Beyond the Mind

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

When you look in the mirror do you like what you see?

I am talking about an actual mirror but also about the mirror that reflects back to you your inner life?  Do you like what you see about your emotional life, your mental life, your spiritual life, your soul life?

I hope so, I hope that you can smile uopn all of it, the “full catastrophe” as Zorba put it so eloquently.  Yes, I hope you can do this, this is true spiritual wisdom in action, this is true tantra.  The little half smile of Quan Yin upon everything, with a heart as wide as the universe…

The average coach or counselor might suggest making a list of things you disapprove of in these mirrors, a nice list of things you want to improve about yourself that you can use to ask periodically “what step can I take today, small or large, towards improving this or that, or towards reaching this or that goal?”  I take a different approach.  It might be good to make such a list of the things you don’t like about yourself or things you’d like to improve about yourself, that’s fine.  Then I suggest you take that list and burn it, or use it as a paper airplane or as toilet paper.  It’ll be of more use to you in these ways.

My friend, the real issue is not to do with all these ideas you have about how you’re not good enough right now or how you could be an even better version of yourself right now.  The real issue is that the way you might be using this list robs you of the only peace that is ever possible, the peace that comes from being content and satisfied NOW.  The fact that you have this constant, ever changing list is not a “problem” per se, but it does mean you are probably never really happy or relaxed.  You are not at peace with yourself or your life as long as this list exists to remind you of what’s “wrong”.

Here might be a more skillful and fruitful exercise - make this very same list and then ask yourself daily “How can I take a small or large step today towards learning to accept this or that about myself today?”  I can suggest a few ways to proceed.  One way is to try to notice your own humanity, notice that you are an innocent being trying to make it on this strange planet during this strange time to be here.  Notice that you are doing the very best you can.  Perhaps some compassion will arise, towards yourself.  Let this wash over you if it does, let this release you from the hell you have created for yourself by not loving yourself completely.

Another way might be to notice how you judge other people for the very same thing you judge yourself for.  Can you see that they are only human and doing their very best?  For some people it’s easier to have compassion for others than for themselves.  If that sounds like you then this might be a better approach.  If some compassion for the other arises, feel it for them, let it wash over them and release them from the curse of your judgement.  Now, can you let some of that compassion wash over you?  If not, why can you afford them this healing but not give it to yourself?

In time, my wish for you is that you will burn that list because you no longer resent yourself for not being what your mind thinks you need to be to be OK, this is the land beyond the mind.  Rumi talks about this land

Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing
There is as field
I’ll meet you there

If you really want to save the planet, save yourself.  Becoming one more human being on this planet who knows how to really love himself or herself adds one more person to the planet who also knows how to really love others.  This is the beginning of real freedom, peace and harmony, may it be yours, now.

I am here to help you on this journey if you so desire it.

Peace

Tags: Spiritual Enlightenment, Spiritual Counseling, Spiritual Health, Spiritual Health Coaching, Spiritual Journey, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Healing, Meditation, Life Coaching, Spirituality, Spiritual, Spiritual Awakening //