UFOs

 

Show someone a UFO and they are captivated.  Their curiosity is ignited and they search for an answer to what it is.  What is that thing?

We are uncomfortable in mystery. 

But provide an explanation, resolve the mystery and identify the object as it is and that same very thing becomes uninteresting.  A rationale and logical identification removes all curiosity, why pay further attention to that which we already know?

UFOs are interesting because they are unidentified, yet day in and day out we seek to identify everything.  The question that might be worth pursuing is are our labels correct?  Do we correctly identify things, people and the world around us and then through that identity write them off as uninteresting.  

What if the people we encounter and the world around us broke out of the box we have put them in?  Would our relationships be more interesting if we were actually curious about the person sitting across from us?  Would our day be more fulfilling if we were free from our perception of what the day was going to be before it even started?

If we break out of identity, the world and the people we meet become a mystery.  We are once again borne of curiosity, begging to take a deeper look and keep exploring. 

Time to break out of the box. 


Photo courtesy www.ufosightingsdaily.com

Refuge is Where You Take It

A morning haiku by Karen Johnstone.

Sitting this morning

A quiet space: clear, fresh, vibrant

Amid city's din.

Simplicity.

Simplicity and renunciation- a doctrine of richness.

In simplicity there is appreciation.  Enjoyment.  A natural ease and contentment. 

With renunciation there is no clinging, no chasing after fleeting experiences.  No bite of the hook that leads you off into ceaseless torment. 

Simply abiding as you are, renunciation prevents you from being pulled away.  Renouncing anything else, you awaken to what simply is.  When you recognize what remains, you will experience the richness of being. 

A Progression of Wisdom

Wisdom of Learning
The wisdom of learning and studying is the result of having gained knowledge and a conceptual understanding of a given subject.

Wisdom of Contemplation
The wisdom of contemplation is a deeper understanding of the implications and connections of this knowledge.  This deeper understanding allows you to apply your knowledge outside of one's subject matter and bring its insight into new settings.

Wisdom of Meditation
The wisdom of meditation is the experiential familiarization with this knowledge.  This is a profound level of understanding, not only of the implications and connections but the resolution of all doubts and uncertainty.  As one gains the wisdom of meditation, the obscurations to knowledge are continually removed as one goes deeper into the practice, gaining access to and cultivating a depth of knowledge that is beyond words or imagination.

The culmination of the wisdom of meditation is the knowledge of the true nature of reality and indeed the true nature of your own mind.  This is the wisdom that spiritual teachers share with us.  Having gone beyond mere words, they can share their own experience. 

Legacy

Success.  Achievement.  Fame and fortune.
Viral videos and one-hit wonders.  Your fifteen minutes of fame.

We all leave a legacy behind, but it doesn't have to be a parade of ego.

To leave a legacy of kindness, compassion and generosity, you only need to follow one bit of advice:

Honestly care for others.

Dedicate all your actions to helping others, alleviating their suffering.  Take a moment to build a personal connection, share your time with those who need it.  Give gifts that matter.  Leave your workplace, your community and your world better than you found it.

That is a legacy that lasts.