Living in the present

[scott snedeker]

While driving past the local baptist church with "Happy Thanksgiving" on its marquee I recalled the previous message "Vote yes on 2"

I became aware of the inmportance of accepting that though there are many who have unkindness in their teaching, I must practice not allowing my reaction to their unkindness to impede letting in the joy and miracle in the moment. My Letting in joy cannot be dependent on my society changing. That would be choosing to be a puppet, a leaf blowing in the wind. Society changes slowly and to waste my moments now on anger frustration and despair about the unkindness of others would be tragic.

In all of the planets and all of the galaxies and all of the universes, I am pretty sure there is only one of me. If I somehow survive to be 80 will I look back and say "I should have allowed myself to suffer more?" Or will I want to remember the happy moments?

The beauty of this moment right now in the stillness of dusk in the soft fading light needs to be let in. The closeness and warmth of a lover before i leave for work and waching my week old lamb bed down with its mother are my world. Clouding my perception of these miracles with anger and frustration disconnects me from the magic all around me.

The discipline of Vipassana awareness meditation in living is practicing being mindfully aware of all living experience by letting go of distraction from it. Like practicing a piano it is often difficult to do well, but becomes easier the longer I follow it.

I act to help social consciousness evolve toward greater kindness, but must release reactions of my mind to unkindness of others also.

[psychboi85]

I read a quote once in a book on existential psychotherapy that said "This moment is an unrepeatable miracle." That quote, and this post, help remind me everyday to live in the here-and-now and to appreciate these small gifts life gives us.

[Zerbie]

:flower2::flower2::flower2:
:rainbow::rainbow::rainbow:
:rainbow::rainbow::rainbow:
:flower2::flower2::flower2:

[Jennifer5]

Thank you for this reminder.... right now I'm suffering from the lack of silence in my house and I need to remember to enjoy the moment.

Four of us sharing a bedroom is fine... but that means that unless I stay up a hour after everyone goes to bed, I'm constantly surrounded by people talking(I didn't realize how annoying that could be).

It's a good thing I love them. :love:

[scott snedeker]

I have been in a peaceful state of grace having been made love to all afternoon by one of my lovers, meditating, sipping Kava tea, And reading Thoreau.

My dreams return to Short Mountain and its biosphere of natural spiritual sanctuary.

From Walden Pond:

A lake is the landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. The fluviatile trees next the shore are the slender eyelashes which fringe it, and the wooded hills and cliffs around are its overhanging brows.
Standing on the smooth sandy beach at the east end of the pond, in a calm September afternoon, when a slight haze makes the opposite shore-line indistinct, I have seen whence came the expression, "the glassy surface of a lake." When you invert your head, it looks like a thread of finest gossamer stretched across the valley, and gleaming against the distant pine woods, separating one stratum of the atmosphere from another. You would think that you could walk dry under it to the opposite hills, and that the swallows which skim over might perch on it. Indeed, they sometimes dive below this line, as it were by mistake, and are undeceived. As you look over the pond westward you are obliged to employ both your hands to defend your eyes against the reflected as well as the true sun, for they are equally bright; and if, between the two, you survey its surface critically, it is literally as smooth as glass, except where the skater insects, at equal intervals scattered over its whole extent, by their motions in the sun produce the finest imaginable sparkle on it, or, perchance, a duck plumes itself, or, as I have said, a swallow skims so low as to touch it.


Hope you liked it,

I don't know if he thought of it much but Thoreau appears to have been a Buddhist either knowingly or unknowingly. Anybody read whether or not he studied Buddhist tradition?

[tdogg]

Scotty, thanks for your post. It was so difficult (and to some extent still is) to drive by all the Yes on 8 signs, to hear proponents speak, to know people who actually voted yes. For many weeks, my focus on the negatives really brought me down and took just about all the joy out of my life for that time. I felt isolated, lonely (even though I am loved dearly by my wife) and alone, and devastated. I felt like all hope was gone. I was angry and despondent.

Then I slowly began to rise from the depths of my negativity. I began to see a little hope. I began to feel joy again. I decided not to let the negativity bring me down. I determined not to feel anger or depression over people I know who, mainly because they don't know any better, voted my rights away. I began to focus on the wonderful things in my life and become involved in the fight for equality on a new and more proactive level. I am now excited, even realizing we may not get our rights back this year. It's a great feeling.

Now, I can again drink in nature's beauty and feel the joy in my life. It still hurts, sometimes. I still get angry, sometimes. But it doesn't get me down. I so appreciated the beauty of your post. It's taking me a while to completely get there. But I'm in a much better place than a few weeks ago. :love:

[scott snedeker]

Tdogg,

I'm glad you are starting to feel better. That is the greatest victory of all. Greater than winning a political conflict or legal battle. Times change and there will always be people who seek our rights, our property our freedom and even our lives.

The Inner Sanctuary is our victory and priority number one. Inner peace and inner sanctuary must be independent of outer influences. It cannot be given to you. You must cultivate it on your own. Do you see what I mean?

You could be given every privilege but not have any joy or appreciation if you feel unworthy of them. Then they would just exaggerate your sense of worthlessness and inadequacy by contrast.

Inner sanctuary is something that you can share by showing compassion and kindness. Try it! You'll find it is very contagious! Then the surprise you find is there is a society rich with buds of compassion and appreciation waiting to bloom! Suddenly we become the "in" crowd that others envy.



Every decision we make in every moment of our lives is a choice between suffering and a miracle. Let go of fear and anger and resentment and choose the miracle.

This is the power we all possess, but few realize. But it's never too late to practice and learn. And we learn by doing

[Rick336]

You could be given every privilege but not have any joy or appreciation if you feel unworthy of them.

You are right about this point for sure.


Rick

[scott snedeker]

Anger is a difficult emotional to let go of. You can't just paper over it and say "It's okay that you did that now I forgive you." But to prevent letting it poison our joy today we must let it go. Who does anger harm the most? It may take experiencing a pain or anger or humiliation to its extreme extent and allowing every aspecct to touch you deeply. This is to acknowledge to your heart the pain and injury it has suffered. You must not betray your heart by trivilizing trespasses against it. IT takes courage to feel deeply the joys and sorrows of each day in the present, and even more from the past.

Once you have earned the trust of your heart, breathe in the pain and breathe out compassion imagining it washing clean your heart. Show your heart the love and endearment and healing breath. practice this daily. Talk with others. The trespasser may have to experience severe consequences to open his closed heart. Then imagine the trespasser feeling guilt and remorse for what he has done. Imagine him asking for forgiveness. Hear the pain and confusion he experienced that lead him to act unskillfully to harm you and our family. Then in your heart you can understand how his action out of pain, suffering and confusion has now caused him remorse and guilt and suffering. Perhaps then, to the extent that your are capable, you can grant him forgiveness, and let go of your anger safely, without betraying your heart.

[christa08]

I read a quote once in a book on existential psychotherapy that said "This moment is an unrepeatable miracle." That quote, and this post, help remind me everyday to live in the here-and-now and to appreciate these small gifts life gives us.

This quote is simple but very beautiful. I wrote it down in my favorite quote book :) I've lived in Denver for a year now, and I haven't done the exploring that I should've done by now. This year, it is one of my goals to buy bicycles for my husband and myself and explore the city a little more. Also, I've been trying to get out of the house more and appreciate the little things like the snow on the golf course by my apartment or the sounds of the geese that fly over our apartment every day. It may be cheesy but it's the little things that count.

[scott snedeker]

Last night One of my lovers and I went to a Vernal Equinox celebration with a bonfire and drum circle held at a local state park hosted by one of the rangers who works there. We started with a mass Reiki meditation. The leader had us open our hearts to CHI (Spiritual Life energy and Love).

With the herald of Spring we opened our hearts to ourselves, loved ones, those around us those far away and the world and beyond. This is really a reflection of loving kindess Buddhist meditaton.

Everyone was filled with the love and sanctuary of that night. We embraced and loved on one another under the stars while the drums beat and the Nymphs an Satyrs danced around the fire, embodied by the young men and women.

Magic filled the atmosphere. Then another ranger came up to two of the fellas embraced and told them they had to stop kissing! It seems that two women were offended by two men loving in the spirit of the evening. The ranger who hosted the circle got wind and brought the other, obviously inexperienced ranger and explained that gay folk have just as much right to kiss in public as straight folk. The ranger apologized but not before some very heated admonishion by the faeries. (these fellas are not what you think of when you imagine faeries. Muscle bears is a more fitting description!)

Thankfully we all let down our porcupine quills actually hugged and embraced and forgave the young ranger, and in about 30 minutes, the magic resumed. What is more, the ranger grew compassion and let go of fear.

Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. By exercising compassion forgiveness and nonviolence we turned pain into growth of the heart of a young man.

But the one question we had was: What was a homophobic person doing coming to a drum circle the purpose of which is to grow love and celebrate the gifts we bring to each other? If they fear love and are coming to the circle to let go of that fear then they should observe and learn instead of teaching hate.

How very lost and lonely their closed hearts must be!! They are suffering unnecessarily and by collateral damage extend that suffering to others. Perhaps one day they will see that there is a better way. All the more reason for organizations like Soulforce and the Culture of Appreciation to help end suffering that predjudice causes all of its victims.

[Rick336]

Magic filled the atmosphere. Then another ranger came up to two of the fellas embraced and told them they had to stop kissing!

Two men were kissing??? OMG!! :eek: Cover you eyes to protect them from such horror and revulsion!!!


Rick

[Jennifer5]

Last night One of my lovers and I went to a Vernal Equinox celebration with a bonfire and drum circle held at a local state park hosted by one of the rangers who works there. We started with a mass Reiki meditation. The leader had us open our hearts to CHI (Spiritual Life energy and Love).

With the herald of Spring we opened our hearts to ourselves, loved ones, those around us those far away and the world and beyond. This is really a reflection of loving kindess Buddhist meditaton.

Everyone was filled with the love and sanctuary of that night. We embraced and loved on one another under the stars while the drums beat and the Nymphs an Satyrs danced around the fire, embodied by the young men and women.

Magic filled the atmosphere. Then another ranger came up to two of the fellas embraced and told them they had to stop kissing! It seems that two women were offended by two men loving in the spirit of the evening. The ranger who hosted the circle got wind and brought the other, obviously inexperienced ranger and explained that gay folk have just as much right to kiss in public as straight folk. The ranger apologized but not before some very heated admonishion by the faeries. (these fellas are not what you think of when you imagine faeries. Muscle bears is a more fitting description!)

Thankfully we all let down our porcupine quills actually hugged and embraced and forgave the young ranger, and in about 30 minutes, the magic resumed. What is more, the ranger grew compassion and let go of fear.

Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. By exercising compassion forgiveness and nonviolence we turned pain into growth of the heart of a young man.

But the one question we had was: What was a homophobic person doing coming to a drum circle the purpose of which is to grow love and celebrate the gifts we bring to each other? If they fear love and are coming to the circle to let go of that fear then they should observe and learn instead of teaching hate.

How very lost and lonely their closed hearts must be!! They are suffering unnecessarily and by collateral damage extend that suffering to others. Perhaps one day they will see that there is a better way. All the more reason for organizations like Soulforce and the Culture of Appreciation to help end suffering that predjudice causes all of its victims.
Thank you for sharing this Scott. I feel that this story is a good example of what Soulforce is all about. Isn't nonviolence just using love to drive out hate?

After being completely obsessed with quotes for a few years, there's always at least one that will come to mind. This one brings up,
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -MLK Jr.

[scott snedeker]

I have read about 2/3 of Thinly Norbu's White Sail. Or I should say I have read and reread to try to let sink in what he is saying. The metaphysical desciption he uses is comprehensible to a degree, but not intuitive to my mind. I find that my thinking has to twist and posture uncomfortably sometimes. This feels similar to when I was learning a new language. But over and over his message of the unlimited potential of Buddha natue is a common affirmation and I feel less resistance of my nihilistic mind to his metaphysical teaching.

I have become more aware of my prejudice, my seeking gratification, my suffering, my desire to let go of my personal sense of inadequacy. I recognize how I have been soliciting approval and attention to compensate. By developing awareness of these aspects of my mind I can let go of the tyranny these have held over me. before I would use awareness of my "flaws" to judge myself. I am learning not to do that but instead smile with appreciation of developing awareness.

One awareness I have is that I am precisely at the point of spiritual devlopement that I should be and always was and ever will be. I know that as much appreciation I enjoy in this moment, I have chosen my path with heart and my appeciation will grow as will my evolution of awareness. Presently I am not in bliss or nirvana, nor should I be. That would be like skippng movements in a Beethoven' 9th Symphony to hear the final chorus.


I read it with fascination and appeal about the entering of one of the high Rimpoches into thug dam. This powerful act of deciding by will when your consciousness leaves your body (death) with a final meditation typically takes eight days or so to accomplish. I found it soothing and inspiring.

I have within me a profound longing for death. I came close a couple of times to successfully taking my own life. But presently death is not something I am ready for. My stage of spiritual evolution is premature for death now. Perhaps in 30 years or so I will determine that it is my time. As I said look forward to it with expectant anticipation and I am confident that I will know when the timing is right and I am fascinated with my own entering into thug dam. I think I would prefer to enter of my decision only and not because illness dictates a tangible limit to my survival.




In Buddhist tradition there's inherent paradox in speaking
of Emptiness as containing the possibility of all things, and
all things being characterized by emptiness.


I do sometimes understand these "Koans" or metaphors of superficially ordinary stories, because I recognize the Mind creates the perception. My heart brother, Adrain is a photographic artist who takes a very ordinary subject and with his camera creates beauty in an image that is powerfully emotive. The beauty and his creation are all from his rare genius yet are in another reality simply the reflected image on a pond. Something that is simultaneously nothing but an iinstant of passing photons yet he can create such a rich world in the mind of the observer.

I certainly understand that though am yet unqualified to die well presently, I do have a longing for death that I believe is an appreciation of my mortality. It is part of the truth of my existence that defines me. By doing so I can focus on compassion in the moment, because with no future, attachments such as conflict, vendetta, worry, inadequacy and others have no meaning or significance.

Freedom from the suffering from these and other attachments is the result of my appreciation of my mortality. Awareness of the perfection of design that guaranteed mortality confers to me leads to appreciation of such. This appreciation awakens awe of the magnificence my mortal being. This certainly relieves nearly all perceptible fear of death which had been a very large attachment for me.





Thank you for listening. I have grown quite centered at the moment and wanted to share it with you.