attention

The All Pervading Silence of Being

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

It is always present all around us, in us and in all living beings. In fact it can never not be present and that makes it incredibly easy to overlook. It is the backdrop of our lives, the screen that the movie of life is playing on, the canvas that gives life to a work of art.  It is so profoundly important that without it nothing would exist  and yet we overlook, skip over and ignore it. It is no fault of our own because we are not raised to have the awareness that there is something greater than the body and mind.

Like so many crucial parts of life it is easily taken for granted and not given the attention it actually deserves.  Just the fact that we wake up and experience the gift of life each day is easy to disregard while other tasks and activities steal a majority of our attention.  There is nothing wrong with this it does happen this way for most people and as we progress through life we  have the opportunity to grow, change and deepen. Then one day seemingly out of the blue we are ready to see life differently and more fully. 

Without the quiet space between words, the pauses in a piece of music or the space that naturally exists between thoughts the message would be lost.  Music, words and thoughts would be a run on of notes, words and chatter with no particular emphasis or meaning.  When we recognize this we can begin to notice the power of the silence itself. 

When we meditate a common instruction is to release the thoughts or notice your thoughts and allow them to pass.  What is there to witness a thought passing?  What is always there as the silent observer?  Your answer may be, “nothing, absolutely nothing is there.”  Your answer would be correct however it isn’t just dead space.  It is aware and happens to be conscious of absolutely everything in and around us.  It is also totally aware of our behavior, feelings and actions and is able to report on them in stunning detail.   As an example a simple inner observation may look something like this.  “I was listening to my friend talking and my mind wandered to what I was going to prepare for dinner.  I started thinking about going to the grocery store and a conversation I had earlier with my partner about cooking. Then I refocused my attention so I could concentrate on the conversation.” This is a very simplified version of something that happens constantly and is an example of our ability to watch ourselves and report on it naturally and with ease. 

So I guess my question to you is what is aware?  What would it be like to focus on the space that is allowing life to play?  Is it the same as considering a blank canvas? Does it have any discernible qualities?  When you place your attention on this space how does it feel? 

There must be a reason that spiritual practices direct us to this over and over again pointing us ever inward to our own consciousness rather than outward. 

This is a discovery in itself to become aware of being aware and it points us beyond just our personal physical and psychological self and into the realm of the non-physical self – or the space of being.  It is indescribable in words therefore we can only be pointed in the direction and the discovery has to happen within each of us. 

Once discovered or known it never can be unknown again.  You may not fully understand why this is important but without it it’s like having soup with no broth, something vital is missing.  When discovered it imbues life with a different quality and power that I won’t get into here because it is experiential and unique for each person.  You learn to rest in a deeper awareness and let life play knowing all of life flows and is held by a power greater than yourself. 

My hope is that this is me putting into words what you are already intuitively aware of.

Resist or let go?

/ oneheart / 3 Comments

Resistance, tensing up, saying “no” to what is or “no” to what is unfolding in the present moment.  We do it all the time when we don’t like, can’t deal or don’t want to face what is happening now.   I’m sure you know what I mean.

Sometimes we don’t know we are resisting but checking in with the body can reveal that tension is building. I guarantee it is playing out somewhere in your body.   Is the jaw or shoulders tight or painful?    How about your abdominal muscles or low back?   These are some very popular places where the body holds or braces itself against something undesirable.

We are taught that feeling good is more desirable than feeling bad but lets face it that isn’t how life works.  Everything will come at you; the good, the bad and the ugly and our job is to stay as clear as we can in the midst of it all.  

It’s good to keep in mind that resistance doesn’t actually do anything in the world. It doesn’t actually stop anything from happening.  What it does do is cause suffering.  The present moment will persist whether or not we resist it or flow with it. 

I love the spiritual teacher Michael Singer who wrote the book The Untethered Soul.  In it he says that you can become adept at noticing when the process of resistance kicks in.  He says, when you feel the body tense up make a conscious attempt to relax it.  Take a breath and let go and allow all the feelings to move through you.  When you do this the energy doesn’t build up in the body and cause physical or emotional suffering.  When you allow it you express it and feel it fully.  Then when it’s done it’s done instead of adding to the accumulated energy you are releasing it.  

Here is a quote from the The Untethered Soul:

“The Stuff that holds you down periodically rears its head.  When it does, let it go.  You simply permit the pain to come up into your heart and pass through.   If you do that, it will pass.  If you are sincerely seeing truth, you’ll let go every time.  This is the beginning and the end of the entire path – you surrender yourself to the process of emptying yourself.   When you work with this, you start to learn the subtler laws of the process of letting go.”

The part that takes some practice is noticing when you are beginning to resist because often we are caught in habitual behavior and initially it’s easy to miss.    Gradually you begin the process of freeing yourself and after a while you’ll notice that the body isn’t holding in the same old ways. 

What isn’t talked about a lot is that our accumulated baggage can weigh us down so much that we can’t see the world as it is, rather, we see the world as we are.  This can be a problem when life throws you a curve ball or tests come your way.   When you are consciously letting go you will just feel better in every way.   Just a small bonus for all your time and attention!  

The old saying what you resists persists should really say what you resist causes suffering in your body and mind…but it doesn’t have to!

 

Keep it Simple

/ oneheart / 1 Comment

I’ve always felt when things become overly complex that something is amiss. It’s no different when thinking about topics such as spirituality, healing work, mediation and anything you are learning.  I’m going to bring up the obvious because it can be easily overlooked partly because it is so simple.   

During meditation you are aware of your thoughts, right?  I’m sure the moment you sit down the thinking becomes loud and even very distracting for a majority of meditators.  I’m venturing a guess here that most, if not all, have to contend with thoughts when they sit to meditate.  This is one of the things that makes meditation so difficult and unappealing. When you think about it it’s almost absurd  that your success as a meditator is governed by your ability to stop thoughts!!  I’m going to propose a slight change in focus instead of trying to stop the thoughts.  

Thoughts arise and YOU see them. 

Some come up and easily pass and others come up and can cause you great disturbance.  Either way, instead of just watching thoughts come and go begin to notice who can see the  coming and going?  It’s so obvious but it is so easily overlooked.  If thoughts come and go WHO is watching them?  

If possible I’m going to ask you to turn your attention toward what or who is watching.  Don’t have an expectation about what you will find just sense into it.  I don’t want to say too much about this because it is an important experience and I don’t want you to have any preconceived ideas about it.  You have to experience it for yourself.   

To whom or to what are the thoughts arising? Who is seeing the thoughts?  

You don’t need to have an answer to these questions.  My suggestion is to contemplate this for yourself.  Take your time and notice how this is as you turn your attention to what is watching. 

Once you become aware of this it is possible you will begin to notice this when you are not meditating but at first it may be helpful to try this in a relatively quiet and focused way.  

You are now focused on the source rather than on what comes and goes.

For some this will be very powerful and you will know who you are.  Looking this way repeatedly will have an incremental effect because you empower the source in your life through your continued attention.

If you don’t have a powerful experience don’t worry there is nothing wrong.  It’s good to know you are the one watching and you never know when it could resonate more strongly.  Life has a way of bringing you what you need when you need it.   Be on the look out.

To be continued…