Being

“Modern society has become materialistic and prefers ‘Having’ to ‘Being.’”– Erich Fromm

“Identification with your mind causes thoughts to become compulsive. Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don’t realize this because almost everyone is suffering from it, so it is considered normal. This incessant mental noise prevents you from finding that realm of inner stillness that is inseparable from Being.” — Eckhart Tolle

Any addiction is a huge, self-absorbed exercise in frustration and fear. It’s the constant manipulation of everything around us for the purpose of using an external “Thing” to bring us the “happiness” of oblivion from reality. After we have a handle on our most harmful obsession or addiction, we still need to be on guard not to revert to our old behaviors of avoidance and manipulation in our everyday lives. We need to learn to trust our hearts and NOT use force, avoidance, or coping techniques. We need to quit “coping” and begin to live fully in truth. We need to deal wisely with our fears; they no longer defeat us, but now we strive to use them to inform us to not be captured, but to be brave and open.  

“Trying to change ourselves does not work in the long run because we are resisting our own energy. Self-improvement can have temporary results, but lasting transformation occurs only when we honor ourselves as the source of wisdom and compassion. It is only when we begin to relax with ourselves that a transformation process takes place.When we step into simply Being, when we are present and aware of the experience that is occurring, moment to moment, can we let go of harmful processes? Through the qualities of steadfastness, clear seeing, experiencing our emotional distress, and attention to the present moment, we inherently renounce our abusive habits in a natural and healthy manner.”   The Places That Scare You by – Pema Chodron.

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes…As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” — Carl Jung

Simply Being has more to do with feeling and experiencing than thinking. I may project what might happen, good or bad, and then I am emotionally and mentally enmeshed in trying to manipulate a situation. Or, I can be filled with something that has happened in the past—good or bad—and that past experience, though it is over and done, emotionally discolors what is happening NOW. It’s like playing two movies on top of each other; a movie of the past over our experience of the now. Quite a mixed up show. 

We so often feel—from habit—that we need to fill any space with mental and verbal blather, to find fault and assign blame. We may be afraid of being hurt or doing something wrong so we keep our guard up. When we enter into a spiritual spaciousness we know and act on what is healthy and unhealthy in a natural manner that does not have any fear attached.

“Wakan Tanka, Great Mystery,
Teach me how to trust my heart, Teach me how to trust my mind, Teach me how to trust my intuition, Teach me how to trust my inner knowing, The senses of my body, The blessings of my spirit. Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter my Sacred Space 
and love beyond my fear, and thus Walk in Balance with the passing of each glorious Sun.” — Lakota Prayer 

Meditation is one way we begin to learn to not fight our thoughts, but to recognize thoughts and gently return to a deeper, more open and honest place of clear experience that resides naturally within us. We can then take the realization of a deeper, quieter awareness and extend that awareness into our “normal” daily life.

Have a practice in the morning to open up to the new day with joy and curiosity. It is vitally important to begin the day in a healthy, curious and confident manner. Engage and practice opening up many times every day. Have a practice in the evening to recount the day and bring a sense of acceptance and learning to bear. We need to learn from things done unskillfully and resolve to being more skilled in our responses. Sleeping with a calm mind is very important.
If you feel you are burdened with a discontented existence, you have to DO something about it or it will remain. 

Even a small discipline of being present, opening and simply relaxing, will bring about results that will prompt more healthy behaviors. Our world is constantly presenting us with challenges to remain open and present. If we let the worldly occurrences overwealm and control us, they will. If we instead, consistently promote and engage in opening, being present, and believing in our basic goodness we will dwell there instead. You don’t wash the car once or sweep off the porch once and think OK, there, I am good to go forever. We need to tend to our spiritual well-being consistently.
How do you do this? What practices are you engaging in to uplift and support yourself?

Our old behaviors of judgement and fear are set deeply in us. We need to begin watering the seed, engaging, our basic healthy and open awareness. If we only read or hear about how to live a more spiritual, whole life, it will do no good if we don’t engage a new practice so it becomes our new, old behavior. This is the happiness, the contentment you have missed for so long.

“Being” is more about not doing anything, and being fully alive in the moment, than it is exerting any effort to accomplish anything. It is a bit surprising how much we need to exert ourselves in order to not exert ourselves. It does get easier to simply BE; it comes more naturally as we continue to practice simple Being. If we dropped everything, we would not have any baggage to carry, and we would be open to the rightness of NOW.

This is action through non-action, or action which does not force, but yields: the Chinese concept of  – Wei Wu Wei. Under the weight of a heavy snowfall, pine branches will break off. But by bending, the willow can drop its burden and spring up again. It is a kind of “going with the flow” that is characterized by great ease and awareness, in which—without even trying—we’re able to respond perfectly to whatever situations arise.

We don’t deny our difficulties, but we experience them in a larger spacious arena and are not consumed by them, or feel helpless or controlled. We see any difficulty as something we need to attend to, and feel the capacity to do so in a sane, calm and reasonable way.  We may also recognize that we are creating a difficulty when one does not really exist, and just let it go.
When we feel busy-ness occurring, we can smile, breathe deeply, relax, and feel our Being filled with the space that is never full.

How do you fill your bucket? One drop at a time
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step
The great arises out of small things that are honored and cared for
May you be well. May you be happy. May you find peace.

Heart Of Recovery web site  — fcheartofrecovery.com