awareness

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.

Living from the Heart

/ oneheart / 2 Comments

Our hearts are certainly complex and capable of opening and embracing the most unexpected dualities and differences. The heart will feel what it feels even when it is not convenient and doesn’t look good on paper.  It can inspire us to become better human beings when we dig deep and have the capacity to forgive what is seen as unforgivable. It has the capacity to heal us by opening up even after it has been broken or start over when it seems that all has been lost.  It can find a path through adversity where our thinking mind would be rendered useless.  Love, compassion and empathy can flow freely through the heart where the mind would be calculating and planning to see what makes the most sense.  

The best way is to make use of both the mind and the heart.    Most of us are skewed and rely heavily on our rational, logical thinking and don’t balance it with the wisdom  and perspective that is available to us from our hearts. Bowing the head to the heart in a symbolic act of surrender to love and openness can feel like a leap of faith. It might even  feel scary and foreign in certain situations.  What do you have to loose?  You can put your boundary back in place if need be but how often do you consciously take the walls down and open up?  Try approaching something with kindness instead of judgement or criticism and see how it works.  I have witnessed kindness, openness and love completely disarm and transform the most difficult and complex situations.   

Without being open and loving to ourselves first it is not possible to offer this to others. We can only be open and loving to others to the extent that we have offered this to ourselves.

Collectively we are being called to go deeper into our hearts and learn how to live from its center.  It is our only hope if we are to overcome the division that is currently so common place in the world.  Meeting life with the mind connected to the heart begins as an inner journey and extends beyond our personal lives touching all who we come into contact with.  

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…