Post by zendancer on May 2, 2010 22:52:14 GMT -5
More than twenty years ago the body/mind I inhabit started a small church, the purpose of which was to encourage meditation. It is called “The Very Center” because each of us is looking at reality from the very center (and the church was a center where people could meet, meditate, discuss spiritual issues, donate money to worthwhile causes, and do the other normal kinds of things that churches do). From the very center we can explore who we are in either direction. We can look “outwards” (we may go stand in front of Niagara Falls or on the lip of the Grand Canyon or look through a telescope at the moon, or pursue grand experiments in laboratories), or, we can look inwards (we can become silent, do self-inquiry, chant, watch thoughts, repeat mantras, experience kensho, samadhi, and a whole range of other interior experiences). Reality, in this sense, is like a huge playground. Of course, most of us never discover what’s going on, so we don’t realize that it’s a playground, and we miss having the full range of fun that’s available. One meditative practice that can help open up the possibilities in this regard is using the following thought:
“The entire universe was created for the sole purpose of my experiencing what I’m experiencing in this very moment.” Then, we silently look or listen (either outwardly or inwardly) and pay attention to what’s happening. This thought can help bring us into a radical state of presence.
Maybe we’re driving down a highway, and we think, “The entire universe was created for the sole purpose of allowing me to see what I see right now—the highway, the trees along the highway, the sky overhead, the hood of the car, hands on the steering wheel, etc. The entire universe was created just so that I could hear the sound of air rushing past the windows, the sound of the car’s tires on the highway, the sound of the engine, the sound of this body breathing, etc. The entire universe exists for the sole purpose of allowing me to think the thoughts that I’m thinking, and to do this meditative practice.”
At first, this practice may be only verbal and conceptual, but it can be taken to the non-verbal level fairly easily because the statement has the capability of stopping the mind. What this statement is pointing to is something stupendous, mind-boggling, and strange beyond imagining. It can take us into deep silence and even samadhi.
If we have already realized the living truth, and seen through the illusion of personal selfhood, then we will understand that this statement is literally true. Even if we haven’t realized the truth, this statement can still be used with great effectiveness.
Sometimes people have near-death experiences. They survive some calamity that they thought was going to kill them. Afterwards, they are almost giddy with joy and relief, and they often look at the world in a totally different way. They appreciate everything they see, and they are grateful for even the most mundane sorts of experiences. Near-death experiences often help people appreciate the wonder of life by putting everyday experiences into a bigger perspective. If we only had one day to live, wouldn’t we spend it trying to intensely absorb everything within the range of our senses? This exercise helps change our perspective in the same way.
If a woman thinks, “The entire universe was created for the sole purpose of me having a crazy argument with my husband,” that thought can bring her into the radical present, and perhaps open her eyes to the fantastic event that is unfolding in front of her.
Sometimes people have big enlightenment experiences, and then they wonder, “What should I do now?” What are the implications of this?” The answer is “Do whatever you have to do next knowing that the world is your oyster and you are the oyster!” The playground is always open for business!
Sometimes people say, “I don’t know what I should be doing with my life.” This is very funny, because they do know; they just don’t know that they know. What they have to be doing with their life is exactly what they are already doing, as well as saying things to themselves, such as, “I don’t know what I should be doing with my life.” The truth is so simple and so obvious that it continually gets overlooked. Is someone stuck in a traffic jam? Perfect! That’s exactly where he/she has to be at the moment.
As for this body/mind, it jumps out of bed in the morning and hits the floor running because it can hardly wait to have breakfast and find out what’s going to happen next. I love breakfast. I love the foods I cook and the tastes of the foods I eat. I flip on the TV in order to find out what the stock futures are doing. Is the market going to go up or down today? What kind of news will affect the companies that I enjoy following? Can I learn something new? The financial talking heads are pouring out tons of information, and it is almost always fascinating. I drive to work in silence, and enjoy seeing what I see. Everything I see exists for the sole purpose of my seeing it, so I don’t want to miss a thing! At the office I can hardly wait to fire up my computer and find out what people on this website have written. Then, I check the Yahoo stock message boards to see if something interesting has shown up there. Someone knocks on my door. Who can it be? What will they want? What will I do? It’s a huge mystery. Two hours later I will take a distant city’s newspaper to my ninety-five year old mother. Along the way I’ll pick up a coffee at McDonald’s. The entire universe was created so that the young man in the window could hand me my cup of coffee. For this I am grateful. I am also curious. Is he in a good mood or a bad mood? One of the employees at this store is always cheerful and happy. How about this fellow? Does he realize what’s going on here? Probably not, but he’s friendly, and I am deeply appreciative for what he’s doing for me. How nice of him to go to work and give me what I want! I can hardly wait to taste the coffee, but I postpone that enjoyment for a few minutes until I’m sitting with my mother and eating a chocolate chip cookie that she will have waiting for me. The entire universe was created so that I can sit down with my mother in the morning and talk about whatever she wants to talk about while I munch a cookie and sip my coffee. She has two bird feeders outside of her window, and we often watch the amazing birds that gather there for their breakfast. My mother has lots of ideas that prevent her from having as much fun as I have, but she has a good heart, and I usually do not tease her about her ideas (on other days……well, that’s fun, too.) An hour later I’m back at work, and I’m dealing with a frustrating tenant or customer. What a bummer, but, the whole universe was created just for this purpose—to create a problem for me to solve whether I want to or not. What will I do? I have no clue until I do it. Maybe I’ll be lenient and understanding, or maybe I’ll decide they’re not worth fooling with any longer. Who knows?
My day goes by like this—empty, full, amazing, challenging, exciting, maddening, fun, hilarious, etc. The relative and the absolute dance hand in hand. Everything that happens keeps happening right on schedule. The entire universe was created in order for things to happen just like this, and I get to see it all, respond to it all, and play with it all. Everyone else does, too, whether they realize it or not.
Everybody is different. Some sages don’t care whether they live or die, but not me! I’m like the old Zen Master, who, on his deathbed, said, “But I don’t want to die!” I would probably add, “Because this is just too much fun (except when it isn't--LOL).” This body/mind loves adventure (including misadventures—LOL), and there are so many places to see, so many things to do, and so many people to interact with that I’d like to stay in this form as long as possible. When its time to leave this body, however, it’s no problem because I know that I’ll still be here looking out of a trillion other sets of eyes. At the moment, though, this is the set of eyes I have, and what I see with them is unimaginable.
If we spend a fair amount of time in presence, some amazing things happen. Joy, love, and gratitude bubble up spontaneously. What an amazing world this becomes if we look at it with the eyes of a child. A mystery continually unfolds before us, and we make unending discoveries about what we are and how we manifest. Silence is fun and thinking is fun, and we are in love with it all. We swing between the two poles of movement and repose—between non-duality and multiplicity—between heaven and earth. Thoughts come and go, and we let them. We are the watcher of it all. We are what Enigma has called, “the thingamajig that notices.”
So, give it a try. Look at the universe as if the entire thing was created for the sole purpose of whatever you are witnessing and experiencing in this moment. Because it was. In truth, this show is for YOU, alone, and YOU are always at The Very Center of it all. Enjoy.
“The entire universe was created for the sole purpose of my experiencing what I’m experiencing in this very moment.” Then, we silently look or listen (either outwardly or inwardly) and pay attention to what’s happening. This thought can help bring us into a radical state of presence.
Maybe we’re driving down a highway, and we think, “The entire universe was created for the sole purpose of allowing me to see what I see right now—the highway, the trees along the highway, the sky overhead, the hood of the car, hands on the steering wheel, etc. The entire universe was created just so that I could hear the sound of air rushing past the windows, the sound of the car’s tires on the highway, the sound of the engine, the sound of this body breathing, etc. The entire universe exists for the sole purpose of allowing me to think the thoughts that I’m thinking, and to do this meditative practice.”
At first, this practice may be only verbal and conceptual, but it can be taken to the non-verbal level fairly easily because the statement has the capability of stopping the mind. What this statement is pointing to is something stupendous, mind-boggling, and strange beyond imagining. It can take us into deep silence and even samadhi.
If we have already realized the living truth, and seen through the illusion of personal selfhood, then we will understand that this statement is literally true. Even if we haven’t realized the truth, this statement can still be used with great effectiveness.
Sometimes people have near-death experiences. They survive some calamity that they thought was going to kill them. Afterwards, they are almost giddy with joy and relief, and they often look at the world in a totally different way. They appreciate everything they see, and they are grateful for even the most mundane sorts of experiences. Near-death experiences often help people appreciate the wonder of life by putting everyday experiences into a bigger perspective. If we only had one day to live, wouldn’t we spend it trying to intensely absorb everything within the range of our senses? This exercise helps change our perspective in the same way.
If a woman thinks, “The entire universe was created for the sole purpose of me having a crazy argument with my husband,” that thought can bring her into the radical present, and perhaps open her eyes to the fantastic event that is unfolding in front of her.
Sometimes people have big enlightenment experiences, and then they wonder, “What should I do now?” What are the implications of this?” The answer is “Do whatever you have to do next knowing that the world is your oyster and you are the oyster!” The playground is always open for business!
Sometimes people say, “I don’t know what I should be doing with my life.” This is very funny, because they do know; they just don’t know that they know. What they have to be doing with their life is exactly what they are already doing, as well as saying things to themselves, such as, “I don’t know what I should be doing with my life.” The truth is so simple and so obvious that it continually gets overlooked. Is someone stuck in a traffic jam? Perfect! That’s exactly where he/she has to be at the moment.
As for this body/mind, it jumps out of bed in the morning and hits the floor running because it can hardly wait to have breakfast and find out what’s going to happen next. I love breakfast. I love the foods I cook and the tastes of the foods I eat. I flip on the TV in order to find out what the stock futures are doing. Is the market going to go up or down today? What kind of news will affect the companies that I enjoy following? Can I learn something new? The financial talking heads are pouring out tons of information, and it is almost always fascinating. I drive to work in silence, and enjoy seeing what I see. Everything I see exists for the sole purpose of my seeing it, so I don’t want to miss a thing! At the office I can hardly wait to fire up my computer and find out what people on this website have written. Then, I check the Yahoo stock message boards to see if something interesting has shown up there. Someone knocks on my door. Who can it be? What will they want? What will I do? It’s a huge mystery. Two hours later I will take a distant city’s newspaper to my ninety-five year old mother. Along the way I’ll pick up a coffee at McDonald’s. The entire universe was created so that the young man in the window could hand me my cup of coffee. For this I am grateful. I am also curious. Is he in a good mood or a bad mood? One of the employees at this store is always cheerful and happy. How about this fellow? Does he realize what’s going on here? Probably not, but he’s friendly, and I am deeply appreciative for what he’s doing for me. How nice of him to go to work and give me what I want! I can hardly wait to taste the coffee, but I postpone that enjoyment for a few minutes until I’m sitting with my mother and eating a chocolate chip cookie that she will have waiting for me. The entire universe was created so that I can sit down with my mother in the morning and talk about whatever she wants to talk about while I munch a cookie and sip my coffee. She has two bird feeders outside of her window, and we often watch the amazing birds that gather there for their breakfast. My mother has lots of ideas that prevent her from having as much fun as I have, but she has a good heart, and I usually do not tease her about her ideas (on other days……well, that’s fun, too.) An hour later I’m back at work, and I’m dealing with a frustrating tenant or customer. What a bummer, but, the whole universe was created just for this purpose—to create a problem for me to solve whether I want to or not. What will I do? I have no clue until I do it. Maybe I’ll be lenient and understanding, or maybe I’ll decide they’re not worth fooling with any longer. Who knows?
My day goes by like this—empty, full, amazing, challenging, exciting, maddening, fun, hilarious, etc. The relative and the absolute dance hand in hand. Everything that happens keeps happening right on schedule. The entire universe was created in order for things to happen just like this, and I get to see it all, respond to it all, and play with it all. Everyone else does, too, whether they realize it or not.
Everybody is different. Some sages don’t care whether they live or die, but not me! I’m like the old Zen Master, who, on his deathbed, said, “But I don’t want to die!” I would probably add, “Because this is just too much fun (except when it isn't--LOL).” This body/mind loves adventure (including misadventures—LOL), and there are so many places to see, so many things to do, and so many people to interact with that I’d like to stay in this form as long as possible. When its time to leave this body, however, it’s no problem because I know that I’ll still be here looking out of a trillion other sets of eyes. At the moment, though, this is the set of eyes I have, and what I see with them is unimaginable.
If we spend a fair amount of time in presence, some amazing things happen. Joy, love, and gratitude bubble up spontaneously. What an amazing world this becomes if we look at it with the eyes of a child. A mystery continually unfolds before us, and we make unending discoveries about what we are and how we manifest. Silence is fun and thinking is fun, and we are in love with it all. We swing between the two poles of movement and repose—between non-duality and multiplicity—between heaven and earth. Thoughts come and go, and we let them. We are the watcher of it all. We are what Enigma has called, “the thingamajig that notices.”
So, give it a try. Look at the universe as if the entire thing was created for the sole purpose of whatever you are witnessing and experiencing in this moment. Because it was. In truth, this show is for YOU, alone, and YOU are always at The Very Center of it all. Enjoy.
