In response to a prompt of ‘have you experienced a poignant moment when you gave somebody the real you’, I can’t imagine a day going by without many of these poignant moments.What are we here for if not to make life less difficult for someone else?(not my quote)
I do have some most memorable moments.Each of these moments occurred when I purposefully arranged my schedule to build in down time…allows me to be much more at ease and calm.Walking meditation and connecting with the homeless, one at a time.Walking across campus with an empty mind, with the only thought of maintaining eye contact with each teen who looks up, and then smile to acknowledge.Letting go of the constant distracters in daily life like TV pundits and changing the reality of one student at a time with a moment of listening, engaging, sharing, and encouraging.Readily picking up the ringing phone even in the midst of a deadline to connect with a colleague in a time of despair or joy.Being open to the endless possibilities of serendipitous moments; in other words, exercising choices, one breath at a time.
This does not mean that there aren’t times of isolation, meditation, and still quiet moments during the day of work, chores, organizing, and care taking.It just means relationships, connections, and knowing our lives have meaning help us inspire and empower those around us, or with whom we have random moments of contact with.
Yes, it does involve a tremendous amount of risk-taking on our parts, and a determined level of confidence…especially for those of us with very little self-esteem.However, giving somebody your heart is exactly what is necessary to practice over and over, letting go of any thought of the outcome or consequence.It is the ultimate practice.The Tao, #9, translated by Stephen Mitchell, ends with ‘…Do Your Work, and Step Away.The Only Path to Serenity.’The Gita time and time again quotes Krishna remarking to Arjuna he has no claim to the outcome.The Sutras mention aparigraha as a yama, which can translate to non-grasping and non-attachment; non-identification.Giving your heart away is a great place to start a practice of loving unconditionally, even if being shown unconditional love in relationships has not been your experience.
This is how to live.Unclenching your heart and giving it away is our response to understanding that there is only Love in the universe, and that Love is the ultimate expression of who and what we really are-the jewels in Indra’s net, the finite experience of the infinite, the Divine within.This Love is what we ‘see’ as the same in each of us, and how we show and share this Love is as diverse as our experiences reveal about ourselves and our journey.We come to understand sharing this Love as being our responsibility and what we are accountable for during our time here, in this present state.
One of my favorite songs I will leave you with here:Give It Away chorus lyrics by Gaither Vocal Band-‘If you want more happy than your heart will hold, if you want to stand taller if the truth were told, take whatever you have, and give it away.If you want less lonely and a lot more fun, and deep satisfaction when the day is done, then throw your heart wide open and give it away.’Thank you for letting me share here.
On Oct 8, 2011 Ricky wrote :
In response to a prompt of ‘have you experienced a poignant moment when you gave somebody the real you’, I can’t imagine a day going by without many of these poignant moments. What are we here for if not to make life less difficult for someone else? (not my quote)
I do have some most memorable moments. Each of these moments occurred when I purposefully arranged my schedule to build in down time…allows me to be much more at ease and calm. Walking meditation and connecting with the homeless, one at a time. Walking across campus with an empty mind, with the only thought of maintaining eye contact with each teen who looks up, and then smile to acknowledge. Letting go of the constant distracters in daily life like TV pundits and changing the reality of one student at a time with a moment of listening, engaging, sharing, and encouraging. Readily picking up the ringing phone even in the midst of a deadline to connect with a colleague in a time of despair or joy. Being open to the endless possibilities of serendipitous moments; in other words, exercising choices, one breath at a time.
This does not mean that there aren’t times of isolation, meditation, and still quiet moments during the day of work, chores, organizing, and care taking. It just means relationships, connections, and knowing our lives have meaning help us inspire and empower those around us, or with whom we have random moments of contact with.
Yes, it does involve a tremendous amount of risk-taking on our parts, and a determined level of confidence…especially for those of us with very little self-esteem. However, giving somebody your heart is exactly what is necessary to practice over and over, letting go of any thought of the outcome or consequence. It is the ultimate practice. The Tao, #9, translated by Stephen Mitchell, ends with ‘…Do Your Work, and Step Away. The Only Path to Serenity.’ The Gita time and time again quotes Krishna remarking to Arjuna he has no claim to the outcome. The Sutras mention aparigraha as a yama, which can translate to non-grasping and non-attachment; non-identification. Giving your heart away is a great place to start a practice of loving unconditionally, even if being shown unconditional love in relationships has not been your experience.
This is how to live. Unclenching your heart and giving it away is our response to understanding that there is only Love in the universe, and that Love is the ultimate expression of who and what we really are-the jewels in Indra’s net, the finite experience of the infinite, the Divine within. This Love is what we ‘see’ as the same in each of us, and how we show and share this Love is as diverse as our experiences reveal about ourselves and our journey. We come to understand sharing this Love as being our responsibility and what we are accountable for during our time here, in this present state.
One of my favorite songs I will leave you with here: Give It Away chorus lyrics by Gaither Vocal Band-‘If you want more happy than your heart will hold, if you want to stand taller if the truth were told, take whatever you have, and give it away. If you want less lonely and a lot more fun, and deep satisfaction when the day is done, then throw your heart wide open and give it away.’ Thank you for letting me share here.