It is a curious thing is it not? Most of us; all of us? have this nagging sense we could be better human beings... Sad in one way. As human beings we are so extra-ordinary. We can act, we can love, we can think, we can feel, we can reflect; we can do all manner of wonderful things. Yet there is also the downside. The things we are not so pleased with.
So here is the really good news... we all have this innate, infinite goodness. Perhaps it is this we sense, and it is this that creates that nagging sense of we could be better? We sense it. We sense we do have this innate, fundamental goodness. An inner purity. An aspect of self that is beyond good and bad; an aspect of self that is fundamentally pure and unstainable.
So in this post, how to experience more of all this, but first
Thought for the day
As a beginner, when you notice you are distracted,
You come back to the breath.
At the next level,
When you notice you have forgotten, or lost touch
With who you really are,
You come back to the true nature of your mind...
It is always there.
Ian Gawler
Maybe you have caught a glimpse of this inner beauty, this inner purity in some sublime moment. A beautiful sunset. A moment of love. A moment that caught you off guard. Maybe you have experienced it more directly in a moment of deeper meditation? A glimpse? Something stronger?
For those who have experienced even a glimpse of this inner reality, this innate goodness; there comes a certitude. A confidence. There is a knowing. The direct experience of this truth; the truth of who we really are.
Sure, on the surface we may get up to all sorts of mischief, and do things good and bad.
Yet once we know there is this part of us beyond all that, we smile more often, and have a certain sense of humour born of this inner confidence and the perspective that goes with it.
A contentment...
And of course, the reliable pathway into the direct experience of this inner reality is through meditation.
In daily life, there is the all too common experience of having so much to do.
Doing, doing, doing.
Human beings?
Maybe we are better described as human doings!
And the doing, the busyness, tends to obscure this inner reality.
We need to slow down; slow down and let go of the doing, and then, as the mind and emotions settle, it is just naturally there. Like when the clouds clear the sky. It was always there, only now we can see it. Experience it. It is all in the letting go...
This is what meditation offers. A training in how to let go; how to relax deeply. How to be still.
And with the letting go, there comes a relief. When we enter into the heart and essence of meditation, we let go of all that doing, and we rest in our own natural, inner simplicity. The simplicity of non-doing. What a relief. We let go... and we let be... we experience the truth of who we really are...
And the effect?
There is a natural emergence, a natural flow of wisdom and compassion.
The essence of meditation re-awakens our good heart, and brings out all the finest qualities of what it is to be a human being.
Maybe this is what we sense is possible... what it is to be a better human being... the simplicity of being in touch with who we really are... and allowing that to flow into our daily life...
The only requirement?
We do the practice!
Now for most of us, establishing and maintaining a regular daily practice takes some doing.
It is my pleasure, and passion to assist with this. Currently, there are a range of options:
Join me for an evening meditation workshop on the topic of this post - March 29th: Meditation in Daily Life – a Way of Being
Dive in deeper at our next retreat 7-13 June: The Heart and Essence of Meditation
Or join daily, online, live guided meditations plus much more on The Meditation Community
Or for those ready and willing, train with Ruth and myself to teach others to meditate – and in the process deepen your own practice and understanding: Mindfulness-Based Stillness Meditation 11-15May, Contemplation 31Oct-4November: CLICK HERE