The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds
to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to
deal with.
My morning meditation includes the daily writings in THE BOOK OF AWAKENING by Mark Nepo. A lovely spiritual friend named Delinda brought this author to my attention last January and I have been hooked ever since.
This morning, Mark Nepo's entry nudged me to think about my involvement with others, or perhaps more aptly put, my some times lack of involvement. How do we establish a healthy boundary so that we can be of service, but not get enmeshed in the drama of others?
Excerpt from Mark Nepo:
It goes as far back as Jesus and Buddha, and the miracle of such spirits is that they show us that there is some basic clear element in each of us, like water, which can glow without a name, which can allow the pain and grief of others in without turning us into just pain and grief.
Many traditions speak to this. We call it love
when we do this for another and compassion when
we hold this intention for all living things. The
Tibetan Buddhist traditions has a meditation
practice called TONG-LEN that asks us to breathe in the suffering of the world, to hold it in that unbreakable place of compassion, and to then breathe back light.
The beauty of such a practice is that it assumes and affirms that there is something timeless and indestructible within each of us that can heal us and the world if we can just open ourselves to it.
___________________________
"The basic clear element" within me is light. It is gentle and non-invasive. As I wander through my day, if I see a person who is lonely or appears to be suffering, I cover them with light from their head to their toes. It feels like I am gently blessing them, and swiftly moving over them with a wave of loving kindness. In a blink of an eye, my exchange is complete. It is as though I am working with sunshine, lifting a sadness for at least a brief passing moment in time.
Extending loving light towards some one costs nothing. The only requirement is to remember you have this natural ability
to extend gentleness towards all living things. You are extending light out into the world, and making a difference without adding any expense or drama to your busy life.
Pass your light along and it will be replenished ten fold. Grace a lovely flower with a dose of light, surround a child's cherub face with imagined sunshine, or beam a direct stream of light into the heart of an elder.
You are my sunshine
my only sunshine.
You make me happy
when skies are gray.
You'll never know dear
how much I love you.
Please don't take
my sunshine away!
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