Paradise

"If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it."

Tranquility

From the Diamond Sutra

"How is it possible to explain this Scripture to others without holding in mind any arbitrary conception of things and phenomena and Dharmas? It can only be done by keeping the mind in perfect tranquility and in self-less oneness with the 'suchness' that is Tathagatahood. And why? Because all the mind's arbitrary conceptions of matter, phenomena, and of all conditioning factors and of all conceptions and ideas relating thereto are like a dream, a phantasm, a bubble, a shadow, the evanescent dew, the lightning's flash. Every true disciple should thus look upon all phenomena and upon all the activities of the mind, and keep his mind empty and self-less and tranquil."

A Cat in the Sun

A thought while laying in bed with a migraine, with severe pain, trying to go to sleep. I imagine myself as a cat laying in the sun. I am, after all. This human body is made up of only non-human body parts, as the cat is made of non-cat parts. We are all sun and water and carbon dust. Breathing in, I can be the cat. I can curl up, stretch out, and feel the warmth of a ray of sun. Breathing out, I can smile and be at peace. There is nothing but to be in the sun and to sleep.

One Everything

Another video (or really, the song) that just makes me feel better. Thanks, They Might Be Giants.

An In The Soil Kind of a Day

Yesterday I woke up in a funk. I decided, however, that there wasn't anything really the matter. I just felt that nothing was wonderful and clear and peaceful. It was just, in the middle.
I thought about my previous post about the roses, and decided it was an 'in the soil' kind of day. Thinking about soil, I wasn't sad, I wasn't hopeless. I understood that in me and in the universe there was (is) the ability, just as there always is, for happiness and joy and beauty. I just wasn't in it at that particular moment. I felt like all around me was the decay of old petals, but also the potential for new blooms.

Now, this realization took me most of the day, but that's okay. I have a lifetime-plus to work on these things.

I decided to allow myself a day of being in the soil, if that's where I was determined to be. I took the day to lay around, and nap, and flip through magazines, and not do much of anything. By evening-time I tried not to stress about what wasn't getting done, or feel guilt over not being able to just make myself happy.

In the end, though you wouldn't have known from my face or my voice, I felt it had been a decent day. If nothing else, I've learned in reflection. Next time, I hope that with my acceptance of the 'soil state of mind', I will be more at peace and be able to spread that peace around a bit, rather than coming off as grumpy. But, it's okay, it's all a learning process, and I will take this lesson forward to the next day I feel the need to play in the dirt.

Two Kinds of Happiness

"There are two kinds of happiness - the temporary pleasure derived primarily from material comfort alone and another more enduring comfort that results from the thorough transformation and development of the mind. We can see in our own lives that the latter form of happiness is superior because when our mental state is calm and happy, we can easily put up with minor pains and physical discomforts. On the other hand, when our mind is restless and upset, the most comfortable physical facilities do not make us happy."
-Dalai Lama

Seeing the good when there is none

This is a note to myself, as I've been struggling lately.
I'm finding it can be hard, even when trying to be mindful and in the present moment, to feel the good in truly crappy moments. Sometimes the present moment sucks. Sometimes everything hurts and it's raining outside and your kids won't stop yelling at each other. It can feel like stopping to smell the roses, so to speak, is impossible. And that even if it weren't it wouldn't solve a thing.

We might be able to convince ourselves the problem is a matter of optimism vs. pessimism, and just decide to feel better and more optimistic. Maybe we've been seeing the thorns instead of the rose, to continue to use the same example. By just deciding to ignore the thorns, we may be able enjoy the beauty of the rose.

Other times we may search out the rose. We may have to take a break from the inside and cooking dinner and yelling children and go outside and find a place to be quiet and still. Taking this break, we may be able to see the way the stem supports the unfolding blossom, the way the leaves spread to the sun and the water droplets slide delicately down to the roots. Maybe we can even see the fallen petals, decaying into the soil to feed the next flower. We can decide to seek out and take this break.

But sometimes it's even tougher than that. We can't decide to be okay. We can't take a break. We can't see the beauty in nature and everyday objects. Our sadness or disappointment or depression can reach so deep, we can't access these options. These options can feel too superficial to even attempt, or we feel distress that the roses, literal or not, are not in bloom.
It's okay to be sad sometimes. There is value to every emotion and feeling. If there wasn't, why would we feel them?

The important thing to remember is, just as there is a deep sadness, there is a deep happiness and peace always available. Thich Nhat Hanh relates the story of St Francis of Assisi, as he sees an almond tree in the dead of winter, which suddenly bursts forth in blooms. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, "It was winter; there were no leaves, flowers, or fruits, but he saw the flowers."

I don't believe it's a fairy story or a nice thing to say about the power of God.
Sometimes it's winter. It's deep and it's cold. The roses could be dead, the leaves could have fallen off, the bush could have rotted away. Still there would be the soil, and in it the remains of the roses, and the potential for more. Always. It's just how it is.

Imagining the Tenth Dimension

I'm not going to pretend like I understand all of this, but something about it makes me feel better.