What is the basic component that makes us human? What separates us (in fact it does not separate us, but brings us closer to Nature) from what we consider species that are not 'homo sapien'?
To my humble observations, what makes us 'human' is our compassion for others; humans and others outside our own species alike. It has been argued that in early man, we gathered together simply for protection, and to survive. But what drives this? One may seek protection, but what makes 1 person more 'protective' than another? What does that 'protection' really mean? Does the one 'giving' protection, do it for their own 'protective' gain - what is their initiative to be a protector?
Compassion is obvious in every form of life outside the 'human' realm; Care given to the newly born, unconscious concern for the pack/mates. Concern for elderly (Elephants will stand for hours, even days it's been documented, around a member who has passed of old age), and even peers (most species of apes and gorillas 'groom' each other in a most expressive form of care that we humans can readily understand.) Dogs and Cats care for their youth, and eventually their pack members. Why??
This is Compassion. It exists in all beings, all creatures to one level or another. Concern for the well-being of others. Caring for another to enhance their well-being. Protection, for another's longevity. Providing nourishment for another, this is all compassion. It is a deeply rooted part of all organic life on this planet. It is the one component that does unite us all in this Oneness existence. Compassion and Concern for others - for all, for One.
How can we propagate Compassion even more? Certainly compassion exists in this world - however it oddly finds itself at the bottom of the list when governments meet, companies compete, and political parties speak.
We can propagate Compassion, by being the example; Many will say (and quote this line) ' an eye for an eye'. This thinking lacks compassion. however the parable 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you', this thought generates compassion and concern in the individual, allowing for the growth of compassion towards others.
How do we begin to be more compassionate in our lifes to others, to form a foundation of compassion for daily life? This begins with truthful Mindfulness of yourself, your life, your goals, your desires. Mindfulness is essential. What does this mean?
Mindfulness is the ever present awareness of self and also realization of lack of self through, the first breath of waking, to the last breath before sleep.
It is the awareness of everything around you, and at the same time, lack of self-concern while being completely Mindful and aware of all that is around you..
This is not something done overnight - for some it can take a lifetime, others, intense study and practicing instills this. For others (myself included) it is a daily ritual of remembering 'to' be Mindful of every thing, every being, every insect, animal, plant that I see. Every cloud - noticing the blueness of the sky! Noticing sadness in others around me - taking an active role to use this Mindfulness to assist where I may.
Complete mindfulness, is compassionate living.
Compassion, 'is' what makes us Human.
Namaste,
Showing posts with label Oneness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oneness. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tibetian buddhism, with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Having read Shambhala: The sacred path of the warrior (I keep mentioning this book, albiet it's far from the 'only' reading that I'm pulling from these days into my life), I found myself awash with feelings of love, understanding, acceptance - I felt as if I 'knew' Chogyam personally after reading, and then I also knew that as infinite spirits go - we must have paths that have crossed in the 4th dimension of time, before. His way with words, simply enveloped me into his tellings and thoughts on being a Gentle being. I am far from stating that I am a 'bodhisattva' yet the aims of those that have come before me, create such a wave of warmth over me; without really being aware of it, my first 36 years of life, were already lived with this 'goal' or way of being in mind. The past year of my own expansion and awakening, I've taken up my old internal beliefs - and found them already uplifted by hundreds, thousands of those alive today and in lives past in history. The times we face today - and our being here at this time are not by chance. Nothing, in this great existance is by chance. This does not remove the ability of 'choice' or of creating your own existance - but with the view that the universe is infinite and that we do 'create our own reality', any moment we make a choice we create an alternate existance or reality - which isn't too hard to fanthom as possible when dealing with infinites.
So back to my friend Chogyam, and his many writings. I'm delving into many other books he wrote - his spirit was certainly one of joyful Light and insight, simplistic, straightforward, honest, without shame. Decency, as he writes - abounds in his own pages, yet he takes no credence for this; a true lightful being, a true bodhisattva.
To Quote Chogyam Trungpa:
"When there is daring, you dare to do something: you put forth your vision fearlessly. People have doubts about big vision because they don’t have a sense of gentleness in themselves first. So gentleness brings daring and a sense of fearlessness. Daring is appreciation of letting go in the fundamental sense. First you develop gentleness toward yourself; then you begin to develop daring, which is connected with how to express your gentleness to the world outside, how to proclaim your sanity. Your are not going crazy because you have seen the Great Eastern Sun, which is the symbol of expansive vision in the Shambhala world. Rather, because you have seen the Great Eastern Sun, you are very daring and at the same time very gentle and soft. The softer you become, the greater the message to the world becomes."
I have seen my vision, my reality of the great eastern sun. That is to say, I have faced my fears and now manage my internal issues rather than letting them live through me. I am living to be the best human I can,. the best helper, healer that I can be to myself, my family, friends, neighbors, people on the other side of the planet! In a sense without knowing it until I found the 'label' for how I feel about myself, I found this on wikipedia (wikipedia is just incredible, a wealth of information)
Shepherd-like Bodhisattva - one who aspires to delay buddhahood until all other sentient beings achieve buddhahood.
This I feel is my goal and reason for being (I feel this was my goal even before I came into this existance). To expand myself so that I may learn more, to share in a more mindful manner, what many are seeking.
Another quote from Chogyam Trungpa:
"We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot of people. A lot of people turn to something that they hope will liberate them without their having to face themselves. That is impossible. We can't do that. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have to see our gut, our excrement, our most undesirable parts. We have to see them. That is the foundation of warriorship, basically speaking. Whatever is there, we have to face it, we have to look at it, study it, work with it and practice meditation with it."
In the past year I have taken up meditation. Before my awakening, I would never, never have thought that 'I' Mr motion, would be able to sit still and meditate. I'm the type of person that even sitting still, a leg is tapping, thoughts are rolling of the next project, the next event, the next experience. Yet, one of the greatest experiences I have had in life, has been learning how to meditate. This is very personal, to each of us; Many people think of meditating as sitting in one place, eyes closed, legs crossed, humming Mantras. For many, this is exactly it! However do not limit yourself to what you've read; Meditation takes many forms, and many methods to reach this'peaceful' setting for the mind to explore, for the sub-conscious to be set free from it's reins. You cannot do meditation out of expectancy; that is to say, setting a timetable for meditation is not always good. Neither is meditating only when things are not good in life, as if to seek answers. Meditation is very personal! This is your time to meet your guides, meet yourself, speak to your inner you, invite your sub-conscious up to take a breath of reality - letting the Mind take a break, but without sleeping.
I thank Chogyam for this quote:
"A saint in the Buddhist context...is someone who provides an example of the fact that completely ordinary, confused human beings can wake themselves up; they can put themselves together and wake themselves up through an accident of like of one kind or another.
The pain, the suffering of all kinds, the misery and the chaos that are part of life, begins to wake them, shake them.
Having been shaken, they begin to question: "Who am I? What am I? What is happening" Then they go further and realize that there is something in them that is asking these questions, something that is, in fact, intellingent and not exactly confused."
I am far from a saint, and really nowhere near reaching my own internal goals for this life, but I'm working on it; for all of us, for all of One. Shouldn't we all? I feel that my awakening is greatly akin to how Chogyam writes here about how we all can awake ourselves, if we are ready to be Daring.
So back to my friend Chogyam, and his many writings. I'm delving into many other books he wrote - his spirit was certainly one of joyful Light and insight, simplistic, straightforward, honest, without shame. Decency, as he writes - abounds in his own pages, yet he takes no credence for this; a true lightful being, a true bodhisattva.
To Quote Chogyam Trungpa:
"When there is daring, you dare to do something: you put forth your vision fearlessly. People have doubts about big vision because they don’t have a sense of gentleness in themselves first. So gentleness brings daring and a sense of fearlessness. Daring is appreciation of letting go in the fundamental sense. First you develop gentleness toward yourself; then you begin to develop daring, which is connected with how to express your gentleness to the world outside, how to proclaim your sanity. Your are not going crazy because you have seen the Great Eastern Sun, which is the symbol of expansive vision in the Shambhala world. Rather, because you have seen the Great Eastern Sun, you are very daring and at the same time very gentle and soft. The softer you become, the greater the message to the world becomes."
I have seen my vision, my reality of the great eastern sun. That is to say, I have faced my fears and now manage my internal issues rather than letting them live through me. I am living to be the best human I can,. the best helper, healer that I can be to myself, my family, friends, neighbors, people on the other side of the planet! In a sense without knowing it until I found the 'label' for how I feel about myself, I found this on wikipedia (wikipedia is just incredible, a wealth of information)
Shepherd-like Bodhisattva - one who aspires to delay buddhahood until all other sentient beings achieve buddhahood.
This I feel is my goal and reason for being (I feel this was my goal even before I came into this existance). To expand myself so that I may learn more, to share in a more mindful manner, what many are seeking.
Another quote from Chogyam Trungpa:
"We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot of people. A lot of people turn to something that they hope will liberate them without their having to face themselves. That is impossible. We can't do that. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have to see our gut, our excrement, our most undesirable parts. We have to see them. That is the foundation of warriorship, basically speaking. Whatever is there, we have to face it, we have to look at it, study it, work with it and practice meditation with it."
In the past year I have taken up meditation. Before my awakening, I would never, never have thought that 'I' Mr motion, would be able to sit still and meditate. I'm the type of person that even sitting still, a leg is tapping, thoughts are rolling of the next project, the next event, the next experience. Yet, one of the greatest experiences I have had in life, has been learning how to meditate. This is very personal, to each of us; Many people think of meditating as sitting in one place, eyes closed, legs crossed, humming Mantras. For many, this is exactly it! However do not limit yourself to what you've read; Meditation takes many forms, and many methods to reach this'peaceful' setting for the mind to explore, for the sub-conscious to be set free from it's reins. You cannot do meditation out of expectancy; that is to say, setting a timetable for meditation is not always good. Neither is meditating only when things are not good in life, as if to seek answers. Meditation is very personal! This is your time to meet your guides, meet yourself, speak to your inner you, invite your sub-conscious up to take a breath of reality - letting the Mind take a break, but without sleeping.
I thank Chogyam for this quote:
"A saint in the Buddhist context...is someone who provides an example of the fact that completely ordinary, confused human beings can wake themselves up; they can put themselves together and wake themselves up through an accident of like of one kind or another.
The pain, the suffering of all kinds, the misery and the chaos that are part of life, begins to wake them, shake them.
Having been shaken, they begin to question: "Who am I? What am I? What is happening" Then they go further and realize that there is something in them that is asking these questions, something that is, in fact, intellingent and not exactly confused."
I am far from a saint, and really nowhere near reaching my own internal goals for this life, but I'm working on it; for all of us, for all of One. Shouldn't we all? I feel that my awakening is greatly akin to how Chogyam writes here about how we all can awake ourselves, if we are ready to be Daring.
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