Ksitigarbha...Bodhisattva of Hell

Over the last few weeks, by the instruction of my guides, I have been reading and researching Bodhisattvas a great deal. I know about the concept of what a Bodhisattva is in a spiritual context, but admittedly, haven’t done a lot of research or meditation with any specifically. So, there is a lesson to be learned somewhere in their knowledge, and I started this article as a way to share my interpretations of Eastern philosophy and wisdom with you all, so I’m going to share my Bodhisattva information as well. Over the next few months, I am going to take a break from commenting on the Taoist philosophy and turn my focus to the Mahayana Buddhist Bodhisattvas.

The word Bodhisattva means “a being of Enlightenment.” Basically, the theory behind Bodhisattvas is that these are people who achieved Enlightenment or Nirvana, and essentially sacrificed their own personal Enlightenment to help humanity work toward Enlightenment. In Mahayana Buddhism, the Bodhisattva is a being who works for ages, in many reincarnations or evolutions, each life living in total service to others to help others achieve Enlightenment.

I found a very complete and complex book with information about many Bodhisattvas in it called A Guide to the Bodhisattvas, written by Vessantara. I decided to use this book as an Oracle or sorts, opening to a random page and beginning to research and work with the Bodhisattva that pops up. My first “assignment” is the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas. Ksitigarbha is seen seated on a lotus throne, usually with a ring staff in one hand and a jewel in the other. His one foot is usually seen coming closer to the earth, to represent his connection to humanity. In Japan, he is known as Jizo, and has taken on a position of deity, as the god of roads, protector of children, and patron of warriors.

Ksitigarbha is called the Bodhisattva of Hell. Keep in mind that in Buddhism, there is no concept of “hell” as the Christian mind knows it. The hell of which Ksitigarbha has chosen to work within is the hell of our own making. He goes out to encounter the wretched, afflicted, insane…those suffering any and all forms of physical and mental torment. He is the Bodhisattva called upon when all else has failed and you are in a state of true absolute torment and torture. This is the hell that he works within. In Mahayana Buddhist tradition, he is the embodiment of total optimism in the face of total negativity. His vow is to eradicate hell from humanity through optimism and compassion.

I sat down quiet and began my meditation with Ksitigarbha. I called his name and asked with humility for any information or wisdom he would share. As I did this, I felt hands on my back, pushing me forward, not a harsh or cruel push, but the sense of someone pushing you to continue to move forward in your own path. After that physical sensation, these were the words that I heard:

Close your eyes to see and close your ears to hear. Deafen the senses to see your true image and hear your true voice. Truth always comes from the center; this is the source, this is the divine.

You can hide a bar of gold in murky river mud and it will remain hidden. But remember, when the time comes to find the bar, the waters must be still and clear so you can see the bottom to find your treasure. The same is true within yourself. You can access all knowledge and experience from your past lives. The key is to remember where these treasures are hidden. Once you have remembered that, look through the clear, still waters of yourself to find what you seek. If you look through murky or turbulent waters, your search will always be in vain.

Time does not move in a line. It is not neat or orderly. Time is like a ripple in a pool. One drop creates ring after ring. All rings are connected by the same root – all come from the same source. They are all connected by the same point of creation, the same drop…the same moment. If one ripple is disrupted or changed, all will be.

Your present affects your past and future. Your past affects your present and future. Your future affects your past and present. All are connected and moving with each other. Time, lives, experiences…all are one. They are all different ripples from the same source.

We are all time travelers. We can access all information, wisdom and experiences. Once we deafen the senses and clear the waters all will be revealed within ourselves. Become consciously aware of the ripples of time and live past, present and future concurrently. Know that all actions and all inactions will affect all points in time.

I thanked him for his presence and wisdom, and quickly wrote down what I was told. I think given his position, that the bigger point of his lesson was to help people avoid a hellish existence. With speaking a lot about past lives and karmic issues, I think that he reminds us that we should always learn from the past, even if it’s our own past, so that we do not repeat mistakes, so we are always moving forward. That if we truly can uncloud our judgment and reasoning, we will be able to understand truth more clearly. This helps us all to evolve as spiritual beings.

Namaste,
~J

Don't Dream it...Be it!

So many of us have dreams and goals that go unchallenged and unfinished simply because we are afraid of what will happen if we place action to our thoughts. We get in the way of our own dreams and aspirations because of fear and hesitation. If we really wanted to, we could make the time to work on the book we are writing, the painting that we want to create, the scarf we have to finish knitting before the weather gets too cold…truthfully, we could make the time for all of those little things that we want to do. Many times it’s because we put other priorities ahead of ourselves, which is a whole other topic. But sometimes it’s because we are afraid to succeed. If we finish the book, maybe it will be good and someone will want to publish it. If we paint that masterpiece, maybe it will be purchased to hang in a museum and you’ll get a commission to do six more. If you finish the scarf, someone out shopping one day will see you wearing it and ask where you got that fabulous accessory.

We get in our way so often, that we kill our own dreams. Lao Tzu said, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” Amazing! Get out of your own way and let what will happen, happen! Letting go of all of the mundane labels that define and restrict us. I work in an office, what do I know about composing a great symphony? We talk ourselves out of our own dreams because we feel obligated to do other things. The concept of becoming what we might be is intriguing – it encourages us to think of ourselves without limits, borders or boundaries. What COULD I become if I just let it happen? Think about it…

It comes down to being bold enough to allow our dreams to come true. Any why shouldn’t they? The Chinese word for “bold” is “kan.” The kanji is made up of two symbols – the symbol for “bear” and the symbol for “stick.” It takes a lot of guts to poke a bear with a stick (no, seriously, that’s what the symbol means). Boldness is something that everyone can do. It’s about reaching down into your personal power, allowing yourself to exert energy on yourself…and not limiting the possible outcomes.

We do not have to settle. We do not have to be “C” students. Go for the gold! Reach for those dreams…and action them! Have some boldness in your actions…poke a bear or two. The only person who stops you from going after your dreams, ultimately, is you!

Namaste,
~J

Mix Ingredients and Stir Well

When you cook, you bring together different ingredients, different flavours, different textures all to create one dish that is filling, healthy and a tasty blend of food for you to enjoy. Why can’t we apply this concept to other areas in our lives? Why aren’t more people willing to combine “ingredients,” learn how they work together and use different items and factors to create something fantastic for everyone to enjoy?

The world is such a culturally diverse place, and with technology, cell phones, internet, facebook, it is increasingly easier to connect with someone in another state, country, continent…even in our own neighborhoods we can find different cultures, faiths, ethnic background, lifestyles all living right next door. We are, as a society, sometimes hesitant to embrace differences or unfamiliarity. If we could think of these differences as ingredients in cooking, maybe we could learn how to work with them and combine them with our own to make something wonderful.

The five basic colors
can be made into countless combinations
to perplex the eyes.
The five basic tones
can be made into infinite compositions
to bewilder the ears.
The five basic flavors
can be made into numerous stimulations
to confuse the tongue
Tao Te Ching, 12

The Tao encourages us to blend, mix and combine all aspects to find total combinations that work. For me, these are the steps to becoming a well-rounded person. If we can take the time to learn about a culture different than our own, a religious system or faith different from the one we personally subscribe to, we become a fuller person.

We ultimately desire union – togetherness…knowing where we belong helps us to know ourselves better. A baby seeks the nurturing of their parents. A lover seeks the arms of their significant other. A lonely person seeks the companionship of a friend. A spiritualist seeks answers and communication with the divine. The desire for union and to be brought together is an immeasurable force throughout our lives.

In our own lives, as we search for togetherness, for the ingredients that make us work, we must open our eyes and be prepared to find it in unexpected places. Sometimes ingredients that don’t seem like they would mesh become some of the most surprisingly delicious creations.

By being able to find connection outside of our comfort zones, out of our “boxes,” if you will, we can learn so much more about ourselves. If we can learn to listen and incorporate instead of assume and judge, we can find a lot of teaching in the beliefs, cultures and lives of others. Sometimes someone that is your direct opposite is your best mirror to get to know yourself.

Namaste,
~J

A slice of humble pie...

When I was coming up with a topic for this month, I chose humility and modesty. So many people in all facets of society have lost touch with their own humble and meek nature. What ever happened to working toward a greater good? When did we as a society get so fueled by praise and accolades and the need for recognition? What ever happened to a pat on the back and a “job well done,” as the reward or simply the feeling of satisfaction in knowing that you have made a difference to someone else’s life?

I have a magnet on my refrigerator at home that says, “Anyone who tells you that money can’t buy happiness just doesn’t know where to shop!” With that being said, let me preface this article by saying that I like stuff. I have nice stuff. I want more nice stuff. I live in a nicely furnished apartment, drive a decent car and wear nice clothes. However, in all aspects of my life, I remain humble and grateful for everything that I have. That is the key to humility for me; to have yet remain grateful. When I encourage people to live a humble life, I’m not advocating complete destruction of your earthly possessions, while you cut pants and a shirt from a burlap sack and venture off to the woods to live with the wildlife in some Assisi-an act. Some people use “humble” as a synonym for poor or think that you need to have nothing to live with humility. Humility has nothing to do with finances or the means by which you live…humility is a state of mind, being and action.

The Oxford American dictionary defines humility as a modest or low view of one’s own importance. This does not mean that to live a humble life that you cannot be important, have an important job, an important role or position. It doesn’t mean you have to live as a beggar to appreciate some grander spiritual connection. There are ways to live comfortably with humility. The Tao suggests balance, and that includes balance within the confines of modern society as well as balance with the natural world.

The Ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi said:
“…the Perfect Man has no self; the Holy Man has no merit; the Sage has no fame.”

Nowhere in this statement does Zhuangzi suggest that it is wrong to be a perfect man, holy man or sage. Those are positions of power, achievement and status in society. What he does infer is that by holding those positions with modesty, you can actually gain comfort and possibly respect in those positions. A Holy Man that seeks merit and accolades for all of his “good deeds” doesn’t exactly seem like that much of a spiritual leader, does he? Is he doing these charitable acts out of true kindness or compassion, or is he trying to make the morning papers? Is he truly living his life because he believes in the values he lives by, or is he putting on a good show for the congregation that looks up to him? By living a humble life and having true motivations for your actions, you gain validity to what you do. People can say that you do things because you are a generally good person, not that you do things to make a statement or show off. Which would you rather have people think about you?

28
Know that you possess the strong masculine principle,
Yet abide by the meek, feminine principle.
Thus, become the flowing stream of the world.
As the flowing stream of the world,
Never swerve from your true nature.
In this way, you will return to the originality
Of a newborn babe.
Know the bright, yet keep to the dark.
Never wavering from the subtle truth,
You will conform to the pattern of an integral being.
In this way, you return again to time infinite.
Know how to be honored and glorified,
Yet maintain unadorned plainness.
Thus, become the abundant valley of the world.
As the abundant valley of the world,
You realize the sufficiency of the constant,
Subtle virtue of the integral universe.
In this way, you return to the original simplicity
Of an uncarved block of wood
With undamaged potential.

The Tao Te Ching tells us to maintain that balance between having and not having, being successful while still being modest. To maintain the masculine, but abide by the feminine. You can work toward what you want. Set goals. Succeed. However, do so with a sense of modesty about you. When you get that promotion, show gratitude for the chance to do a good job by doing a good job. Be grateful for the raise in pay, but don’t rub it in other’s faces that they might not have gotten one. Buy that awesome Kenneth Cole outfit that you have been eyeing, but take some of your new-found cash and do something for someone else as well. I try to live by the rule that if I’m going to splurge on myself, that I have to do something for someone else also. If I’m going to buy new clothes, I need to donate old ones, or give part of my money to a charitable cause, or take a friend to dinner for no reason other than to hang out and do something kind. And no, it’s not a matter of Karma or anything like that. It’s a matter of being thankful and grateful for what I have. By sharing that with others, I am sharing the happiness that my successes and achievements bring me.

In passage 28, we are instructed to know how to be honored and glorified, yet maintain unadorned plainness. This is the essence of living a humble life. The text isn’t saying that you cannot accept honor for what you do. The key is to accept that honor without pride. How many times have you worked in a group, either in school, class, work, a social setting…and someone compliments the group as a whole on a job well done. That’s it. That’s your honor. Are you the one to fish for more specific details? Trying to pinpoint exactly what your part in the project was to see how people react to that compared to the other parts of the project?

22
Therefore, one with a whole mind
Holds fast to the one essence
And thereby becomes an example
To the rest of the world.
Because he does not flaunt his brightness,
He becomes enlightened.
Because he is not self-important,
Be becomes illustrious.
Because he does not boast of his accomplishments,
He becomes successful.
Because he is not self-assertive, he becomes supreme.
Because he does not strive for superiority,
There is no one in the world
Who can contend with his superiority.

In passage 22, The Tao Te Ching tells us that humility is the greatest reward. Acting out of compassion and peace, working for a generally good purpose, not working to be recognized or immortalized, is the key to success and superiority. So, working without reward ultimately gives a greater reward in the end.

Taking a break from Taoism, I turn to the Hindu texts, with the Bhagavad Gita. In this particular passage, Krishna comments on humility:

“Humbleness, sincerity, harmlessness, forgiveness, uprightness, devotion to the spiritual master, purity, steadiness, self-harmony;
Freedom from the lust of the senses, absence of thought of “I,” perception of the sorrows of birth, death, old age, disease and suffering;
Freedom from the chains of attachments, even from a selfish attachment to one’s children, wife, or home; an ever-present evenness of mind in pleasant or unpleasant events; A single oneness of pure love, of never-straying love for me; retiring to solitary places, and avoiding the noisy multitudes; A constant yearning to know the inner Spirit, and a vision of Truth which gives liberation: this is true wisdom leading to vision. All against this is ignorance.”
The Bhagavad Gita – 13. 7-11 (Translation by Juan Mascaro)

Again, we see the essence of humility. It’s not to not have and not do and not accomplish. It is to be able to have and do and accomplish without seeking attachment. It is removing the “I” from situations. It is devoting yourself to other’s happiness, as well as your own, but other’s first. The phrase I find interesting in this passage speaks to removing “…a selfish attachment to one’s children, wife, or home…” You can live comfortably with a family in a nice home, but live there unselfishly. Did you sacrifice the financial stability of your family so your house could be one room larger than your siblings? Do you push your children to be the best at something but do it so you can say “look at what my kid can do!” when you are at the office? Who are you living for?
So many people have lost touch with humility and living in modesty. As you go about your day-to-day routines, keep your modesty and humility in check. Watch your motivations. Watch your ego. Work with others toward something bigger than yourself. And have a nice slice of humble pie…it tastes pretty good!

Namaste,
~J

Are You Ready for Love?

This month, I decided to touch on a subject that has been in the front of my mind lately, as well as many others that I am in contact with. Over the last few months, so many people around me have been finding love or working hard searching for it. I myself have been looking for that perfect person…that one individual that will make my heart sing. Corny, right? But I am a romantic at heart. So, with Cupid’s arrows being so insanely active lately, I decided to comment about love.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines love as “…a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.”

I liked this definition better than the others that I read because of the last few words, “a sense of underlying oneness.” This is a vital point about love that I think is sadly missed so often by so many. We focus on the second person involved in love, that we forget about the oneness, we forget about the connection…we forget about the self. We sacrifice ourselves, change, conform…not that any of that is necessarily a bad thing. Compromise goes a long way! But is it a valuable compromise if you are giving more than you are honestly willing to give, or changing something about yourself, your values, your personal moral code, for the sake of “love?”

So many of us have gotten caught up in the search for love that we settle for what we can get. Being with someone mediocre is better than being by yourself. Though that’s not true, that’s often the way that society looks at single people…if you are by yourself, you are incomplete, you are damaged. Culture has made the word “single” a dirty word. People are “singled out,” pulled out of the crowd and made to stand alone. You can get a “single” suite at a hotel, usually small, cramped, uncomfortable, and lacking the amenities of a larger room. A “single serving” isn’t very filling, is it? Have a new bed? A “single” mattress is barely big enough to sleep comfortably. Even Cingular, now AT&T, doesn’t want to be “singular”…ok so the last one is a bit of a stretch, but I think I have made my point. It took me nearly a year to not feel awkward going to a movie by myself or asking for a table for one at a restaurant. However, sacrificing myself or my standards for the sake of not being single is not worth it to me.

In searching for love to be defined, I looked to the East for some inspiration. In both Chinese and Japanese, the word for love is “ai.” Fantastic! How simple! Just two little roman letters to convey so much. The kanji for “ai” in both Chinese and Japanese is similar, both made of three distinct symbols: heart, hand and person. The very character “ai” tells us that love is holding someone close to your heart.

Love really is very simple, yet at the same time so incredibly complex. Lao Tzu said, “Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”

Love is something we all want in our lives. It is something that makes us feel whole, complete, needed…loved! Love is passion. It makes people do crazy things. Desperate people try to control it. Perverts try to distort it. Our capitalist society tries to sell it. Poets and artists seek it out for inspiration. However, many times, we forget to look in ourselves to recognize it, and feel its true nature.

So many of us are searching for love, myself included. We are looking for that true happiness, that lasting connection. It is important as we look for love to remember that hurt and pain are part of life, and part of love. To know great love, you have to know what it is to be without that love as well. When you have the awful first date, or the awkward conversation…when you think you have finally grasped it, and it slips through your fingers, remember that it is not love’s fault. Love is about connecting. If you don’t have a connection, you don’t have love. So, keep searching for that match! If you love, you will find the connection, and continue to connect. Love is the affirmation.

Tao Te Ching, 36

If you hope to expand,
You should first contract.
If you hope to become strong,
You should first weaken yourself.
If your ambition is to be exalted,
Humiliation will follow.
If you hold fast to something,
It will surely be taken away from you.
This is the operation of the subtle law of the universe.

Let’s take a lesson from the Tao.
If you hope to expand, you must first contract.
So, if you hope to love, truly love, you must first take the energy of love inward. You must truly love yourself. As cheesy and after school special as that sounds, it’s very true. How do you know what you will expect in a partner or lover if you don’t know what you have and don’t have? To understand love is to first understand yourself.

If you hold fast to something, it will surely be taken away from you. This means that you have to let love flow in its own time. It’s that whole theory about squeezing a bird and making his eyes pop out…it is possible to love too much…that’s when we get into obsession, and no one likes a stalker. You can search for love. You can hold it in your arms, in your mind, in your dreams, in your heart…but remember that love needs room to breathe. And it is important to still remain an individual, even with the perfect story-book romance in your life.

Love is a funny thing. Sometimes we seek out a specific individual with specific qualities. Many times when we find those qualities in someone, we are sadly disappointed. Sometimes we cannot know what it is we need in a significant other until those qualities present themselves to us. Maybe not the package that you thought you would order, but sometimes the universe has different ideas. And it’s when you release the expectation and await the results…trusting that all will be right in the end, you might find that perfect match in someone totally surprising. And maybe, just maybe, be able to hold that person close to your heart.

Namaste,
~J

Timing is everything

Timing is everything…

Time, to me, is probably one of the most fascinating measures that exist in our world. Time is extremely accurate and can be calculated down to milliseconds, yet time is also extremely relative and hard to measure. Ten minutes can seem an eternity if you are involved in something monotonous, but an hour of something fun flies by faster than we care for it to. So many pieces of our modern world are so heavily controlled by a clock, and as our lives get busier and our schedules more full, we begin to add hours into our day by sacrificing one thing to make more time for another.

I went to one of my favourite meditative books, The Kuan Yin Oracle, by Stephen Karcher, for a different perspective on time. This book contains 100 Poems of the Goddess, which are short poetic interpretations of the teachings of the Goddess Kuan Yin. To me personally, Kuan Yin sits in the role of a Bodhisattva rather than a Goddess, but either way, she has some pretty good advice:

# 22, Timely Rain

Young rice sprouts wither and fade in the drought.
Heaven be thanked for the timely rain,
Worth a thousand pieces of gold!

The world wants to be in balance. Everything that exists from humans to the smallest cellular organism – all strive to attain equilibrium and balance. Time is a factor in life that can affect such a balance, if we allow it to. As is demonstrated in the short poem above, everything happens naturally in the time it needs to. Everything works in a sequence…whether we are aware of the complete sequence or not is another story, but things move in specified patterns. Like a domino effect, movement through time must occur in a specific order. If we allow this movement to happen naturally, we will see that the universe does indeed offer just what we need in a very timely fashion.

I looked up the Chinese character for time, and found some interesting results. One of the words that I found was the word “qia” which was defined as “timely.” The character itself is made up of the characters for the words heart, union and harmony. So, something that is timely is something that brings an outside factor into harmonious union with the heart.

One of the key focuses of philosophical Taoism is to live your life in a way that creates balance and harmony with our world. Not only the natural part of our world, but the human, mundane, modern part as well. Stepping back and looking at your surrounding environment in all aspects, the space, the energy, the people, the interactions, the circumstances, and trying to live in a way that achieves balance.

Keeping with that notion of creating balance, timing becomes a vital force. In Tao, timing is everything. To act in a timely manner, knowing that time has to move in sequence and pattern, is essential for harmony and balance.

Deng Ming-Dao says in Everyday Tao:

In action timing is everything.
Force doesn’t matter
Weight doesn’t matter
Even being morally right doesn’t matter
All that matters is timing.

We all know the phrase, “to be in the right place at the right time.” That is basically what this is talking about. A photographer takes an amazing award winning photo for being able to capture a precise moment in time where the lighting was perfect, view was unobstructed, and all elements were working together. A farmer will plant and harvest according to season and weather. A construction team building a bridge works in a specific sequence for optimum safety and stability. A baseball player knows exactly when they need to swing to get a home run. When things come together at precisely the right moment, that is perfect timing.

The Tao Te Ching (I use the one translated by Hua-Ching Ni) says:

32

The universal subtle essence is unnameable
And omnipresent.
Although it appears even in the plainest
And most ordinary of things,
It is inferior to nothing.
It maintains itself as a model of indivisible integrity.
If people would embrace it as their own true nature,
Everything would settle down
In right order and peace of its own accord.
Harmonious relationships can be illustrated
By the cycle of the seasons
Which produces rain and dew
At exactly the right times,
People do not need to do anything
To insure the harmony between Heaven and Earth.

The main point for me on the subject of time is that balance and harmony are achievable only if we get out of our own way. Let things in life happen in the order and time that they need to happen. Stop fighting to have our personal timeline trump that of the universe. We do it all the time. All of us. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with manifestation, prayer, spellwork, asking for something to come into our lives or for something in our life to change…the issue comes in when we are not patient enough to see the outcome through. Some things aren’t 24 hour fixes. Maybe there is something other than time that affect our wishes.

Maybe you are trying to manifest a perfect relationship. Well, maybe you already did, but your perfect person is in the process of ending an old relationship. Maybe your timeline is paused so theirs can catch up. It doesn’t mean it’s not coming, it’s just coming when it needs to. Maybe you are trying to manifest a fantastic job. It is quite possible that it’s already there, but someone else already holds the position, but they are going to be moving to England in two weeks, so as soon as they leave and the desk is empty, the job is yours. Instead of getting impatient and thinking that nothing you are doing is working, be patient and wait for a result. Maybe you didn’t get the job you thought you really wanted, but maybe that company is going to file Chapter 11 next week. Maybe your dream guy/girl isn’t as pleasant of a dream as you think. Maybe someone else won $500 at bingo because they are going to give that money to their brother, who just lost his job and needs $500 to pay his rent. My point is, when dealing with time and timing, there may very well be forces and factors on the other end that we never know about or see.

Letting go of the constraints of time and inviting the natural flow of events into your life isn’t easy by any means. Even as I’m sitting here writing this, I am growing exceedingly impatient waiting for a phone call that I know is coming at some point today. I am trying to practice what I’m preaching here, but it is hard. I am still human. And as humans, we have been conditioned by society that things have to work within a pre-described timeline with a final result of instant gratification.

In Taoism, there is a concept known as Wu Wei. This basically translates to ‘doing’ and ‘doing without doing.’ This concept goes hand in hand with timing. There are situations and circumstances that demand immediate action. However, there are also situations and circumstances where the best thing you can do is not do anything. The idea of ‘doing without doing’ is confusing to some. It is not ‘doing nothing.’ It is not ‘taking no action.’ It is making the conscious decision that right now at this precise moment in time, action is not necessary, or action will only push the situation out of balance. In making this realization, you are taking an action. You are ‘doing without doing.’ What you are doing is practicing strategy and working with timing. Remember, timing results in harmony of the heart. So, when you are deciding to take an action, ask yourself, “Would doing this really make the situation better? Would I feel better? Is this really the best way to handle this?” If you have any hesitation on any level about an action toward a situation, put the principle of Wu Wei into practice and ‘do without doing.’ Let things run their course. Go with the flow. Remember also, the world and everything in it struggles to naturally attain balance. One way or another, that will happen. I’m not saying that you should sit idle and let life happen around you. The point of Wu Wei is to learn to recognize when it is appropriate to take an action in a situation, and when the only appropriate action is non-action. In that time of non-action, you can put yourself in a position where you are stronger and more pliant so that when action does become appropriate, you will be prepared and ready.

Sometimes to achieve success in a situation, there isn’t a correlation between the faster and harder you work, the faster you will see results. Sometimes things have to unfold in their own way and in their own time. Recognize the flow of life around you. Begin to recognize timing in your own world.

Namaste,
~J

A Beginning

My story begins many years ago, when I was a child attending Catholic School. My fifth grade year was a challenge for me, especially in religion class, where, because of my incessant questioning and my refusal to accept “because Jesus said so” as a viable answer to anything, I ended up with a permanent seat in the hallway for the year and was told that I needed to read and re-read the Bible until I learned to love Jesus enough to participate in the class. It was after transferring to public school in seventh grade that I took a field trip to meet a “real live Native American!” This man brought us to the Susquehanna River and we hiked the trail that curved its bank. He pointed out different plants, animals tracks and other things to us. Then, he asked us to stand in a circle, be still and listen. It was at that moment that I found out that trees can talk – not like reciting Shakespeare or performing some epic monologue – but it was in that specific moment that I felt very connected, like I was a part of something bigger than my school group, my town, my state…It was a very different place for me to be, especially coming from years of Catholic school upbringing. It was a moment in time where I wasn’t expected to define anything or to explain anything. It didn’t matter what Jesus thought about it. It was a moment where I was allowed to stand as a witness, as an observer, without judgment or opinion. Little did I know as a seventh grader standing in the woods that this first taste of existentialism would be so similar to experiences that I would have later in life when my path took my down a more Eastern way of thinking and perceiving the world around me. After the field trip experience, I started to research Native American beliefs. That led me to research Shamanism and folk magic and things of that nature. That led me to look into Paganism, which led into Wicca. After about three years of working in a coven, I decided that I needed something different…something more. I wanted something that would make me feel like that kid standing in the woods again…something that would make me feel connected. I decided that I was going to delve into Eastern thought. This was a topic that always fascinated me…the geography of Asia, the cultures, the people, the food, the music…I have a feeling that I probably spent a past life or two in either India, Tibet or Japan…but that’s neither here nor there. I have always had a connection to the East, so beginning to study and read about the philosophies and faiths from that part of the world seemed like a good idea. And it was. It truly was. I spent years studying Buddhism, finding that I connected the best with Zen Buddhism. Tracing Zen back to it’s roots in Chinese philosophy allowed me to start to read different perspectives, including much of the writings and teachings associated with Taoism. Again, it was in the works of Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi and others, I found something that made sense to me. When I was in college, I took a philosophy course dealing with comparative religion. I liked that so much, that a few years later, I started taking classes through a seminary, and in 2008 received a Masters in Comparative Religion. It was in this time that I rounded out a lot of my personal study of the Eastern faiths, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Jainism…

About a year ago, my life changed. If you are familiar with Tarot, I had entered a cyclone that was like the Tower card come to life. The events of a year ago caused every single aspect of my life and everything that I surrounded myself with to change. My relationships changed. My home changed. My diet changed. My health changed. These were all changes that were long overdue and that, ultimately, I controlled. This was one of the best things that I could have ever done for myself. However, as a result of so much changing, I had a bit of a crisis of faith. With my focus turned to the mundane and the physical, I really lost touch with more esoteric and spiritual parts of myself. I remember very distinctly one night when I was standing in my nearly empty apartment thinking to myself, “now what?” I was a pre-teen all over again…standing in the center of a space, thinking, listening, waiting for something to happen. I flashed back to standing in the woods with the Native American guide, being directed to witness without judgment. Except this time, I was not in a circle of people. I didn’t have a guide. I was alone. At that moment I was indeed small…just one speck that is part of a much bigger whole. Again, I asked out loud, “now what?” I was instructed by “my people” in a meditation that I should return to some of that Eastern thought that made me feel so connected years ago, that what I was doing in my life was not only very cathartic, but also very Zen as well as very Taoist in many aspects. Returning to a basic state of living, a basic state of mind. Focusing on the internal as well as how I was living in conjunction with the world around me. I was encouraged that as I turned my focus more to Eastern thought again, that things would begin to make sense, reconnect, and reshape into a new way for me to live my life. I started re-reading and re-analyzing the ideals and philosophies that I had read about years past, and found that I was able to understand them in a very different way than I did the first time I encountered them.

Present day, I am still reading and researching and looking to find that connection to the more enlightened mind again. I started to journal my interpretations and understandings of the material I was reading and decided that it was part of my journey to share my experience and interpretation with the public, hence this blog. I hope to share with you my thoughts and gleanings as I work to find my own personal connection to the spark of the divine, my own path to truth. Over the course and life of this blog, it is my goal to speak directly to several different philosophical questions and ideals posed by thousands of years of Eastern history and philosophy, and to give my personal feelings and interpretations of them…how Eastern thought is translated in a Western mind. Be sure to check in often for new insight, recommendations, personal reflection and to join the conversation!

Namaste
~J