When asked "What thing about humanity surprises you the most?", Dalai Lama answered: "Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money; then sacrifices his money to recuperate his health. Then he is so anxious about the future that he doesn't enjoy the present, and as a result, he doesn't live in the present or the future. And he lives as if he's never going to die and then dies having never really lived
People do the strangest things. We will do almost anything to get money, including sacrificing our health. And then spend that money on sorting ourselves out again, both mentally and physically. We treat getting money as if it is the most important thing for us to do. But we finally get it, we find out the true cost of it. We find out that when we neglect our health, we will have to pay for that. And the cost may be greater than the money we have received.
We so often get anxious about the future. We save for a rainy day. We insure all our belongings just in case something happens in the future. We lock our doors. But while we are doing that we are forgetting about all the good things that are happening right now. We can't enjoy the present when we aren't even aware of what is around us because we are thinking about what might happen in the future. And we can't live in the future because we don't know what will happen. We don't live in the present and can't live in the future, so we don't really live at all.
We live as though we are never going to die. We are so afraid of death that we don't even think about it. We don't plan for it. We don't appreciate the life we have yet we don't want it to ever end. We don't want to take any risks we feel we don't have to; just in case we do end our lives. So we die having never really lived. It is only by realizing that we could die any minute, which is the case after all, that we can really appreciate our life for what it is. A beautiful but short time what we should really make the most of while we are here.
There is a better way to live. We can put money in it's proper place in our priorities. Nothing is more important than our health. If we aren't healthy, we'll never enjoy our money anyhow. We can be fully aware of the present, of what is happening inside and outside of us right now, so that we can enjoy all it has to offer. We can live fully in the present. And finally we can realize just how precious and short our life really is and resolve to get as much out of it as we can while we are still here. Only then can we really live our life.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What is
Be here now! Give up the small ego definition of "what should be" and just experience and celebrate what is.
James Arthur Ray
How often do we really experience and celebrate what is. Even if we like what is, we are judging it and comparing it with something else. And often wishing it could be better. "The weather is great today; why can't it be like this all the time. I wish it was like this for the picnic last week. It would be nice if it were even warmer, with less wind. It's too good to last for long so it will probably rain tomorrow." This is the kind of thoughts that constantly go through our minds.
Our ego is always thinking about what "should be" in order to make you the kind of person you see yourself as, and to make you happy in that image. We have aquired an idea that sunshine makes you happy and rain makes you miserable. But there is really no objective reason for this beleif, any more than there is for the beleif that you will never be happy unless you have a lot of money. Nothing is inherently good or bad. It is only so because of comparisons and judgments that we have learned over the years, which don't support our growth. It is much healthier to just take sunshine, rain, wealth, and poverty as they are; neither good or bad, should or shouldn't.
Be here now! Give up the small ego definition of "what should be" and just experience and celebrate what is. Where are you now? You may be remembering what was, or thinking about what you think the future will be like. But you can't change the past, or control the future, so those activities are pointless. The only thing you have control over is this moment. Seize the day. Appreciate what you like about this moment and change what you don't, or if you can't change it physically, at least change your thoughts and feelings about it. But you can't do any of that unless you stop worrying about what "should be" and focus on what "is"
James Arthur Ray
How often do we really experience and celebrate what is. Even if we like what is, we are judging it and comparing it with something else. And often wishing it could be better. "The weather is great today; why can't it be like this all the time. I wish it was like this for the picnic last week. It would be nice if it were even warmer, with less wind. It's too good to last for long so it will probably rain tomorrow." This is the kind of thoughts that constantly go through our minds.
Our ego is always thinking about what "should be" in order to make you the kind of person you see yourself as, and to make you happy in that image. We have aquired an idea that sunshine makes you happy and rain makes you miserable. But there is really no objective reason for this beleif, any more than there is for the beleif that you will never be happy unless you have a lot of money. Nothing is inherently good or bad. It is only so because of comparisons and judgments that we have learned over the years, which don't support our growth. It is much healthier to just take sunshine, rain, wealth, and poverty as they are; neither good or bad, should or shouldn't.
Be here now! Give up the small ego definition of "what should be" and just experience and celebrate what is. Where are you now? You may be remembering what was, or thinking about what you think the future will be like. But you can't change the past, or control the future, so those activities are pointless. The only thing you have control over is this moment. Seize the day. Appreciate what you like about this moment and change what you don't, or if you can't change it physically, at least change your thoughts and feelings about it. But you can't do any of that unless you stop worrying about what "should be" and focus on what "is"
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