On life’s journey Faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him, If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.
Buddhist Quote
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If faith is nourishment, I’ll never be hungry, in fact I’d probably never have to eat again.
If wisdom is the light, then there will never be darkness in my life. I’d like to think by writing this blog that I’m providing at LEAST SOME wisdom. It may not be YOUR wisdom, YOUR faith, but as I’ve said here before I don’t expect everyone to adhere to my paradigm. If I can be the voice for just one person then that’s a good thing. Its like the ripple effect, like the butterfly effect. One minor change in an environment, like a stone being thrown in a body of water causes ripples throughout that body, or like a butterfly flapping its wings on one side of the world can cause a windstorm to pop up on the other side, helping one person see another way of looking at an experience can cause a major shift in their perception and if that person heeds the advice and passes it on to someone else there will be a monumental shift in human population. That’s why I maintain that by simply reaching out to just one person, giving one person a smile, reaching out a hand to help one person, instead of reacting with anger to someone who has insulted you, give them a smile of understanding, the whole dynamic will change and you’ll see they won’t know how to react themselves. As Martin Luther King was so fond of saying:
Turn the other cheek.
Violence begets violence.
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How do you find right mindfulness?
What does mindfulness mean to you? When I hear that word: mindfulness, my thoughts turn to meditation. Perhaps because I think of Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindfulness is so closely related to Zinn that the word should be trademarked to him. He is a master in meditation and for someone not understanding mindfulness and meditation, Zinn is a good place to start. Meditation has helped me immensely over the past year or so. One of the biggest advantages it has done for me, is my sleep pattern. Typically, I meditate at night just before going to bed. Meditating before bed has helped me fall asleep faster and sleep deeper all night. For those who have a challenge sleeping I can say without doubt that meditating before bed can be EXTREMELY helpful relaxing you, putting you in a restful state so that when you do go to bed you’re already halfway there. I recommend meditating every night for about forty five minutes for a week JUST before bed; then come back and tell me if you find your sleep pattern changing for the better.
I certainly resonate with the first three words of this Buddhist quote, because life IS a journey. A journey, in my mind signifies a long trip, one where there are multiple stops along the way. Life certainly has many stops. It’s what you do when you stop that matters. Are you the type to set down roots in one location? Or you nomadic? Or maybe a combination of the two.
Perhaps growing up you were constantly moving and once you reached an age where you could determine for yourself what you wanted, you decided it was time to become rooted. Whatever you decide you want from life, the MOST important thing you SHOULD be looking for is happiness. What makes you happy?
Be Happy! Be Well! Be Positive!
Blessings to you.
–
Chris
