Smile...

By Vichara

“You smile the world changes”. It is often said that the simplest things can be profound. What could be anymore than just that than a simple smile given out of compassion and love? One of the most basic human needs is to feel love. It is love that can lift us out of sense of separateness, which is the root of suffering. If we simply smile out of love we reach out across the separateness and connect with the world around us in profound ways. You may have been in a situation, maybe somewhere you didn’t know the language being spoken but with a shared smile you create a bridge of communication that transcends language. When we smile, others will smile. When we show compassion others will show compassion and what better place to start than with a simple smile? ☺

What are you thankful for?...

By Vichara

What are you thankful for? This is the day we are to set aside to give thanks for what we have. To put aside the frenetic daily activities, stop and reflect with those around us of the gratitude we have for the things we have and can share. The family that has gathered physically and in our hearts and all the wonderful opportunities we have had and what will be. Whatever stories we have heard as children about Indians, pilgrims, the cold, the hardships and corn at the core of this day we put aside. This month is the transitions of the seasons. The rural celebration of having completed the harvesting of foodstuffs for the winter months and gathering our families and friends who toiled together with the collective harvest no being represented on the table. While for the most of us that type of lifestyle barely exists personally so try to take a moment away from the mutated gorging, excessive football watching, tryptophan coma afternoon to find one thing to be thankful of and one thing you could do to make things better for you and those around. Think about it like planting a “seed of potentiality” that could reap a harvest of blessings for you and those around you at this time next year.

Speak up...

By Vichara

If you have the answers, speak up. If they have manifested with innocence and purity they will have value. If they have risen through maliciousness and vengeance they will fall flat, as they should.

The search...

By Vichara

“Don’t search for truth, simply stop having opinions”. Think of how many opinions we have in one day. Too many to really recall I would speculate. When there are to many they can obscure the intuitive insight that we all have. Our consciousness is like a vast and limitless clear blue sky and our ideas and opinions are like clouds passing by. When we focus on the clouds we miss out on the empty vastness and the ability to gain insight. Sometimes you may want to stop frantically trying to have an opinion about what is going on and simply say, “don’t know”. By embracing the “don’t know” confusion will dissipate and your intuitive nature grows stronger. In Zen wisdom is not found by having ideas but experiencing life directly through not knowing.

Objects may appear larger...

By Vichara

Objects may appear larger is written on most of the rear view mirrors in the vehicles that we drive. Of course in this forum you know it is placed there to remind us to be cognizant of moving objects that are whizzing past all the time. Where this warning is not written in plain sight is in our daily lives. We encounter so many things in our day that will seem so much larger than they appear. Something somebody says in passing that is probably a whisper seems like a scream. An encounter with an issue you are dealing with that on the surface to others maybe small as a gnat but looms to you so large they appear like a monster from a silly “B” movie. Perhaps in these moments when distortion misaligns the actual truth we need to get up and walk away from the mirror for a moment until whatever you are dealing with reduces to it’s actual size. Then driving forward with clarity and equanimity the possible overwhelming presence of objects will be reduced to it’s actual manageable size. Don’t forget to use your turn signals.

Walking among the dead...

By Vichara

We walk among the dead even though they are breathing, walking and talking. The dead are mired in a self-possessed world where there is very little cognizant value that they give others beyond the perfunctory tasks they perform for the dead. The dead believe they are seeing but their vision is myopic at best and life’s peripheral existence does not even illuminate in their eyes to any great extent. The dead can hear but there is very little that registers other then their voices and maybe some of what the other dead are saying. There is some confusion for the dead when thing don’t go quite the way they want it to go but like an over-stimulated child they drop whatever it was and go on. In their wake the dead leave the debris of unfulfilled promises that they made to others to get what they wanted. The dead see only themselves. The question when you look in the mirror – are you alive or one of the dead?

Sitting around...

By Vichara

People who may think that when you sit in meditation is just sitting around and doing nothing but breathing are misinformed. On the surface a person sitting just seems to be just involved in some exercise of being still and not dealing with anything. While yes in the very obvious physical this is true and you are being still but inside things are moving along. With this exercise you give your body and mind a chance to re-engage and connect. It gives your entire system the opportunity to slow down for a period of time and set the controls of the body up once again to deal with the events of the day. While sitting the channels that need the vital sustaining elements have a chance to open up and fill. While those switches and gears are being set up for the day the time spent sitting clears the internal horizon. So when you do take that first step into your day your ability to “see” is greatly enhanced…even sometimes with the aid of caffeine.

Search for answers...

By Vichara

We all just want answers, all the time. Is this the right thing to do? Does this look ok? Will I be all right? Did I hurt their feelings? Do they like me? Reassurance of not only of your safety and well-being but safety and reassurance of your heart. For the most of us we need to know in to some degree, if in those that we invest our heart and spirit in do actually care for us. A very hard question to answer with true conviction. The caution here however is if there is a dependence on someone else’s measurement then you will always be in a flux and increase your need for reassurance and answers. Find comfort and confidence in you first. Build an identity of yourself with compassion and patience and you will gain a foundation where the search for answers and reassurance will decrease and a life with conviction and confidence will increase.

Time for "maintenance"...

By Vichara

Do you need new spark plugs for your mind? As they say, “back in the day”, there was sometimes the need when your car was running rough to check the spark plugs. Those important little items in the mechanism of the car that provides the electrical charge to ensure all of the cylinders that propel your vehicle forward are all firing together. If one of these little guys had some material build-up and prevented it from igniting the whole system of the car would be sluggish and stall out. In much the same way if there are mental hindrances, things in your own mind that are having a stalling effect in your movement forward then perhaps it may be time to clean your own mental spark plugs or replace them. But where do you find a mechanic for that you may ask? It’s basically you! You may get “technical” assistance from some life “manuals” like literature, spiritual writings, conversations and meditation but it’s really up to you to clean the bodily spark plug heads and gain clarity to propel you forward.

A Monday Koan...

By Vichara

”The fearless hero is a loving child”. Compassion brings courage and the power to overcome fear. We often hear stories of fearlessness when individuals are motivated by love. Great feats of strength, resourcefulness from the most unlikely sources. We all have these qualities. While having an innocent and loving heart of a child we can have the resilience and stamina of a well trained athlete. The fear may never completely disappear but creating this resilient armor you can face most obstacles. Take the attitude of a compassionate heart and you can fearlessly meet the challenges you meet everyday. Do not succumb to cynicism or defensiveness but be polished by life rather then be ground down by it. You can raise up your armor when needed but remember a true hero’s strength lies in their compassion and openness, not in their armor.

Spread the news...

By Vichara

Bad news sells, good news sits waiting for the bus. Perhaps by watching all the negative news that it in a way lessons the severity of our own personal problems, but I think not. It is what the media wants you to believe but I do believe there is an alternative. While yes human tragedy and depravity will always exist, it is up to each one of us to try to tip the see-saw of negative news by contributing one good act a day. There are many people out there that are doing this as you read this but most will go unnoticed. It is of no fault of their own, just our cultural indulgence of the negative. How about when you encounter or are involved in a “good” thing that you spread the news and like that old commercial, they will tell 2 friends and they will 2 friends and so on and so on. The tide can turn away from most of the negative; one voice at a time…spread the news.

A myopic shift...

By Vichara

It is not the past that comes back to haunt you, it’s the present revealing the reality of the moment through the lens of accumulative events. Your life up to this moment is how you reflect and project how you perceive. It may be a bit selfish but there is an integral element of self preservation locked into our vision. Given the need to build a bridge of cooperation, even more so today, it would be advantageous to bring in a greater element of empathy into our lives. By incorporating this we can shift our myopic view of the world to a broader out reach of compassion and cooperation. While never really an easy task to incorporate another person’s views, it is imperative so we shift our isolationist vision to a more universal understanding.

Go the distance...

By Vichara

Where can you go tomorrow when you have not even “lived” this day yet? Yes there is some element of preparedness that would and prove to be useful but more than likely if you were cognizant in each moment the resolve and resources would be apparent. So let’s see if we can go the distance, just for today. No I’m not talking about lacing up your shoes for a 20K but lacing up the whole package, mind, body & soul. See if we can make a difference today even if it is in a minor, it’s still significant. As that sports company says, just do it! See you out on the track!

Search for answers...

By Vichara

We all just want answers, all the time. Is this the right thing to do? Does this look ok? Will I be all right? Did I hurt their feelings? Do they like me? Reassurance of not only of your safety and well-being but safety and reassurance of your heart. For the most of us we need to know in to some degree, if in those that we invest our heart and spirit in do actually care for us. A very hard question to answer with true conviction. The caution here however is if there is a dependence on someone else’s measurement then you will always be in a flux and increase your need for reassurance and answers. Find comfort and confidence in you first. Build an identity of yourself with compassion and patience and you will gain a foundation where the search for answers and reassurance will decrease and a life with conviction and confidence will increase.

Find your balance...

By Vichara

“Gaze at the stars but walk on the earth”. Of course this Koan has an obvious message in remembering that even though we can dream it is always good to have some realistic stability in our everyday lives. But that of course assumes that we recognize these two fields of existence. We have perhaps seen some people who seem to live life in grand jesters and are at times oblivious to the world around them. Then there are those whose gaze seems to be figuratively cast downwards as if tied to every object around them. In so many ways we are like both of these teeter-tottering to both extremes. What this Koan of course is saying is to find the fulcrum point between these. Find a path of balance where we can retain the vision of dreams to accelerate of “hearts” while wearing really comfortable shoes.

A drop of change...

By Vichara

Who among us is willing to take bold steps to change life for the good of all people? I bet you thought of a few as your read this. Probably ones like Jesus, Gandhi, Mohammed, Mother Teresa, Buddha, Moses, Rosa Parks and Dr. King. Amongst these giants of change there are many others that may not get the recognition like Beethoven, Saladin, Hildegard Of Bingen, St. Teresa Of Avila, Yogananda and including you! Yes you! We all have the capacity and the strength to change things in the world. You may diminish what you are capable of but each one of us has this ability. We may feel like just a tiny drop of water in the ocean, but each tiny drop is needed to make the ocean mighty with the capacity to make a change in the world.

Saddle up!...

By Vichara

Time to gird up your loins, take the spear of perception and hold it firmly in one hand and in the other, the shield of self-preservation. It is time to once again step out beyond the safety of your abode and face the myriad of concepts, ideas and a parade of personalities. Sounds like a description from a Grade B gladiator film eh? Well yes, but it is not too far from the truth. We can try to hide away and not face interactions but the funny thing is that they will always find us…no matter what. None of us are completely equipped to handle every situation, so then how do we at least attempt to? We can start by building a metaphorical foundation that is less reactionary and more porous & transparent. Wait you say, if it is porous we will be vulnerable. No, infused in this foundation is the netting of compassion. Anything that passes through will be filtered through and tempered by this crucial element and delivered with less reaction and more compassion. Saddle up Peace Warriors!

The cards that we play...

By Vichara

There are days when life seems like playing cards with everyone but the cards are blank and no one is sure of the rules. Sure you know that you are engaged in some kind of exercise and because there are cards there is something tangible but there is a missing part. What is the missing part? Is it understanding? Is it compassion? Is it empathy? Is it belief? Or is it just plain human decency? What is the goal of this game that we engage in for our waking hours? Is there some satisfying conclusion that we are aiming for? To some it may be small while others grand but we all will have some wish for the outcome. I know that this thought brings up more questions than answers but perhaps that is the goal. To put images on the cards that we play and to let us know that we are all playing a fair game.

Gratitude...

By Vichara

If even given the brightest light would there be enough illumination to see? In most cases no. This is not to be negative but a statement of fact. Even if one were given what they need right in their own hands there would always be a desire for what “else” is out there. Of course this could be said as human nature but I believe this could be but only in certain geographic areas of the world. There are those in this modern fast paced electronic world that are thankful for a single pencil and a piece of paper, a single vital meal, the ability to stand on two legs and walk and having someone to talk with. Let’s be a little more grateful today.

Three essentials...

By Vichara

We all just want to be love, honored and respected. Love, to feel an emotional connection and actually know that someone cares. Honored, to know that our presence here is not taken frivolously. And respected that our words and deeds have merit, not for self-glory but for the benefit of others. Of course these three cornerstones will not be present unless you are engaged outside yourself with the world and not hidden both emotionally and physically. While one of these is possible the other is difficult considering where the majority of us live. Take this fact that you must physically engage as the first step and with each interaction temper all that you do with a deep sense of compassion. The results will be what we all seek love, honor and respect.