Wow, this is a challenge. If anyone reads this, maybe I should discuss, just a little, what I'm trying to accomplish here. I am a novice and have a lot to learn, that is why I'm blogging. However, I've done enough research to know that this is something I really want (need) to master.
This summer, I read several books that seemed to interestingly follow this same theme. First, I have been a huge fan of Wayne Dyer for many years. His latest book, Excuses Be Gone brought a lot of this to light for me. If someone is reading this and wants to know what I'm talking about, you really have to read this book.
Anyway, he talked a lot about how now is the only reality that really exists. Memories are over and but an illusion, and the future hasn't happened yet. Now is the only thing that is real. Thus, he contends that we need to stop using our mind to constantly relive what is over, or anticipate that which isn't even real yet. If we focus on the moment, we won't lose so much of ourselves. I also read Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now, which took this even a step further. This is where the practice came in. By focusing on the very moment and working on stopping the "mind" from getting away from us, we can experience life to its fullest.
Now, shutting out thoughts is easier said than done, and I'm sure many people who have tried this will agree. However, there were several moments over the past few weeks where I managed to accomplish this and it was beyond description. By really focusing on the very moment I discovered that colors are brighter, scents are stronger, sounds are more musical and clarity is suddenly a reality. You know how it is when you watch a movie that is in slow motion, or you see a photograph taken with just the right lighting and you suddenly feel like everything stands still? Well, that is what it is like. Suddenly, everything at that moment slows down and there really is a feeling of peacefulness that I can't explain yet.
Mindfulness, I've heard, is one of the foundations of the Buddhist philosophy. I'd like to explore that further. If we can find that peace right now within ourselves, maybe all the other "stuff" that clutters our lives would lose its impact a little. Maybe Heaven or Nirvana can exist within us and we don't have to live in the darkness.
I took a train today from Penn Station to my home in Upstate New York. I actually tried to do this in Penn Station (ha...right?). I'm not one for crowds or excessive commotion. I sure picked a good place to be. :-)
Anyway, I stood in the terminal watching the masses of people run, push... scamper... totally oblivious of each other. And guess what? As I focused on the moment and stopped the mind chatter, it all seemed to slow down somehow. I saw each person as a unique, important part of a bigger picture. They all suddenly became very special and unique to me. Crazy sounding? Who knows. But, as I focused on each one and tried to experience "our" reality, it suddenly occured to me that we really are all connected. I think we are just using different paths and experiences to reach for the same things.
Quantum physics says that beneath the cellular level, we are all made up of the same energy and there really is no such thing as "solid" matter. If, somehow, we could see beneath the nano level, we would find that we are all one mass of life which many explain as God. I think it was Dyer that once compared us to drops of water that plummet into the ocean. We are separate, yet part of the same thing. So, when they say we are "children of God" maybe that's what it really means. Like branches of a tree, we are God spreading his/her fingers, experiencing and allowing us to evolve at the same time.
Wow, so much to think about!!!!
You are like a blossom unfolding and you are describing what I would call revelations. These are very hard to put into words. Yet you have a gift as a wordsmith and have managed to paint a vivid picture of your experience for me.
ReplyDeleteI, too, can relate to such experiences. I recently went on a spiritual retreat during which I participated in something called a "God walk." During this time, I was called upon to simply observe without attaching any meaning or labels as I did so. It was an eye-opening experience during which I felt connected to my state of being and was totally detached from judgment.
What I loved about your entry were the metaphors which you arrived at connected to our oneness. I especially liked the metaphor about the tree. It was an affirming vision of our unity with our source and that we are evolving as we are meant to be.
You are a spiritual seeker. Keep up the quest and share your truths. You are planting seeds that will undoubtedly bear fruit for others. I believe that each of us can raise human consciousness as we continue to learn what is true while walking through this dualistic land of light and shadow.
Your retreat sounds like it was such a wonderful opportunity. And, even better, you sound like you took advantage of it and walked away with a new experience. Thank you for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge I am finding is how to not only capture that moment but to maintain it. It comes and goes sometimes like the blink of an eye.
Your post made me want to cry it was so beautiful. Thank you, David, for your incredible insight. So much we can learn from each other. I believe you are sent as a teacher. Keep sharing.
Terri,
ReplyDeleteI, too, share the challenge of remaining in the moment. I did experience a period of several months when I was largely there most of the time. It was an incredibly sublime time and gift from God.
I believe that we can get closer to that state of beingness by practicing awareness and alignment with the spirit. All will be revealed to us at just the right point in time. The paradox is that it will undoubtedly bring us out of time as we have been experiencing it. For now, you and I are walking upon a pathway filled with light. I believe that we will become illuminated within our respective lives this time around.
You are surely correct that we have much to learn from each other. I am grateful that God has placed you back into my life.
Please check your regular email for a sympathy message.