Good advice

[Guest]

~ The Flow ~

"There have been moments in your life when you were pure awareness. No concepts, no thoughts like "I am aware" or "That is a tree" or "Now I am meditating." Just pure awareness. Openness. A spacious quality in your existence.

Perhaps it happened as you sat on a river bank and the sound of the river flowed through you. Or as you walked on the beach when, the sound of the ocean washed away your thinking mind until all that remained was the walking, the feeling of your feet on the sand, the sound of the surf, the warmth of the sun on your head and shoulders, the breeze on your check, the sound of the seagull in the distance.

For that moment your image of yourself was lost in the gestalt, in the totality of the moment. You were not clinging to anything. You were not holding on to the experience. It was flowing--through you, around you, by you, in you.

At that moment you were the experience. You were the flow. There was no demarcation between you-sun-ocean-sand. You had transcended the separation that thought creates. You were the moment in all its fullness.

Everyone has had such experiences. These moments are ones in which we have "lost ourselves," or been "taken out of ourselves," or "forgotten ourselves." They are moments in flow.

It is in these moments of your life that there is no longer separation. There is peace, harmony, tranquility, the joy of being part of the process. In these moments the universe appears fresh; it is seen through innocent eyes. It all begins anew."

~Ram Dass
Journey to Awakening

[Jundo]

And now, if one can embody how to experience so in all the chaos of life, with the baby sick, in the city streets, with the latest horrible news on CNN ... when life is a bitch as much as a beach.

No thoughts in both thoughts and no thoughts, trees as no trees as trees again.

It is not so hard to feel harmony and flowing oneness of you-sun-ocean-sand, but can one learn to feel so right amid and as all of life? Can you feel a Gratitude and Harmony so Grateful and Harmonious that it does not even need to feel small human "grateful woowy harmony" all the time ... and is Grateful even for the things in life that grate on us, and Harmony in both harmony and noise? Can one "be the flow" when that flow is more a mud puddle, water fountain, busted toilet (happened in our house last week), child peeing on the sofa (our house last night), killer tidal wave or white sand with a drink in your hand?

Sunny days and rainy are all the weather ... and through or behind dark clouds the sun shines though hidden. When you can see the Light shining as both light and darkest dark, and the sea and beach on both calm days or during life's tsunami and hurricanes ... flowing--through you, around you, by you, in you, you and no you ... one may be getting somewhere with this Practice.

Gassho, J

[Myosha]

Thank you teacher.

"For every silver lining there is a dark cloud. . . no. . wait. . .it'snevermind.



Gassho,
Edward

[Joyo]

And now, if one can embody how to experience so in all the chaos of life, with the baby sick, in the city streets, with the latest horrible news on CNN ... when life is a bitch as much as a beach.

No thoughts in both thoughts and no thoughts, trees as no trees as trees again.

It is not so hard to feel harmony and flowing oneness of you-sun-ocean-sand, but can one learn to feel so right amid and as all of life? Can you feel a Gratitude and Harmony so Grateful and Harmonious that it does not even need to feel small human "grateful woowy harmony" all the time ... and is Grateful even for the things in life that grate on us, and Harmony in both harmony and noise? Can one "be the flow" when that flow is more a mud puddle, water fountain, busted toilet (happened in our house last week), child peeing on the sofa (our house last night), killer tidal wave or white sand with a drink in your hand?

Sunny days and rainy are all the weather ... and through or behind dark clouds the sun shines though hidden. When you can see the Light shining as both light and darkest dark, and the sea and beach on both calm days or during life's tsunami and hurricanes ... flowing--through you, around you, by you, in you, you and no you ... one may be getting somewhere with this Practice.

Gassho, J

Thank you, Jundo!!

There was a child peeing issue at my house on Sunday morning, great time to develop equanimity

Gassho,
Treena

[Nameless]

Thank you for this beautiful post Emmy. And thank you Jundo for your insightful comment. To feel the contentment of a lush forest amidst a bustling city... that is truly wondrous (yet also nothing special).

Gassho, John

[Ishin]

I like this one from Ram Dass which I think speaks to your point a little Jundo

When I am out in nature I can appreciate the beauty of nature. I see the rocks, birds, trees, and even dead trees all are part of the beautiful landscape. But somehow when it comes to people, I don't find myself doing that. I don't say to myself; "Look at that guy over there, isn't he just a perfect liar."

Gassho C