Have you prayed before? What did/does it look, sound, feel like? Who or what did you pray to?
Many of us have attempted to pray--in some form or another. We pray to percieved God(s) that live in Heaven or other forms of paradises. We pray to intangible forces when we silently or verbally utter, "please don't let it rain, please let my friend be okay, oh let me have the strength to do this". We pray to our grandmothers, grandfathers, friends, and family members that have passed. We even pray to ourselves-to be strong, wise, kind, and smart.
Prayer is an innate part of being human. It's as natural as sleeping, drinking water, and feeling emotions. So why is the word "prayer" so controversial? Why do we shy away from or obsess about idea of praying? Why do we feel like we have to follow rules, rituals, and paradigms when it comes to praying? Why do we attach the idea of praying to mostly Christianity?
I recently completed a book entitled "The Energy of Prayer" by Thich Nhat Hanh. In the book, Hanh suggests that prayer is a way to release positive energy. Whether or not we believe our prayers hit the ceiling or sail into the heavens, they inevitably send positive vibes into the world. Just imagine:You are exremely ill and a sangha (community) circles around your bed to pray for your health, prosperity, and strength. Who the sangha prays to is insignificant; for the heartfelt love of the sangha will increase your comfort and peace.
We often think that we can only pray to a God, and while that is a wonderful option, we should not feel limited when it comes to who or what we pray to. We can pray to trees, the sky, loved ones, the universe, the stars, God, or ancient sages. No matter what, the prayer strengthens our connection with the world, our feelings, our loved ones, and mother nature. It has the power to heal and reuite us with the present moment.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Pennies
If we pay close attention, there are a multitude of lessons to learn each day. This attention involves more than thinking through the filter of our mental paradigms; in fact, it requires a lack of thought. For thought, in and of itself, can be highly deceptive and limiting.
It's beneficial to use a different medium, a different tool, a different way of seeing besides thought.
It's beneficial to use a different medium, a different tool, a different way of seeing besides thought.
***
My medium of thought, perhaps similar to yours, tells me what to consider "significant", "less significant", and "insignificant" in my life. Based on innumerable experiences, upbringing, and immense socialization, I have an unconscious prioritization process. Kind of like a machine that automatically separates quarters from dimes, dimes from nickels, and nickels from pennies.
This prioritization process tends to consider work, eating healthy, spending time with friends/family, independence, being a force of positive energy, running, spiritual growth, and knowledge at the top of the priority list. In a sense, these are the quarters in my life; the things I tend to put most of my time and energy into.
The dimes, or the "less significant" aspects of my life, according to my thought processes, tend to be: cleaning, returning phone calls/e-mails, sleep, the places I buy groceries, the words I say from moment to moment, the strangers I interact with each day, and the random ideas that float through my head.
The nickels and pennies, or the "insignificant" aspects of my life--according to Ms. Thoughts--consist of the thousands of small choices I make each day: to drink coffee or tea, to smile at the old woman or just walk by, to write/read or veg out on the internet, to run in the rain or to take the day off, to offer an encouraging word or to say nothing at all, to try the new meditation class, to make the new recipe, to call the new friend, to call the old friend, or to save the extra dollar or spend it.
It's amazing how our minds naturally categorize and prioritize the matters of life. It's difficult to notice or realize our mental constructions unless we try a new medium, or a new way of percieving. Today, after stripping away my "thought processes", I realized the sheer stupidity (for lack of a better term) of my natural prioritization processes.
Our bodies, homes, cities, states, countries, continents, oceans, mountains, and universes are massive compilations of tiny atoms--millions of small elements, cells, and particles that create larger forms. I'm no scientist, but I know that in many cases the smallest mutation or alteration can surmount to the demise or creation of a larger piece of matter. Our lives are compilations of our smallest, minute-to-minute, day-to-day decsions. Without making a hundred small conscious decisions to save the dollar, I will never obtain the hundred dollar bill. Without consciously choosing to return phone calls or to say small, encouraging words each day, I cannot achieve the larger goal of being a good friend or being a force of positive energy. Without taking thousands upon thousands of small strides, I cannot achieve the larger goal of completing a marathon.
It's the pennies, nickels, and dimes that add up to the quarters. It's the small decisions that are the most significant.
This prioritization process tends to consider work, eating healthy, spending time with friends/family, independence, being a force of positive energy, running, spiritual growth, and knowledge at the top of the priority list. In a sense, these are the quarters in my life; the things I tend to put most of my time and energy into.
The dimes, or the "less significant" aspects of my life, according to my thought processes, tend to be: cleaning, returning phone calls/e-mails, sleep, the places I buy groceries, the words I say from moment to moment, the strangers I interact with each day, and the random ideas that float through my head.
The nickels and pennies, or the "insignificant" aspects of my life--according to Ms. Thoughts--consist of the thousands of small choices I make each day: to drink coffee or tea, to smile at the old woman or just walk by, to write/read or veg out on the internet, to run in the rain or to take the day off, to offer an encouraging word or to say nothing at all, to try the new meditation class, to make the new recipe, to call the new friend, to call the old friend, or to save the extra dollar or spend it.
It's amazing how our minds naturally categorize and prioritize the matters of life. It's difficult to notice or realize our mental constructions unless we try a new medium, or a new way of percieving. Today, after stripping away my "thought processes", I realized the sheer stupidity (for lack of a better term) of my natural prioritization processes.
Our bodies, homes, cities, states, countries, continents, oceans, mountains, and universes are massive compilations of tiny atoms--millions of small elements, cells, and particles that create larger forms. I'm no scientist, but I know that in many cases the smallest mutation or alteration can surmount to the demise or creation of a larger piece of matter. Our lives are compilations of our smallest, minute-to-minute, day-to-day decsions. Without making a hundred small conscious decisions to save the dollar, I will never obtain the hundred dollar bill. Without consciously choosing to return phone calls or to say small, encouraging words each day, I cannot achieve the larger goal of being a good friend or being a force of positive energy. Without taking thousands upon thousands of small strides, I cannot achieve the larger goal of completing a marathon.
It's the pennies, nickels, and dimes that add up to the quarters. It's the small decisions that are the most significant.
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