relax…....

born in the east, buddhism taught not to believe in deities but to believe that man suffers, and that this suffering can be seen and then avoided. his believers bought onto this idea.

in order to explain the way man suffered, an enlightened monk who sat on a tree stump for many years came up with the following theory:

– all people suffer.
– suffering is caused by wanting or desire for things or change.
– in order to get rid of desire, you must live in the now.
– to live in the now, you must be present and aware of your surroundings.
– if you can reach this state then you have awoken (nirvana).

the idea was that suffering would not go away, but that if you live in the present you could find a bit of peace or beauty within the dark. the idea rang true with the other side of the spectrum as well. if you are filled with anxiety that your fortune or your happiness will dissolve, living in the present would allow those fears to vanish. you would be left with no regrets from yesterday, no worries of tomorrow.

a difficult thing to do in practice. this living in the now.

looking behind leads backwards.

much of our lives are tied up in planning, much of our surroundings peppered with reminders of where we are in society. if it is not ourselves reminding us, it is our loved ones. pressure from within and from externally to plan, save, and at the same time to be in the now. contradictions that are meant to add to an already difficult situation.

it was never meant to be easy. in practice, guided meditation brings us a bit closer to this point. by focusing on the breath, by allowing thoughts to come and to go, you can feel a bit of what was meant to bring this awakening that the monks professed about. find a quiet place, a comfortable seat, and enter into this here and now that was always there but like a secret you never knew, will surprise you when you find.