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Life is Like Paper
It is made by human beings
It is blank to begin with
Over time people leave their marks on it
It captures our stories and beliefs, as well as our creativity and expression
It can be strong, yet pliable
It has many uses and can be moulded
It can transform
It can be recycled
It can disintegrate slowly over time or go up in flames in a moment
When its gone, the stories and memories stay with us.
“Life is an adventure, not a package tour.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
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This is a great reminder for me today – especially as I will be leaving for Europe on vacation next week.
We are not going on a package tour, but I do want to be prepared and feel in control 😉
When we spend so much of our time planning and anticipating whatever obstacle might come up, its easy to miss the excitement of the unknown and the adventure of it all.
It’s like life…
Take a moment and consider “Am I approaching life with a Package Tour mindset or as an Adventure?”
Looking back on previous vacations, I recall that it was the unexpected that thrilled. Like the moment we followed an impulse instead of the GPS and found ourselves on a dirt track heading towards the clouds. Suddenly a golden eagle flew up in front of the car with a 3 foot snake in its mouth. We didn’t have time to photograph it, but the moment is imprinted in our brains forever. Now that could never be planned for!
Looking back on life, aren’t the moments that take our breath away, the ones we didn’t plan for…
The moments we feel really good about are the ones where we have met unexpected challenges and discovered inner strength and resourcefulness.
Or the moments where we let our guard down and let the love in, to be fully embraced and accepted for who we are.
Or moments of discovery and awe of something that was once unknown.
Life really is an adventure when we allow ourselves to let go of control and notice things as they unfold.
When I think about my vacation, I now ask myself “Can I let go more and allow the present to unfold?” Absolutely, now that I have my bug spray, sunscreen, contact lens solution, change of underwear, reading glasses, GPS and maps packed…
This wisdom from Adyashanti gave me pause for thought today.
Adyashanti on Enlightenment and Inner Division
“Most human beings spend their lives battling with opposing inner forces: what they think they should do versus what they are doing; how they feel about themselves versus how they are; whether they think they’re right and worthy or wrong and unworthy.
The separate self is just the conglomeration of these opposing forces. When the self drops away, inner division drops away with it.
Now, I can’t say that I never make a mistake, because in this human world being enlightened doesn’t mean we become experts at everything. What does happen, though, is that personal motivations disappear.
Only when enlightenment occurs do we realize that virtually everything we did, from getting out of bed to going to work to being in a relationship to pursuing our pleasures and interests, was motivated by personal concern.
In the absence of a separate self, there’s no personal motivation to do anything. Life just moves us.
When personal motivation no longer drives us, then what’s left is our true nature, which naturally expresses itself on the human dimension as love or compassion.
Not a compassion that we cultivate or practice because we’re supposed to, but a compassion that arises spontaneously from our undivided state. If we undertake being a good, compassionate person as a personal identity, it just gets in the way of awakening.”
As we continue on this path, the inner conflict and critical inner voice lessens, then disappears. We come to a place of inner knowing and compassion for ourselves and the world. This is the motivation that will drive us for the rest of our lives.
Namaste
“When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent.
Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind.
When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence.
So a person who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind.”
The words we choose in our thinking, our speech and our writing, impact on how we feel and our overall well being.
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Have you ever noticed how a word can bring up a certain feeling inside of you? A sensation, a thought or an emotion?
Choosing a word that connects with your heart and soul can be not only uplifting, but also brings physical well being.
If you have a few moments, let’s explore.
Take your time as you connect to each of the words below. Go slowly. You can say them out loud:
Love
Tender
Soothing
Joy
Cuddle
Grateful
Smile
Gentle
Pause here and close your eyes. What is alive in you in this moment? Is there a warmth, softening, a feeling of tenderness or love perhaps? How is your breathing? Are you smiling? (me too) Notice how these words manifest themselves in your mind body and spirit.
Now take a deep breath and take the same time connecting to each of these words:
Irritated
Ugly
Mean
Wrong
Frustrated
Cruel
Unfair
Bad
Pause here and close your eyes. What is alive in you in this moment? Is there tension or constriction or heaviness perhaps? How is your breathing? Notice how these words manifest themselves in your mind body and spirit.
In general when it is a word associated with lack, dis-ease, suffering or violence, our body responds by becoming tense, our breath shallows and there is resistance.
In western medicine when there is resistance in our body it leads to inflammation, and increases our level of stress. These are both proven factors for ill health.
I believe in western medicine, and I also believe in that when there is constriction and tension our life energy contracts as well, and a part of inner state becomes blocked. This impacts our emotional and physical wellness.
In yoga, when the life energy (prana) is blocked it can be released with postures, breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation. In Chinese medicine these blockages in Qi can be released through acupuncture.
No matter what we believe in our minds, our body has its own kind of intelligence.
Listen to your body’s wisdom.
Be mindful of your thoughts and your words. Your body is always listening.
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“Those who want comfort in life have to seek conformity.
The result is false compromise and hypocrisy,
and a life without integrity becomes a patchwork.”
~ Swami Avyaktananda
I read this inspiration today in class and it seemed to resonate on many levels.
Enjoy connecting with what is true for you.
Namaste
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Our life experience and level of consciousness creates different planes of existence. This can be seen in how we perceive love and how it shows in our lives.
Conditional love relies on others to make us feel happy. This conditioning comes from our childhood, when we were small, helpless and dependent on others to take care of us. We loved them for making us feel safe and loved. When we love conditionally we expect others to fulfill our needs and support us in what we want.
When we seek approval from an other by trying to please them, this is conditional love. We may think “If I do this for you, then you will love me more. I will be rewarded with attention. If I buy you the best ring, the world will see how much I love you” This kind of conditional love remains for many of us as we go through life.
We need other people to make us feel special, important and loved. We expect our wives, husbands or children to make us happy by behaving the way our ego desires.
And so begins married life with expectations and demands from each other, based on individual desires and needs.
This kind of love keeps us separate and apart. It makes us feel better as long as we feel we are receiving it. However, as soon as we feel neglected or ignored, or when the love is withdrawn, we feel bereft and unloved, or worse, unlovable.
Conditional love prevents us from growing spiritually. It has nothing to do with real or unconditional love.
Unconditional love comes from a deeper sense of awareness and being. It is essential for us to grow as spiritual beings and awaken to our fullest potential.
When you truly love someone, you love the Light within them.
With true love you are happy for others and want them to express themselves in the world…. not follow a certain path that you believe is right.
You love yourself, warts and all, and have let go of inner criticism. You appreciate and have love for humankind…. without condition.
The sense of separateness and isolation diminishes, as you see the Love in others. The ego’s desires lose their power over your choices and decisions in life. Â The fullness of Love grows and you feel connection to your inner Self, as well as others.
The process of enlightenment is the path to appreciate the Light within yourself and recognizing it in those you love, Â then allowing it to expand and express itself to others and into the world.
Find the Light and Love within yourself in your Middle Ground.
Namaste
