SoulTending.com

By Adyashanti

Life moves, undulates, breathes in and out, contracts and expands.  This is its nature.  The nature of what is.  Whatever is, is on the move.  Nothing remains the same for very long.  The mind wants everything to stop so that it can get its foothold, find its position, so it can figure out how to control life.  When this doesn’t work, the mind begins to seek the changeless, the eternal, something that doesn’t move.  But the changeless is also moving and changing.  The eternal is living and dying.  The formless is form.  The form is formless.  This is nothing the mind could ever have imagined… Just for a moment, take your hands off the steering wheel.  This is it right now!  Just jump in….God is always dancing….always.”

On the art of happiness.

Out of a false understanding I thought that in order to fit in, be accepted and loveable I had to suffer and be miserable. If I am well and happy, i won’t fit in and I will draw envy and resentment towards myself. It seemed safer to take my share of hurt and misery and dwell in it. Commiserating with others gave a sense of camaraderie. I was proud to do my part in shouldering the heavy cross of humanity.

Looking at my behavior now, I can see that these are notions of a patriarchal theology gone haywire. Leading people by instilling fear so that they are docile. What are saints other than people selfishly persuing the connection with God and the goodness of life? But let’s make it simple and not take on world religions and their doctrines.

I know how to be in this world gracefully. If I look at the different options before making a decision I have the ability to feel where my heart contracts and where it soars. It is my duty to persue happiness. Noone else can do this job for me. Only I have the capability to feel within, to experience the inner knowing and draw conclusions. It is a choice to love myself fully. It is a choice to do those things that open the heart, that make it easier to breathe, that create space within my physicality.

If left to his own devices a human being who has his needs fulfilled, will always want to contribute to the wellbeing of others. Humans are emphatic beings. If someone is hurting the natural response is to help alleviate that pain. There is a goodness inherent in people that wants to come out and shine. It increases self-esteem to do what needs to be done in a way that benefits the whole.

So I am making the shift. Armed with more knowledge I choose to stop suffering and the perpetuation of hurt. I start within, with my thoughts, becoming mindful of how the thoughts create emotions and physical reactions. I become aware of the mechanicalness of thinking, the same old tracks repeating themselves and making deeper grooves.

Older people who have never had the chance to learn to watch their thoughts and realize their insignificance, tend to be grumpier and more unhappy as the days go by. There are those lucky few, who having mastered an independent sense of reality that is not attached to the whimsy of thought, have found the key to youthfullness. They are able to enjoy and even appreciate whatever life dishes out and do their duties with a smile. This is where I am going for.

I am making a radical shift away from the legacy of fear and suffering to a life lived with appreciation and aw. I start by nourishing myself deeply on all levels, mindful of my actions. Radiating abundant health and wellbeing contributes positively to the world.