I apologize for being absent from my blogging activities for the past few weeks, but I have been involved in a move that has taken most of my energy. Now that it is done, I have the space to return to my writing.
This has been a time of considerable turmoil, or better put the move presented the occasion of turmoil. Lots of buttons could have been pushed. There were many potential stressors. And yet because of my spiritual practice, I have come through the fire unscathed and whole.
What did I do to ward off the fears and desires of my ego-mind? One morning while meditating, it became clear what my daily task must be, certainly during this period, but truly every day, every moment of every day.
My task is to love myself unconditionally, to have faith in myself … that I will be ok regardless what the world throws at me because I have returned home to my true Buddha nature, and to be present in the moment and grateful.
How have I accomplished this task? Certainly my years of meditation and spiritual practice provided me with the necessary foundation. But specific action was required.
The first action was having the intent. In this case the intent to love myself unconditionally, to have faith in myself, and to be present and grateful every moment. Without forming the intent, there is no way I could have warded off the power of my ego-mind.
The second was a simple action. When I got up in the morning I looked at myself in the mirror, smiled broadly, and said to myself, “Good morning. I love you.” This may strike you as silly, but because it was coming from a place of such deep resolve, from my heart, it had a palpable effect on me. What a great way to start off the day!
Third, when I meditated and recited my affirmations and mantras, I focused and reminded myself that I truly have faith that I will be ok regardless what happens because I have returned home to by unborn Buddha mind. When I practice the heart’s embrace, opening up my heart to embrace all aspects of my being and experience, all internal and external struggle ceases and I know that I have everything I need inside myself to be at peace and happy. (See my post, “The Heart’s Embrace.”)
Fourth, armed with this faith and the positive energy that flows from that faith, I was able to ward off the fears and desires of the ego-mind and so be present in the moment and grateful. The force-field around me was so effective that negative emotions did not gain a foothold.
Except for one morning when for some reason I was disconnected from my faith. My ego-mind started pulling me down the road of anxiety and fear. Luckily, I was with my friend and when I voiced what I was experiencing, he pointed me to my faith and the old light bulb went on in my head. I recited my affirmation and the ego-mind subsided. Had it not been for that intervention, it is quite possible that I would have had a miserable day and not experienced peace until my evening spiritual practice grounded me once again and returned me to my true Buddha self.
This has been a time of considerable turmoil, or better put the move presented the occasion of turmoil. Lots of buttons could have been pushed. There were many potential stressors. And yet because of my spiritual practice, I have come through the fire unscathed and whole.
What did I do to ward off the fears and desires of my ego-mind? One morning while meditating, it became clear what my daily task must be, certainly during this period, but truly every day, every moment of every day.
My task is to love myself unconditionally, to have faith in myself … that I will be ok regardless what the world throws at me because I have returned home to my true Buddha nature, and to be present in the moment and grateful.
How have I accomplished this task? Certainly my years of meditation and spiritual practice provided me with the necessary foundation. But specific action was required.
The first action was having the intent. In this case the intent to love myself unconditionally, to have faith in myself, and to be present and grateful every moment. Without forming the intent, there is no way I could have warded off the power of my ego-mind.
The second was a simple action. When I got up in the morning I looked at myself in the mirror, smiled broadly, and said to myself, “Good morning. I love you.” This may strike you as silly, but because it was coming from a place of such deep resolve, from my heart, it had a palpable effect on me. What a great way to start off the day!
Third, when I meditated and recited my affirmations and mantras, I focused and reminded myself that I truly have faith that I will be ok regardless what happens because I have returned home to by unborn Buddha mind. When I practice the heart’s embrace, opening up my heart to embrace all aspects of my being and experience, all internal and external struggle ceases and I know that I have everything I need inside myself to be at peace and happy. (See my post, “The Heart’s Embrace.”)
Fourth, armed with this faith and the positive energy that flows from that faith, I was able to ward off the fears and desires of the ego-mind and so be present in the moment and grateful. The force-field around me was so effective that negative emotions did not gain a foothold.
Except for one morning when for some reason I was disconnected from my faith. My ego-mind started pulling me down the road of anxiety and fear. Luckily, I was with my friend and when I voiced what I was experiencing, he pointed me to my faith and the old light bulb went on in my head. I recited my affirmation and the ego-mind subsided. Had it not been for that intervention, it is quite possible that I would have had a miserable day and not experienced peace until my evening spiritual practice grounded me once again and returned me to my true Buddha self.
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