The Power of Stillness and Attention
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Sky Magnolia 4831 Soft Blue
“It is a secret which every intellectual man quickly learns, that, beyond the energy of his possessed and conscious intellect, he is capable of a new energy (as of an intellect doubled on itself), by abandonment to the nature of things; that, beside his privacy of power as an individual man, there is a great public power, on which he can draw, by unlocking, at all risks, his human doors, and suffering the ethereal tides to roll and circulate through him: then he is caught up into the life of the Universe, his speech is thunder, his thought is law, and his words are universally intelligible as the plants and animals.”
No matter what your current situation may be, whether it be pain or pleasure, in this moment you can choose to harmonize with the underlying deep essence of life itself, or you can continue to fight what is and lock yourself into your limited perception of what you think should be. Your habitual mind will want to stay in a trance of old thoughts and comfortable definitions. When you become aware that conventional thinking can lock you in a prison and limit your options to the known and defined, you are taking the first step into a new kind of awareness, and a larger world than you have yet imagined. And it is right here, right now, always available in the present moment. It is the nature of life Itself, the very essence of your being peering at you between the lattices of the limited life you have been living.
It is easy to dismiss the subtle influence of this new awareness because very few people are willing to do the work to change their awareness. Yet if you are willing to walk the “narrow way” that leads to life, a world of possibilities awaits. There is a greater reality waiting for you, an adventure to discover subtle essences and potentialities that will reward your willingness to explore. Trade your maps and charts for the actual territory. A simple moment of attention and awareness can reveal hidden riches you were not aware existed. Jiddhu Krishnamurti said, “If you can just observe what you are and move with it, then you will find that it is possible to go infinitely far.”
No words can describe this understanding, but when you have recognized it, you will realize that you have always known this to be true. You knew it as a child, gazing up at the stars with wonder. You find it in the heart of a flower, its petals unfolding like galaxies whirling through time and space. You see it in the eyes of a beloved, in the birth of a child, in appreciation of an artist’s creation. You have felt it in the purr of a kitten, the playful puppy’s enthusiasm, or a laughing child’s unselfconscious joy. You hear it in symphonies and the sigh of the wind in the trees. You smell it when the rain has washed the world clean, and savor it in the sweetness of life. By accepting the moment and becoming aware of its essence, you have tuned into an inner radar that navigates its way to the hidden heart of everything that is.
Transformation comes moment by moment, and you can never predict what a moment will become. It is always your experience, something that cannot be contained by the definitions of other human beings, but only known in your heart, your soul, and your body. It is simple, subtle, and without need for fanfare. As you develop sensitivity and an awareness of subtle realities by training yourself to live fully in the moment, you’ll discover new frontiers of growth and possibility.
Meditation practice helps move you into stillness. Stillness is about being fully in the moment, in total harmony with yourself and with the world around you. A simple and ongoing commitment to meditate can be a gentle tool for transformation. As you learn to still your mind and body, you ease yourself out of time-bound restrictions and reactions into the peace and beauty of the eternal here and forever now.
As I have been sheltering at home, I’m discovering that spending more time in meditation, or just being (especially with my Zen Purr Master, Kitty Emma) helps me stay grounded and think more clearly. I’m learning new ways to move beyond the conventional thoughts of fear and bewilderment into the freedom of releasing expectations, and entering into a deeper sense of rest and stability.
Accept that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it is. Recognize that the way you are in this moment can be chosen—open to harmony and flow, or resistant and unable to change. Meditation is a practice that helps you release all preconceived notions and opinions, freeing you from your armor of fear, anger, and judgment. Pay attention. Be mindful and observe life as it is, right now, without projecting into the future or regretting the past. Mindfulness in the moment is your training in awareness, and your point of creative power for transformation. Things may not be as you wish they could be, but they are more than you imagine.
Petey, Zen Purr Master in contemplation
Exercise
Try this to get a sense of stillness in the moment. Concentrate on a flower, a sunset, or an ordinary natural object, like a stone or a tree. Just allow your eyes to notice, to be present with an unfolding rose, the colors of a changing sky, or the hard beauties of a stone held in your hand. Just be with it. No stories, no judgments. Just observe. Just be. Breathe deeply, relax into the moment. Let the flower, tree, sunset, stone speak to you about your own nature, your own situation today.
“Meditation has nothing to do with quiet reverie or passive stillness, but with wakefulness. We awaken our nearness to God. We realize that the power of creation, the energy of creation, flows in our hearts.”
Zen Purr Master Kitty Emma is totally in the eternal moment
“We are kept from the experience of Spirit because our inner world is cluttered with past traumas... As we begin to clear away this clutter, the energy of divine light and love begins to flow through our beings.”
