Being a Person in the World

Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase 'each other'
doesn't make sense any more.
~Rumi


We all take for granted that we are alive, that we are a living person in the world. But how often do we take a moment to really experience that? As you are reading this, I encourage you to feel yourself as a living being in this very moment. Notice your body, the feeling of whatever piece of furniture is supporting your body, the sounds outside. Take a moment to breathe in the experience of being alive.

In the West, we do not often question our minds. We know that our way of thinking and reacting can cause us pain, so we often try to change our thoughts. What we don't change is our relationship to our mind. We don't see how our belief in the power of our thoughts affects our ability to "just be" in this world.

When we take a moment to become aware of the fact that we are a living being, we allow ourselves some breathing room. This type of awareness facilitates an experience that cannot be found in thoughts or beliefs. In order to change and find happiness, we need action, something different, a new way of relating to ourselves and others.

By taking this time for ourselves, we help all of humanity. By being compassionate with ourselves, we develop the ability to love and delight in our fellow creature.

Fall

 What is it about a crisp autumn day that makes a person feel both happy and a little sad all at the same time? Fall evokes the most interesting of emotions, and brings a certain type of peace or contentment that is unique to the season. It is a time for letting go of the old to make way for the new, a time of change and color. A time of possibility.

Watching the leaves change reminds me of the process of change, the difference between letting go and new growth. Fall is a time for shedding old ways, and making the changes you've been waiting for. What keeps us from making changes? From dropping our leaves?

Change has to come at the right time and can be both a sudden and gradual process. We may have sudden realizations that take time to develop and become reality. We need patience with ourselves, and to allow time for our hearts and minds to breathe and find their own rhythm. When we allow ourselves this much needed inner space, whole worlds of possibility open up. We see what is, what has been, and what could be, and we find the whole thing frightening, exciting, and beautiful. And we are ready for it.