accepting this part of yourself…Accepting does not mean allowing someone to abuse or hurt you, nor does it mean staying in a relationship that is harmful to you. You can love and accept others at the soul level, yet choose not to be around them.  Notice how serene you feel when you radiate an accepting love.  You stop struggling, resisting, or fighting against anyone or anything.  You work for things you believe in, rather than against anyone or anything.”

-Sanaya Roman (1997) Soul Love: Awakening Your Heart Centers. H.J. Kramer, p. 71-73

 

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west;  people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”

-The Buddha

Please enjoy this masterful, simple, yet very profound piece by “Known is a drop, Unknown is an Ocean”

Known is a drop, Unknown is an Ocean

We wonder at the Universe, Galaxy, Planets, Great Individuals, Buildings, Architecture, Spacecrafts, Latest Technologies, Tablets, Smart phones, … We start wondering at everything around us. But we rarely shift the focus towards us (inside us) and wonder about our Self. If we start wondering at our Self and try to know our Source, the Divine principle inside us, we might be able to answer every principle in the Universe. Lets take a baby step towards knowing our Self.

Our Body is the masterpiece of creation with marvelous engineering and supreme perfection! Without a doubt, the most complex information-processing system in existence!

Our Mind is the most  complex machine on the world and unknown mystery for the most. If we know to control our Mind, we are the Emperor the world!

Our Soul, the divine principle inside us is the only true source of intelligence; it is Self-evident; it shines…

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Road Trip Lament

This blog has been fairly quiet recently, because I took a few weeks to myself to embark upon a good old fashioned road trip, sans computer.  Or, rather, my computer (which I couldn’t quite bring myself to leave behind) lay unloved and unused in a backpack in the trunk of my car for most of the journey.  It was as proximal to a digital-free world as I am likely to achieve.

On my journey, I passed through the Adirondacks, which are as close to pristine wilderness as one is likely to encounter on the U.S. Eastern Coast.  No road signs on the highways, very few electrical wires, and a scant few dwellings mar the unbroken horizon of crystal clear lakes set among pine-green mountains.  The air felt alive with the energy of growing things.  My breath was deep, slow, relaxed, cleansing.  Birds of every size soared above me.  I knew that nestled in the woodlands were beings that have disappeared from far too much of this world–moose, wolves, beavers, foxes–who could drink from such waters in relative safety.

I have mountain spirit running through my blood.  I feel at home among them.  They are my friends, my soul-mates.   My gypsy heart longs to be with them again, discovering their hidden secrets and keeping them sacred.

Sadly, the Adirondacks beckoning me home were only a layover on a journey to Montreal.  The cityscape, by sharp comparison, was a harsh world of pavement, glass and steel scraping the sky, traffic jams, multi-national corporation headquarters, and fashionista clothing districts aglow with the surreal light of neon lettering.

Even my breath here, in this manufactured place of en masse human habitation, was crowded and fast-paced.

In my heart, I mourned for all the growing things that have to die to make place for our race.