What a Miracle

What a miracle
Beautiful sunlight
Trees and grass
Air to breathe

How amazing we are living
On such an oasis
A paradise among the stars
And we don’t even realize…

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

Photo  CC0 Public Domain

This Time of Year

This time of year
The beginning of quiet
Feeling of change
Your colors are so vibrant
So varied
This gold is not coveted
But it is priceless
This is a beautiful, magical world
A presence is awakening
Look at the beauty when no one is looking
What a beautiful space for beauty

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

Photo @2008 by Carl Mueller

CC BY 2.0

The Mysterious Feminine

The spirit that never dies
Is called the mysterious feminine.
Although she becomes the whole universe,
Her immaculate purity is never lost.
Although she assumes countless forms,
Her true identity remains intact.

The gateway to the mysterious female
Is called the root of creation.

Listen to her voice,
Hear it echo through creation.
Without fail, she reveals her presence.
Without fail, she brings us to our own perfection.
Although it is invisible, it endures;
It will never end.

Tao te Ching verse 6
Translation by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

How to Save the World

“When we understand the true nature of things, we will see that our world is like a dream, and that everything exists as a mere appearance to mind. We will realize that we can change our world simply by changing our mind, and that if we wish to be free from suffering, all we need to do is purify our mind. Having purified our own mind, we will then be in a position to fulfill our compassionate wish by showing others how to do the same.”

Transform Your Life pg 188
By Geshe Kelsang

Photo  CC0 Public Domain

 

 

True Beauty

Your body is only an expression
Of the blissful radiance within
Your body is only a mask

But when the inner beauty is shining strongly
It pervades your entire body
Making it glorious and beautiful
Shining with the light from within

There is beauty in everyone
We are foolish
When we see the beauty
Only on the outside

Not recognizing
Where it really comes from

Your skin is glowing
When the inner beauty is shining

Your eyes are filled with light
And there are no imperfections

Inner beauty is profoundly peaceful
When you recognize it
In another
Or in yourself

Only beauty can recognize beauty
So when you see beauty in another
Trace the beauty back to its source

There you will find peace
In the recognition of your Self

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

Photo CCO public domain

Program Your Mind

Program Your Mind

Here’s the bad news: As a human, you are a programmable computer. Here’s the good news: As a human, you are a programmable computer. Let me explain.

First a quick review of computers. Computers are basically machines with hardware and software. The hardware is everything physical, such as electric circuits, the electricity flowing through the circuits, microchips, etc. The software is the non-physical component, including the programs and software you use for work, games, etc. The hardware is pretty much fixed, but you can alter the software by changing the commands (code) which run the program.

Now for the humans, (minds and bodies specifically). We are basically the same, but our hardware is biological (brain and nerve cells), with the exception of electricity flowing in our nervous system. What is our software, or programming? The mind! In other words, our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, perceptions etc. And just like we can change the code in a software program and get a different experience when using the software, we can also change the programming of our mind and have a different experience in life.

This can be bad news because if you have bad programming (negative thoughts and beliefs), then you will be having bad experiences. Also, if your thoughts and beliefs have come from others who are trying to control you, then your experiences will be dictated by them.

However, this can also be great good news when you fully realize that simply by changing your programming for the better (positive thoughts and beliefs in your mind), your experience in life will be enjoyable.

So here’s the nitty-gritty. How do we actually go about reprogramming our mind? If we understand the process of how the mind creates experiences, then we can change a part of that process in order to alter our experiences.

Here’s how the process works:

1.) The mind creates a thought
2.) The thought is believed to be true
3.) The corresponding feeling is experienced

Pretty simple, right?

Here’s an example:
You’re going to a party, and when you walk in the door all of a sudden you feel nervous. What happened here? It seems as though the nervous feeling arose out of nowhere. But actually the three-step process mentioned above was happening, although very quickly. If you slowed down your mind at the moment you walked in the door, you would see something like this:

1.) A thought such as, “Oh no, look at all those people!” This is basically the same as thinking, “These people are scary, I might get hurt somehow if I talk with them.”
2.) You believe this thought to be true. These people REALLY ARE scary, and you REALLY might get hurt by talking to them.
3.) Your mind creates a fearful feeling based on this belief, and you have a fearful, nervous experience.

Once you understand this process and see it happening in your own experience, then you can change it by altering either step one or step two. You could alter step one by changing your thought (instead of, “Oh no, look at all of those people!” you can think, “Awesome, look at all of these cool friendly people I get to hang out with!”). Or you could alter step two by recognizing that your negative thought is simply a thought, and choose not to believe it.

For some people this reprogramming can work very well once they’ve clearly seen how the mind is literally creating their experiences by this three-step process. However, many people often have trouble with altering their negative thoughts and/or beliefs, often because they are very ingrained or they are believed very strongly. If this is the case with you, don’t worry. There is a method that is very powerful for uprooting even the most deeply entrenched negative thought patterns and beliefs. The method is called Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT for short. It is an aspect of the new developing field called Energy Psychology.

In a nutshell, EFT applies the technique of fully expressing your subconscious negative thoughts and feelings in conjunction with tapping various energy points on your body (mostly the head and torso area). This powerful combination of psychological and energetic methods allows you to quickly and easily release the negative programming from your subconscious mind. As a result, you are freed from negative thoughts and beliefs, which in turn frees you from negative feelings and experiences.

It’s really just that simple. Acknowledge your negative thought and belief pattern, allow it to be felt while at the same time tapping the energy points on your body, and experience the joy and freedom of having it released from your system. In other words, you become the programmer of your own mind! I’ve used EFT for many different aspects of my life, and I can tell you that it definitely works.

What I’ve explained is the basic process, but to really use EFT effectively you either need to get a good book on the subject or work with a practitioner who is trained in the technique. A quick Google search can help you with either one, but here are some recommendations:

The Promise of Energy Psychology: Revolutionary Tools for Dramatic Personal Change, by David Feinstein, Donna Eden, and Gary Craig

Improve Your Eyesight with EFT by Carol Look

The Tapping Solution by Nick Ortner

Tapping Into Wellness by Kathilyn Solomon

Happy programming!

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

Photo CCO public domain

Compassion is a Powerful Protector

Everyone has heard of compassion. We know that it’s a good thing, and that we should try and have it whenever we can. We have images of people from the past who have had compassion, such as Jesus and Buddha. We also know about compassionate people from more modern times, such as Mahatma Ghandi, Mother Therasa, Martin Luther King Jr., and others. If we’re lucky, then we may have had the chance to meet or be in the presence of someone with great compassion.

We’re usually aware of how compassion benefits and protects other people, because this is it’s main function. But are we aware of how compassion can also be beneficial to the person who has it?

One of the best things about compassion is that it protects you. How can compassion do this? One way is that it protects you from your own and others’ negative energy. Every state of consciousness also has an energy that it produces. When you’re in a negative state of consciousness such as anger or depression, you can also feel the associated energy. The energy of anger is very fast and destructive, and it moves to cause harm. As the energy of anger moves, it takes control of your body and rushes out to harm, either verbally or physically. Sadness or depression also has its own associated energy. It is more slow, lethargic, and debilitating. It is generally moving inward, eventually causing a state of emotional immobility, where it feels difficult to be motivated to do anything.

However, the energy of compassion is much different. This energy is very alive. It can also be moving outward like anger, but the energy of compassion moves to bring peace and happiness. And unlike anger, depression, or any other negative energy, the energy of compassion is always peaceful for the person who has it. In fact, if compassion goes very deep, it can be experienced as a very pleasurable type of bliss, maybe even better than sex. Who could say no to that?

And as if this were not enough, the energy of compassion has other ways to protect you as well. Have you ever noticed how when a person walks into a room, you can feel their energy? When an angry person walks in, you can feel that. And when a very peaceful, happy person walks in, you can feel that as well. You can also notice the interaction of energies between two or more people. The person with angry energy often attracts other people with angry energy, even if unconsciously. These two people then often need to fight either verbally or physically, because their energies are the same and are attracted to each other.

But what happens when a person carrying around a lot of anger comes into contact with a very compassionate peaceful person? Their anger becomes subdued, and they can even become transformed if the other person has a strong enough compassionate energy. Either way, the person with compassion is protected from the person with anger. Being in the state of compassion is like having your own personal bodyguard!

Compassion has other benefits as well, including:
-it empowers you to create positive change
-it gives you great confidence
-it dispels fear
-it transforms your own negative energy
-it’s good for your health (due to its relaxing effect on the body and mind)
-it helps you to be in a positive, peaceful state when you die
And last, but not least…
It feels GREAT!

So how can you have this great mind of compassion? It’s very simple. All you have to do is simply notice that other people are suffering, and wish for them to be free of that suffering. You can imagine them being completely free from their current state of suffering, and how wonderful that would be. If you do this, you will start to feel the peaceful and transforming effects of compassion.

Enjoy!

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

Photo©2008 by Hartwig HKD

CC BY-ND 2.0

What’s Yours is Mine

Your fear is my fear
I can see inside you
I can feel your pain
Because what’s yours is mine

I jump inside you
And I know who you are
Deep down you are me
Because what’s yours is mine

Here or there
Doesn’t mean much
Distance is no barrier
Because what’s yours is mine

Lay down your burden
I’ll take you’re baggage
I want to see you free
Because what’s yours is mine

Hand over that suffering
Why should you hold it?
It’s cut you for to long
Because what’s yours is mine

Show me your darkness
You don’t need to hide it
You know you’re not alone
Because what’s yours is mine

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

 

Photo©2014 by Ali Bindawood

CC BY-ND 2.0

 

How to Live Forever

Heaven is eternal – the earth endures.
Why do heaven and earth last forever?
They do not live for themselves only.
This is the secret of their durability.

For this reason the sage puts himself last
And so ends up ahead.
He stays a witness to life,
So he endures.

Serve the needs of others,
And all your own needs will be fulfilled.
Through selfless action, fulfillment is attained.

Tao te Ching verse 7
Translation by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Photo©2011 by Sweetie187

CC BY 2.0

Is thinking Really Necessary?

Thinking is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. It’s the one thing that is everywhere, yet nobody seems to truly notice or talk about it. In fact, it is so pervasive and all-consuming, we don’t even realize that it’s happening. We just feel like it’s part of our reality. We are usually thinking nonstop, even when we don’t need to be. But ask yourself:
Is thinking really necessary in order to take a drink of water? To walk across the room? To put away the groceries? Or can it happen completely naturally and spontaneously, without the need for any thoughts? Do you actually need to think, “OK arm, move to that class. Good. Now lift the glass to my mouth. Good. Now drink the water, swallow.” Of course not. But what’s usually happening while we do something simple like drink water is we’re thinking of something (usually a lot of somethings) that have absolutely nothing to do with drinking water!

Try doing an experiment: Do something simple like reaching for a glass of water and taking a drink. See whether or not it is possible to do it without needing to use thinking. Go ahead. Reach for the glass of water, take a sip, and put it down. What did you notice? You may have found that it’s entirely possible to do something like taking a drink of water without thinking a single thought! Your arm just moves to the water, puts the glass to your mouth, drinks it, and puts it back on the table. It just happens, you don’t need to think about it to do it.

And this is the same for many other actions as well. Putting away groceries, taking a shower, making dinner. Instead of thinking, you can simply perform the actions while noticing what you see, hear, feel, etc. In other words, you just focus on your senses, leaving your mind and thinking completely out of the picture.

If you do this, life changes into a miracle, because you suddenly become aware of all these things that you didn’t even know were happening! The sound of the bags wrestling as you put away the groceries, the sound of your footsteps as you walk to the living room, all of the thousands of colors and textures of the various objects you see in your room, various sensations in your body, etc. A deep sense of peace and quiet starts to become apparent, no matter what you’re doing.

It also becomes like watching a movie, where the self you thought that you were is just a character, and everything that is happening is just scenes from a movie. You’re just a present awareness witnessing it all happen.

If you encounter any fear when doing this practice, it’s only because you’ve been used to living in your thoughts, and now you’re starting to live somewhere else, in your senses. It’s the same as if you were moving to a new place you’ve never been to before, and you were apprehensive because you were so used to your old home and way of life. But soon enough, you get used to it and your new home becomes normal. It’s the same with letting go of your thoughts. Just give yourself some time, and let it be gradual.

So is thinking really necessary at all? Just for a few things. Math, talking, deciding what to eat for dinner, etc. But as soon as you’re done using your thoughts for the purpose that they are actually needed, you can simply put down your mind, just like putting down a tool when you’re done using it. Because that’s what the mind is – a tool to be used by you. But if you’re thinking the other 98% of the time when it’s not necessary, then you become the tool.

Don’t be a tool, be free.

©2016 by Awakening Wisdom Light

Photo©2014 by ChristoMichelpher

CC BY 2.0