I find it exciting, hopeful, and as the following excerpts say, like rebirth and renewal, when I come across the same themes very close together within a short amount of time. This has been happening to me for years now, and it can be very encouraging and confirming. Particularly when you are on your own individual spiritual journey.
I read from about 5 or so books at a time; and I never know which one will be the one when I do have a moment to read. I have been trying to practice being more intuitive; and I’ve been noticing that there are times when I pick up a book, that there can be a subtle sense of unease, and so I put it down and go to another one. Similarly, there are times I pick one up and nothing seems to “come against it” and I feel at ease and light about it.
These are the best ways I can describe these sensations of intuition, and they don’t just apply to books.
So this morning, the first book I picked up felt so light and free. It is, Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh; in which he compares the similarities between the two.
And the synchronicity I found, has to do with where my mind and heart were yesterday while meditating; and I posted a blog about it actually.
The thoughts are of Gods Kingdom, Heaven , God himself, being here and now, and available to us already. Not in some far off place, that can only be reached with much striving and learning. There were some other things that resonated with me as well that had to do with the fact that sometimes I question the evolution of my spiritual journey: The changes in belief and thought, the freedom from systems, concepts and ideas, that I told were necessary and had to be exact.
Here are a few excerpts that I read concerning this:
“..as we continue to practice and touch reality, our beliefs change. We needn’t be afraid of this. In the course of our study and practice, as we touch reality more and more deeply, our beliefs naturally evolve and become more solid. When our beliefs are based on our own direct experience(something in my circle of religious beliefs I was always taught to fear) of reality and not on notions offered by others(what I was told to believe indefinitely), no one can remove these beliefs from us. Making a long-term commitment to a concept is much more dangerous….
Our faith must be alive. It cannot be just a set of rigid beliefs and notions. Our faith must evolve every day and bring us joy, peace, freedom, and love. Faith implies practice, living our daily life in mindfulness.
“All of us possess the energy of mindfulness(awareness/being aware, conscious of) of the Holy Spirit(God within us), only it’s intensity and strength vary in each person. Our daily practice is to increase, to strengthen that power( as I mentioned in yesterdays blog, we were meant to draw off that energy, not to exert our own). There is no need to wait until Easter to celebrate. When the Holy Spirit is present, Jesus is already there. He does not have to be resurrected. We can feel Him right now. It is not a matter of reincarnation, rebirth, or even resurrection. Dwelling mindfully, we know that each moment is a moment of renewal.”
“….enlightenment (becoming aware of our spiritual nature and access to “God”) is alive, like a tree. If it does not continue to grow, it will die. The enlightenment of Buddha, the compassion and loving-kindness of Jesus, grow every day. We ourselves are responsible for their growth…..if we live mindfully, we(can) encounter the Buddha and Jesus Christ all the time.”
“ Some waves on the ocean are high and some are low. Waves appear to be born and to die. But if we look more deeply, we see that the waves, although coming and going, are also water, which is always there. Enlightenment for a wave, is the moment the wave realizes it is water. At that moment, all fear of death disappears. If you practice deeply, one day you will realize that you are free from birth and death(inhalation of self/soul), free from many of the dangers that have been assaulting you. When you see that, you will have no trouble building a boat that can carry you across the waves of birth and death. Smiling, you will understand that you do not have to abandon this world (die) in order to be free(find Heaven/God/rebirth). You will know that nirvana(freedom from suffering and the things that hold us down), the Kingdom of Heaven is available here and now.”
*Emphasis and Parentheses mine.
Be aware
Experience “It”.
Go within.
Seek and you shall find.
The Undoing of Me 