pic from the net, Artist?
The Buddha is reported to have said, "It is possible to travel the whole world in search of one who is more worthy of compassion than oneself. No such person can be found."
Today I was not quite sure if I woke up from my nightly dreams or just slipped into a day dream. Well, don't we dream all the time anyway? As I opened my eyes a feeling of deep compassion overwhelmed my Being. I was tired and not quite sure what was going on, so I simply started my daily routines.
I like to start my day by reading words of beauty and wisdom, talking with my heart and writing its words into my notebook and most important sitting within my Gardentemple, on the deck. I like to be outside to greet the day, everyday, in every weather. One of my rituals is, to listen the city awaken, the surrounding I mometarily choose to live in. The first tunes I hear are the morning prayers of the birds.
Across the street I notice the first the crows cawking and chatting, black and shiny in the trees of the park or clinging their clawfeet around the hanging wires for buses and electricity. Then a change happens, they fly away and now the massive harbour seagulls tune in, with their high pitched screaming. It becomes very loud, I try to compare their calls with an instrument known to me, impossible. Looking up into the sky I see the clan of our house-pidgeons, waiting patiently ontop of the roof. All nicely in a row, blustering up their feathers and cleaning them back to a tight fitting grey suit decorated with a playful rainbow scarf. And then, as if on command they jump, surf the air and land across the street into the park. The morning has now arrived. What a sacred happening. I close my eyes and breathe in this moment of sacred prayer and offer my awe of gratitude to life.
The pidgeon-clan
on our Garden Deck
pic Janine Weber
Finishing my sacred morning coffee ritual, fascinated by the music of life, my body becomes awake and aware. Now humans join into the Symphonie of Life, singing their stories in a dominating way. If I listen well, I can hear the world humming a single tune.
I stand up from my sitting viewpoint, facing the street and the Park; I look into the world filled with Life and make that step, slipping into my chosen role of play for this day. With what kind of music do I tune the world? Within, I protectively carry this divine moment of experienced beauty throughout the day, glowing in my heart. Compassion!
My morning View point
on our Garden deck
pic Janine Weber
To be in a state of Compassion, I experience as a mixture of deep inner sorrow and unconditional love for all beings, for Life. It is a dying to the world of seperation and being reborn as Life itself. The feeling is a mixture of pain and joy, it makes my whole Being weep, uncontrollable.
My surrender to Life's love, opens up my Heart. Where ever I am or whatever I am doing, my Heart is open to the world and what I perceive. It can be walking down a street, stopping without reason and to stare into outer space, listening. My eyes catch a piece of paper, once a beautiful tree, dancing with the wind, what a sight. I pass a man begging for money, his dog companion by his side, giving eachother the warmth of friendship. Seperated worlds, joy and pain walking side by side, but not hand in hand.
Sensing Life brings tears to my eyes and love in my heart. So much suffering, so much beauty. My ego-self is desperately creating thoughts of judgement and excuses, but my heart embraces what the ego regards as illness and death. Everyday I practice embracing these fears of my Self, to confront it, to forgive, to feel compassion for my Being, for the world. To love is to re-unite with Life, to embrace all of its faces. It is to become Life and feel what it feels. This pain of Love is not a physical pain, it is deeper. It is beauty and pain together, orgasmic. I wonder if this is Life giving birth to Love?
It is Life having a Love Affair with It-Self. We are Life, all is Life. I am a passionate Human Being in love with Life, and I take this love very serious, maybe sometimes too serious. The trick is not to take the thoughts of my ego so devilish personal and as the absolute truth! I'm working on that! ;)
- Susan Seddon Boulet
Allowing my Being to truly love Life requires to let go of my Ego-self, of my world. It is not about perceiving the good and the bad as seperate, but as a part of the whole. I can decide to play along or to stand back and sort it out. Not an easy task I must admit. My Ego loves to create worlds of fixed perspectives and beliefs. Judging, controlling, imagining, dreaming. All based on a belief: to survive I must control and attack Life, trick it, kill it before the "I" gets hurt.
To embrace Life is to allow this feeling of compassion wash over my Being without freaking out. It is to no longer wander in the dream of the Ego, but to fall into the Dream of Life. To trust in my Being as a part of Life and that this is my true nature. It is not about me, but about us. We are all one; we are One. Everyday we reunite with Life, over and over again, forever. What I see with eyes of seperation is not the Truth, it is not Love. Seperation is a world of Fear. Facing my fears I sense fear of being alone, fear of not being loved, fear of Life. It hurts, but this adventure brings light into the darkness of blindness.
Sensing the world with the sight of Life, fear disappears and is replaced by compassion, an inner understanding of the bigger picture. In the city I sense infinite universes fighting with eachother, believing this is the only way to survive. Survive of what? Perceiving this Dance of Beauty and the Screams of Fear, is painfully beautiful. By dreaming the dream of Life, I live in the present, the Now. By manifesting the dreams of the Ego-Self, I live in the past or in the future. Honestly, which version brings more peace?
By embracing Life as a whole, I realize my true Being and purpose. It is not about what I need, dream or wish. The dreams and wishes of the ego are based on seperation and fear. My purpose is to serve Life, to follow my passions and to love unconditionally. Compassion for Life offers an inner peace. It is giving my Being completely and selflessly into the Hands of Life and to manifest its Love for all of its creations.
Just imagine that the purpose of life is your happiness only - then life becomes a cruel and senseless thing. You have to embrace the wisdom of humanity. Your intellect and your heart tell you that the meaning of life is to serve the force that sent you into the world. Then life becomes a joy.
- Leo Tolstoy
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May compassion for life, be our daily prayer.
Janine
xo
You always get right to the heart of things. Thank you Janine.
ReplyDeleteCompassion...mmm, yes, indeed, whatever else is there to focus on?