Live the Dharma

“I died as mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was man.
Why should I fear?
When was I less by dying?”

-Rumi

Tags: drying, reincarnation, Rumi

Finding Balance

I learned a valuable lesson recently, and it’s something that could have saved me a lot of time and frustration had I learned it years ago.

Alas, there’s always room for growth, and this is one of those steps for me.

I’m a driven guy, in fact, some would say too much so.

I don’t know when to let up, and I have a hard time admitting that.

I also have an extremely spiritual side that I often neglect. It works in phases…sometimes I’m all spirit and no business, while others I’m so busy thinking about business growth that I neglect my spirit.

Today, I found out how to fix that, and it all comes down to balance.

I realized that there’s a duality that exists within all of us. Each of us has the spirit and the strength. Each is as strong as the other, and requires just as much attention.

The problem is that many of us, like I do, become unbalanced and try to force the issue. It’s like trying to fire a bullet into a bucket of water. It hits like a block of steel. But if you just drop the bullet, then it breaches without any resistance.

Life is Unbalanced

Life is like that. Unbalanced, our efforts, no matter how great or how valiant, are as worthless as a man trying to cut through stone with a blade of grass. It’s impossible.

However, if you treat both sides of your nature equally, you become like a chisel, able to puncture stone with ease.

That balance is tough to achieve, but you can feel when it isn’t in place. It’s like trying to balance a scale without a counterweight…it isn’t possible. But…if you stand with a foot on both sides of the scale, then you have something to stand on.

Find that Place

Try to find that place in your life where you are in harmony with your own nature. Try to remain present and thoughtful at all times. If something doesn’t feel right…if you feel like you’re drilling rock instead of soil, then take a step back and re-evaluate.

In my case, the business is just a means to an end. It’s a way to achieve many of the spiritual ends that I desire. However, when I lose sight of those ends, and focus on the means, then I get off course and lose my balance.

Today, I found it once more, but every day is an effort in discipline. You’ll never have it perfect, but if you practice, you will get close. It’s not being perfect that’s important anyway, it’s knowing when you aren’t.

Tags: balance, life, spirit, work

Stop Being So Religious
What
Do sad people have in
Common?

It seems
They have all built a shrine
To the past
And often go there
And do a strange wail and
Worship.

What is the beginning of
Happiness?
It is to stop being
So religious
Like That.

From: “The Gift” – versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

Tags: hafiz, Poetry, religion

When I was a teenager, I used to spend hours in my room doing nothing but listening to music.

I’d slip on a pair of headphones, and spend the rest of the evening thinking about the world…what it meant, who I am, and where I belong. I’d think about my past, my present, and my future.

Sometimes I’d get excited…sometimes I’d sob.

Music touched me in a way that nothing else could, and it was some of the best “me time,” I’ve ever spent.

The World Barges In

And then something happened…

I got caught up in trying to earn a living.

I got caught up trying to be there for my friends and family.

I got caught up trying to plan a perfect future.

Soon, I’m not spending any more time in the corner of my room with the headphones on, and I’m losing touch with the deeper aspects of life.

Don’t Forget

Death catches us all, and he who is least prepared is most distressed when it comes.

I’m not trying to bring you down, but the truth is…we only have a finite time to spend in this existence…why not make it count?

Making money is great. Being a great husband, wife, father, or mother is great. But don’t forget the rest. Don’t forget that spiritual part of you that is always the last to be fed and the first to be neglected.

I forgot, and it took a long time before I realized why I was unhappy. So you know what I did to fix it?

I put on a pair of headphones.

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Life throws a lot of curveballs at us. We plan on going one way, and somehow end up on a different path. We get lost before we’re found, and sometimes we don’t get found at all.

That’s when a new journey begins, and, what I really believe, is the start of pursuing our true path.

No amount of planning, goal setting, or clinging can stop you from living your life the way it was meant to be lived…it’s inevitable.

No, I’m not saying that you aren’t in control…instead I’m saying that sometimes where you think you need to be is not always where you truly need to be.

The Door That Wouldn’t Open

Have you ever noticed that some doors just won’t open? Many of them are those closed long ago, but others are doors that look really shiny and new. They look special…and we want to turn the handle and walk in.

There were times when I would turn that doorknob over and over again, waiting for it to finally turn. I’d set up camp, and stay on guard for the minute that door opened. In the process…I’m watching other people open their doors, and that makes me even more antsy…I can’t stand it!

And then suddenly, I would notice another door just around the corner, one that entered the same room, but I couldn’t see because I wouldn’t stop and take a look around to look at other options. I was so fixated on that one door, that it never occured to me to try another.

Take Your Time Choosing a Door

I’ve learned now to always expect the winds to move my sails in the opposite direction of where I was going, and instead of trying to fight it…I simply use it to help me find another way there.

You can’t control everything, and honestly…it feels good to leave a little room for the unexpected. Anything else is boring.

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Courtesy of LadyVivian

Who I am today is nothing like the man from yesterday, let alone the man from years ago. If I had an opportunity to meet my future self, I might not even recognize him.

There’s no hiding the fact that the decisions you make today are impacted by the experiences of the past. It’s part of what makes this journey so fascinating and so unpredictable. Have you ever noticed that no matter how many goals you set for yourself, there is always something that gets in the way of most? I call this my Dharma, and although I think I see the path in front of me, I have no assurances that I’m the one in control of that path.

So what does this mean for you and I?

Let’s start with who we are…we are made of building blocks. Some blocks are more firm than others, but by and large, our identity is sealed into place by the bricks of our experiences and the mortar of our feelings toward them. Notice I said that the mortar is made of your emotional reaction towards your experiences. I firmly believe that if you allow every experience to be a teacher, a reminder that you are working your way towards living your Dharma, then no matter what happens…you will be able to take it in stride.

Conversely, if you continue to react adversely to situations that don’t feel like they were meant to be, then you are only cementing more pain and suffering into your life. That is an extremely unpleasant way to live.

I was reading the book Zen Shorts, by Jon Muth, with my children, and I was fascinated by the manner in which the storyteller (in this case a panda), was able to take life as it flowed. It isn’t an easy frame of mind to obtain, but there is merit to be had from seeing each experience as a building block rather than a stumbling block.

Now, as for following your path…try to remember that you aren’t in control and no matter how hard you try, there will be twists and turns that you didn’t expect. Rather than fight the current of change, why not embrace it and see where you wind up? Sometimes it isn’t the plan that’s important…it’s the journey. Try to enjoy it.

Tags: dharma, experience, life

Image Credit: Stuck in Customs

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the motivations behind my behaviors…I’m trying to get to the root of what really makes me happy and what causes me grief. Although this process is never complete, I think this period of introspection has led me to some interesting insight that I’d like to pass on. Keep in mind that some of this might be difficult to hear, some of this might annoy you, and some of this might not fit your behavior, but I can’t do much about that.

As I continue to achieve many of the goals I’ve set out for myself, I’m finding that achieving the goal doesn’t lead to anything more than a brief moment of contentment. As soon as one goal is completed, another, more difficult one, replaces it. At first I thought this was due to my never ending quest for self-improvement, but I realized that this was only part of the equation.

Seeking happiness leads to emptiness?

More pressing than any desire to achieve, is the desire to be happy. I used to think that happiness would come from self-actualization, but now I realize that it doesn’t come from achieving a state of mind, but from fleeing states of mind.

What I mean by this is that many of my quests have, at the root, a motivation that is self-serving. I want to write words that people will like because when I receive feedback, it makes me happy. The problem is that it doesn’t make me happy and I believe that this is because I attach an expectation to my action. As a result, I set myself up to be disappointed, time and time again. And so this is true for all of my dreams, goals, and achievements. I think they will make me happy because I will finally have cracked the code or unlocked a new door in my quest, unfortunately it is because I want a result that I am become less happy.

As you succeed in achieving these goals and finding that happiness doesn’t meet you there, you start to feel a sense of despair. Why can’t I be happy? Is something wrong with me?

Planting the seed of truth

The truth is that as long as you seek to be happy, you never will be. And so I’ve finally realized how important the teachings of the Buddha have become, not because they enlightened me at the time, but because they planted a seed that would blossom exactly when I needed it to. Had I not studied Buddhist and Zen teachings prior to now, I wouldn’t have the frame-set to understand what I am going through. Since I have read these teachings, I can look back and say “Aha! Now I know what he meant!”

For years I wondered if I would ever fully grasp these teachings…I wondered if my faith would grow or shrivel into the dust from which it came. Looking back, I’m amazed at how the pieces fall in to place, even though at the time I thought “what the hell is going on with my life?”

So where do we go from here? Well, I’m starting to think that attaching any expectation from an action is going to lead you down a path you don’t want to follow. For instance, recently I helped treat someone suffering from dehydration and anemia. She was in a state in which she needed someone to take care of her. I enjoyed the feeling of helping and I didn’t even think about why or how I was going to do it. I just reacted and helped her. However, as I was driving later that day I wondered if maybe I should have been a doctor or work at a hospital so that I could help people. But…when I got to the truth of why I wanted to do that, I realized that helping people made me feel important, which felt good at the time, but still leaves you empty because the feeling doesn’t last. Helping people is great, but doing it for selfish reasons is only going to produce sorrow.

Feelings don’t last

The reason that it leads to sorrow is because feelings don’t last and as soon as the “happiness” fades, you instantly feel a void and search for more happiness to replace it. As a result, you are constantly in a state of searching, hunting, and desperately seeking a “happiness” fix. Eventually, you get so caught up in this trap that you lose site of what you were doing in the first place. This is how searching for happiness leads to despair.

The truth is that happiness doesn’t exist until you cease looking for it. When you do, without expectation or attachment, then you will learn what it is to truly find peace. This is what it means to chop wood and carry water. Let the Tao guide you in your actions…follow the middle way. This is what I’ve learned, how do you feel?

Tags: buddha, buddhism, dreams, goals, happiness, motivation, zen

Courtesy of L.Shadrack

What makes us human?

Is it our heart, opening…closing, like the windows of God’s eyes.

Is it our brains, constantly scanning, searching, hoping, thinking about what comes next.

Is it our emotions, feeling a single high for every low, always keeping us on our toes.

Is it our ability to recognize suffering? Is it our ability to acknowledge it?

Are we as unique as we think we are…will the journey continue to unfold after death?

In my opinion, none of this is what makes us human. The difference between a rock and an animal is that the rock accepts its fate. The rock knows it has no place to be and needs nothing to survive…now or ever. An animal is driven by instinct, it is always trying to survive. An animal is anxiety, movement, panic. A rock is stoicism, stability, and patience.

Humans are animals, but there is one difference that differentiates us. What makes us human, is that we are connected, we are alive, we are one. We feel the patience hiding inside of the rock. We feel the constant struggle in an animal’s instinct. We are both the rock and the animal.

We are aware of those around us. We know how our actions affect others, but there’s one problem.

We try to forget…

During your daily struggles, don’t become the animal. Remember that you have no place to be, except where you are. Remember that your place is not in your individuality, but in your connection with others.

We are human, but we are so much more. Become more.

Tags: animals, awareness, humanity

I’m proud to be who I am. I am thankful to God, The Creator, The Divine…for giving me a chance to take on this shell and learn what it was like to be human once.

There are some that teach us to feel guilty for being born in this skin. Others will have you believe we are less than perfect. All of that may be true, but I refuse to believe it.

We’ve been given a gift of seeing what it is truly like to live. We struggle, sometimes alone and sometimes together. We suffer, we laugh, we cry…we love. We spend our lives hoping, searching, and sacrificing our lives for love. We all feel deeply tied to each other, even though we try to forget.
Sometimes the suffering is too much and we quietly return to our shells…hoping that our luck will change. We often feel alone, but we know that we are not. Somewhere, someplace, there is a being or a spirit that lives within us.

We should not feel guilty, for we are born to be exactly as we are. Perfectly formed beings filled with the intention of our creator. Whether or not you believe in a god is irrelevant. We are the very act of a nature so great and powerful that we do not understand.

Universes bent to the will of fate…by the hand of nature herself, in order for this miracle of life to take place. By chance or by fate, it has happened and the likelihood of it happening anywhere else or at any other time is virtually nonexistent.

Celebrate who you are, even if your times are dire. Someday we will all realize that we are in this together. Someday the consciousness of man will shift further toward the divine and when we all wake up what a glorious day that will be.

Don’t feel guilty in your own skin, be thankful for the chance to shine. Be grateful that you’ve been able to see what it was like to suffer, for now you understand joy. Be thankful for war, for now you know peace.

In the end, whether our souls move on our perish forever, our memories will be imprinted on the very space we inhabit. We will remain forever on the fabric of time.

Although future generations may not know us, the universe will forever keep us in her memory. That my friends, is why we do matter. Just as we learn from the universe, the universe learns from us. Let us cherish that.

Tags: human, love, soul, space, suffering, universe

Image by slack12

How many of you find yourself worrying about things that are beyond your control? I know I am guilty of this all the time, even though I realize the futility of the effort.

What about feelings like jealousy, angst, or even malice? Have you ever found yourself caught up in a torrent of emotion that seems to take control of your mind without you even realizing it?

I only say this because I experience it too, and what I’ve come to realize during my meditation is that for some reason, people love to give themselves up to their emotions. Now, this works with both positive and negative emotions, but what I want to talk about here are the negative ones.

It happens so quickly and before we know it we are overcome with a poisonous mindset. It almost seems as if we are addicted to emotion…almost as if we thrive on it. As we feed our minds with these poisonous thoughts, we start to crave them more and more. We start to create an appetite that is insatiable and cannot be conquered. Over time, our lives become a permanent state of jealousy, angst, hate, rage, depression, or bigotry. We start to isolate ourselves from others, and as we do this we feel more and more disconnected from the world. Yet, we don’t experience it in this context…we think the world is disconnecting from us.

We create enemies out of friends and fighters out of lovers. We start to withdraw further into our mental delusions and eventually we forget where we are or who we are.

These poisons that we fill our mind with are one of the quickest ways to cutting ourselves off from our spirit. If you find yourself experiencing these feelings, try to remember to sit back and observe as your mind sparks with senseless fury. It will conjure these feelings from thin air, yet expect you to believe they are real. These emotions are nothing more than a thought process that we invest in. If you stop investing in the thought process, you stop feeding the beast that keeps you from your path.

The true path of the Dharma is one of peace and compassion, not of jealousy and rage. Your ego is a wonderful trickster and is always finding new ways to lure you off of your path. Stay focused on living your dharma and do not be distracted by useless emotional patterns. Let go of your hate, your rage, and your jealousy. Realize that these negative emotions will only lead you onto a path of despair – a state of hell.

Accept things that you cannot change and work to improve those that you can. Remember, we are all dying and regardless of how you try to cover it up, one day you too will fade away. Use this time to hone your meditation and your contemplative spirit. Withdraw from the world of Samsara and retreat into your inner being. Only there will you find your true self.

Tags: compassion, dharma, emotion, hell