by Miruh on August 21, 2008
This morning I was looking at several samples of copy layouts with my co-worker and I said, “ This is a lot of visual information to take in.” He answered, “That’s the advantage of being a man, you see what you want to see and ignore everything else.” What a profound statement! It could be interpreted in so many ways. In general women see and think globally while men are more focused. I thought, yes, we are different and we must appreciate the difference and the advantage of both points of view.
As I carried on with my morning, still contemplating his statement, it occurred to me, that on a deeper level we all have a unique perspective based on our particular experiences in life. It is said that we are only capable of acknowledging in life, what we know from memory. Our conscious mind copes with the abundance of information by ignoring anything it cannot identify. This phenomenon is one of the biggest obstacles to creating harmony in relationships. It is the source of pain that we cause each other without meaning any harm. From our own unique perspective on life, we think that everybody else sees the same.
On the spiritual healing journey, the acknowledgment of each other’s uniqueness is one of the first steps to inner peace. When we catch ourselves in conflict, there is a huge leap to get from that space of resistance to acceptance of what is. Can we be at peace with ourselves in spite of the difference we encounter in others? When we resist others, we cause pain for ourselves and when we try to change others, we cause them pain too. This is where the rubber meets the road. It is easy to sit on the meditation cushion and feel oneness with all that is. In the fire of relationship, can we hold on to that oneness? Compassion is the key here. Compassion for ourselves for yet again hitting that wall of wanting to change others. It’s a tough one to master, but the fruit of working at it is a celebration of life, a celebration of all the richness of the diversity of this world. This physical experience is the only place we can learn these lessons.
by Miruh on August 20, 2008
I can’t stand it when someone says to me “breathe” when I am having a difficult time dealing with a situation. But breathing deeply is the very thing that I need to do to get some perspective and detach from the situation. This morning I asked someone to do something. He replied in a hissy tone that he didn’t want to deal with it then. My immediate reaction was to feel hurt, not because he couldn’t comply then but in the way it was said. After sulking for a while, still staying with my dark mood while he merrily carried on with his day, I remembered to look at myself. Taking responsibility for my own feelings, I realized that I wanted him to be different, to be kinder in his response. I blamed him for my bad mood, instead I needed to give him space to respond in whatever manner he chose. It was my responsibility to notice my immediate reaction resulting from years of programming and choose to nurture myself instead. I alone am responsible for my feelings whether I choose to react and stay hurt, or to let go and move on.
There is a Taoist story about two young monks who were at a ford in the river. There was also a woman there and one of the monks offered to carry her on his back to cross over to the other side. After leaving her on the opposite bank, the monks walked for some time, when one of them said, “we are not supposed to look at women, far more to touch them.” The other one replied “I left her way back there, you are still carrying her.” This story is a favorite of mine to remember to let things go.
Breathing deeply brings your focus to the present moment, taking it away from thoughts and feelings. It brings awareness to bodily sensations and so it is a good technique to move through unwanted emotions. My hurt felt like a knot in my solar plexus and breathing deeply made me aware of this sensation. As I continued to breathe, I was able to relax that feeling and soon my dark mood also left. I then remembered to silently thank that person for yet another opportunity to heal myself from unconscious reaction.
by Miruh on August 19, 2008
The inspiration to start this blog came to me after seeing Andrew Bacevich, the guest interviewed on the Bill Moyers Journal. Mr. Moyers quotes from Mr. Bacevich’s book, “The pursuit of freedom, as defined in an age of consumerism, has induced a condition of dependence on imported goods, on imported oil, and on credit. The chief desire of the American people is that nothing should disrupt their access to these goods, that oil, and that credit. The chief aim of the U.S. government is to satisfy that desire, which it does in part through the distribution of largesse here at home, and in part through the pursuit of imperial ambitions abroad.” Mr. Moyers continues, “ In other words, you’re saying that our foreign policy is the result of a dependence on consumer goods and credit.”
Mr. Bacevich goes on to say that there is a negative trade deficit with the world to the order of about $800 billion per year. “That’s $800 billion of stuff that we buy, so that we can consume, that is $800 billion greater than the amount of stuff that we sell to them. That’s a big number. I mean, it’s a big number even relative to the size of our economy.” Mr. Bacevich expresses in his book that we need to look at ourselves before change can happen to alleviate the crisis at home and abroad.
To me, the need to look at ourselves is what the spiritual journey is all about. It’s that coming home to ourselves as I mentioned in my last post, that is going to be the key to solving our own and the world’s problems. It takes great courage to embark on the spiritual journey in the face of going against the flow of society and its lifestyle based on a false sense of freedom and happiness from consuming more and more. President Bush said just two weeks or so after 9/11, “Go to Disney World. Go shopping.” In other words, distract yourself, so you don’t have to look at what is going on around you and how it connects to you. The spiritual path is the path of the warrior. It takes great strength, discipline and endurance.
by Miruh on August 18, 2008
“All sickness is homesickness.” This is the title of a popular book on Chinese Medicine. What is this homesickness? This is the eternal quest of the ages. It is what drives us all in search of that illusive something that never seem to fill the hunger for what irks us deep within. We engage in all our daily activities with the hope that the next thing is going to be the answer, the end to all of our problems. We spend our time in search of that something in all of the wrong places, enticed by the slogans of the media: you too can be happy if you eat, drink, wear or drive X brand. The weariness of this endless search takes its toll on the body, mind, and emotions.
The teachings of all spiritual paths tell us that what we are looking for on the outside: comfort, happiness, joy, abundance etc., must first come from experiencing those qualities from within ourselves. No matter how much we try, the outer experiences are a mere shadow of the inner experience and we will never really feel satisfied or be able to truly embrace the abundance that the outer trappings of our lives provide. We must seek to come home to ourselves, to take ownership, to reclaim our spiritual legacy, which in all traditions has its abode in the heart, the spiritual heart.
So what do we do in the meantime, when today there is a glut of spiritual paths to choose from, ranging from the traditional, the new age, and the esoteric. This blog is an attempt to explore what we have learned and what has worked for us. We have been on the spiritual path for most of our lives and have been health practitioners since the eighties. We do not claim to have found any magic answers but we would like to share with you, our fellow seekers, insights and discoveries on this ongoing spiritual healing journey. The journey can be a lonely experience, especially in the beginning when friends and family may not understand the changes that you are trying to make to heal your life. The changes you may be making can be as simple as being aware of what you eat what entertainment activities you choose and yet these changes will have an impact on your family and social circle, which can sometimes cause hurt and misunderstanding. Our hope is that this blog will provide a space for community.
Namaste! (A Sanskrit greeting which means: the divinity within me salutes the divinity within you)
