Each of us has gifts we can share with the world- gifts of kindness, compassion, understanding, dignity and respect. Authentic presence is the ground of such generosity, the more deeply we can be in the world, the greater the gifts that we can share.
Presence is a channel through which we meet the world and through which creativity and inspiration may flow. Pure presence enlivens our own life, but also serves to wake up and benefit the lives of others. We must learn to deepen our presence in order to carry our gifts into the world and truly bring benefit to others.
The biggest challenge to being deeply present and sustaining our open awareness is a sense of holding back or holding onto something. When we find ourselves hesitating, caught up in uncertainty or fear, those become a weight on us and we end up having a dull presence or not being present at all. When we are in this state of diminished awareness, we often feel stuck or even depressed, as if the very things we are holding onto are holding us back.
When we learn to work with hesitation and fear, recognizing them as a call to deepen our presence and let go of our fixation, we can start to regain the ground of our generosity. As we learn to remain in this ground and gain confidence in it, we will naturally start to share kindness, compassion and insight. When we learn to share these gifts without hope or expectation, we discover that our awareness actually expands and that nothing is lost by being freely given.
Nowadays, everyone tries to capitalize on their gifts, turning them into careers or businesses. This is a slippery slope, because in an effort to commoditize our gifts, we often sell ourselves short and devalue the very thing that is most meaningful in our life- our very presence in the world.
Clarify your practice. Let your practice clarify you.
Showing posts with label hesitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hesitation. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Stuck.
Many of us feel stuck in our life or in our situation. Day after day we travel on well-worn tracks of habitual routines. Changing directions or charting a new course seems like a remote possibility.
Most of our days we are simply going through the motions, moving from one task to the next. We have to get from point A to point B and we hustle to get there on time. Along the way we are bombarded with news and information, consuming a never ending stream of entertainment. The effort to remain present and aware can be daunting, as our minds are habituated to following after the shiniest and most colorful objects.
When those very same wandering and distracted hearts and minds catch a moment of presence, a world of possibility opens up. Our world opens up to wonder and awe, and we enjoy a greater sense of well-being. In those moments, we may realize that we don't need to recreate our life anew, but that we can meaningfully participate in and create this very life as it continues to unfold before us.
The challenge then, is how to we catch those moments of presence? What signs or indications can we rely on?
Notice when you are feeling stuck. Notice when you are hiding, or scared, or hesitating. Notice when you are anxious or stressed. Those are the signs to look for on the road. When you see the signs, look for the Buddha within.
Most of our days we are simply going through the motions, moving from one task to the next. We have to get from point A to point B and we hustle to get there on time. Along the way we are bombarded with news and information, consuming a never ending stream of entertainment. The effort to remain present and aware can be daunting, as our minds are habituated to following after the shiniest and most colorful objects.
When those very same wandering and distracted hearts and minds catch a moment of presence, a world of possibility opens up. Our world opens up to wonder and awe, and we enjoy a greater sense of well-being. In those moments, we may realize that we don't need to recreate our life anew, but that we can meaningfully participate in and create this very life as it continues to unfold before us.
The challenge then, is how to we catch those moments of presence? What signs or indications can we rely on?
Notice when you are feeling stuck. Notice when you are hiding, or scared, or hesitating. Notice when you are anxious or stressed. Those are the signs to look for on the road. When you see the signs, look for the Buddha within.
"Go to the places that scare you.
In haunted places, seek the Buddha within yourself."
Padampa Sangye's advice to Machig Labdron
Monday, March 21, 2016
One last demon to overcome.
I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere in any literature, but it is something worth noting.
There are twelve deeds of a Buddha. The first nine consist of a Buddha taking birth and then embarking on the path to awakening, culminating in a fierce battle with their own demons.
The tenth deed is to gain complete awakening.
The eleventh is turning the Wheel of Dharma, or teaching.
The twelfth is passing away into parinirvana.
The scriptures recount that upon the Buddha gaining complete and utter enlightenment he rested in equipoise for seven days. Afterwards, he hesitated to teach, thinking that their would be no way to communicate his realization and no one to understand the truth he had realized.
For a moment, the Buddha was faced with uncertainty about the work he was about to do, the work that he needed to do as a Buddha.
For a moment, the Buddha entertained the thought of holding back, of not sharing the boundless joy that he had realized first hand.
That was the last trick that Mara had left to play. It was a subtle trick, playing into the Buddha's human nature, but it was the only move he had left. The Buddha was already free, his mind liberated, but there was an opportunity to prevent him from being generous.
But the Buddha did not bite that hook.
It is said that the Buddha sat for seven weeks in samadhi after his enlightenment to formulate his teachings. The rest of his life was spent sharing generously.
The last demon to overcome on the path is the resistance that we are all faced with to hold back.
What is the work that you came here to do? What is holding you back?
There are twelve deeds of a Buddha. The first nine consist of a Buddha taking birth and then embarking on the path to awakening, culminating in a fierce battle with their own demons.
The tenth deed is to gain complete awakening.
The eleventh is turning the Wheel of Dharma, or teaching.
The twelfth is passing away into parinirvana.
The scriptures recount that upon the Buddha gaining complete and utter enlightenment he rested in equipoise for seven days. Afterwards, he hesitated to teach, thinking that their would be no way to communicate his realization and no one to understand the truth he had realized.
For a moment, the Buddha was faced with uncertainty about the work he was about to do, the work that he needed to do as a Buddha.
For a moment, the Buddha entertained the thought of holding back, of not sharing the boundless joy that he had realized first hand.
That was the last trick that Mara had left to play. It was a subtle trick, playing into the Buddha's human nature, but it was the only move he had left. The Buddha was already free, his mind liberated, but there was an opportunity to prevent him from being generous.
But the Buddha did not bite that hook.
It is said that the Buddha sat for seven weeks in samadhi after his enlightenment to formulate his teachings. The rest of his life was spent sharing generously.
The last demon to overcome on the path is the resistance that we are all faced with to hold back.
What is the work that you came here to do? What is holding you back?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)