We live in a world of constant change, crazy days and frantic pace. The days fly by and often slip through our fingers. Often we realize that it is suddenly Thursday evening, and we have no memory of the previous days. Whose fault is that? Ours? Our families? The world around us or our pace of life, which is sometimes faster than light? It’s hard to say and useless to look for a scapegoat.
We are surrounded by a lot of “smart” advice, gurus and instructions on how to live a better and better life. But isn’t it just a gateway to hell when we take on extra responsibilities to learn how to calm down and throw ourselves into zen? Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t.
We humans are constantly yearning for a better world and environment, yet in all the work we do, we forget about improving our inner world. Because the beautiful things we surround ourselves with should be inside us first. If we have to choose between a home in an upscale safe neighborhood full of green trees and a neighborhood that is full of violence, danger, and crumbling houses, we will probably choose the former. And why is that? Good question. Obviously, we wish to live in peace and safety, surrounded by harmony. But do we also have peace and harmony within? How do we take care of our interior space?
Let’s stop for a moment, sit down and close our eyes. We will now turn our attention to our mind and observe for a few moments what thoughts accompany us. Just don’t be afraid to do it. In a few moments you will open your eyes again and you can continue reading this magnificent piece.
What did we notice during this brief stop? What thoughts are in our minds? Probably those that are evaluative, analytical; thoughts relating to the past or the future; thoughts that abound with fear and anxiety, but also thoughts that are associated with love and enjoyment. And here we are, at the heart of the poodle. A great deal of thought is utterly useless and unhelpful because it relates either to a past we cannot change or to a future we do not know and cannot change. Thoughts can destroy us, stress us, cause us fear and panic, even though they mean absolutely nothing; absolutely nothing – which is very relieving, don’t you think? A wise guru[1] said – “We are what we think”, now that might lead us to wonder if it might actually be worth redesigning the contents of our minds a little, right?
The mind as they said is our most powerful tool. So why not use it to our advantage and not against us? The mind is a powerful problem-solving tool. It’s built for great things, and especially for survival, it’s always looking for a space to apply itself, and if it doesn’t have a real enemy at the moment, it comes up with super great strategies for common situations. However, we don’t need that. We need peace of mind and to get our minds under control, because we are not our minds. And that, again, I dare say, is a very huge relief.
If you are your “Zen world” and don’t know what path, technique, philosophy or instruction to choose, don’t worry at all. It is perfectly sufficient and effective to stop for ten minutes each day and allow ourselves to observe our thoughts without evaluating them. Likewise, just sit in a comfortable seat and shift your attention to your own breathing. After a prolonged period of this conscious practice, we find ourselves fervently wishing to leave the dismal environment of only half-decayed houses and no inhabitants for a green space in a safe, peaceful and harmonious environment. Through these stops, we learn to be in the present moment and our time will slow down because it will be more alive.