Outside the Box

 "Around us, life bursts with miracles--a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. " 

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather."

 -- Pema Chodron ​

  

It felt really good to wake up, refreshed, from a rainy day​, late afternoon nap​. 

As I rolled out of bed, my feet knew. I was headed outside. 

Without a moment's hesitation, I bundled up. (the temp was 49 degrees) and walked out onto High Street.

I had fallen asleep to ​peals of thunder and heavy rain. As I slept, the storm had exited stage right. In its wake, scattered gray black clouds scurried through an iridescent pale blue sky. The twilight glowed beyond the silhouetted trees and buildings as I headed south. Just a hint of sunset orange lingered on the horizon. 
     
Over the years, twilight walks have often brought with them a deep sense of connection to a vast and mysterious Presence. At these times, the eyes and mind are no longer constrained by the somewhat illusionary notion of objective clarity. Venturing outside as the sun's light recedes, I've often been amazed -- and grateful -- that the ethereal energy permeating reality is so readily accessible. In the twilight, the spiritual dimension of life glows, sometimes more brightly than in the brilliance of the sun at high noon. I blame that on the Practice.

Sometimes, all I have to do is remember to step "outside the box."

As I strolled down High Street, I quickly sensed that the numinous twilight sky to the south and west was whispering "ya gotta get a better a look at me!" I headed for the open sky -- at least as it presents itself near the center of town.  As I emerged from the line of tall trees and grand two story homes, the western sky opened a bit and the silhouette of Greenfield's 19th century public library acted as a visual portal to a realm where magic and mystery had not been squeezed out of our collective consciousness quite as thoroughly.  

Throughout most of its time on the planet, our species had communed with unseen energies. Myriad beings, sky gods and earth goddesses, devas and demons, fairies, the spirits of ancestors, and throngs of "other wordly"beings were woven into the fabric of daily life.  As my heart and mind opened more fully to that dimension, I could feel a knowing beyond the limitations of my rational mind.  Moment by moment, my feet and belly led.  I followed. They knew exactly where I was headed.

Of course, in Greenfield, the shortest distance between two points usually -- isn't. It exists only in our minds.  On the ground, right angles abound.  Hypoteni -- squared and otherwise -- are quite rare. Yet, in a matter of minutes, I had zigged and zagged several blocks, climbed four flights of stairs, and was perched on the top floor of the downtown parking garage. 

I wasn't disappointed.  With trees and buildings now below me, I'd accessed the Boundless Sky. Immensity embraced me. Enchantment was in the air.

Time for a Good Cry?

 

“Crying is one of the highest devotional songs. One who knows crying, knows spiritual practice. If you can cry with a pure heart, nothing else compares to such a prayer.  Crying includes all the principles of Yoga.”

― Swami Kripalvanandji

“In the Lakota/Sioux tradition, a person who is grieving is considered 

most Wakan, most holy."

― Tara Brach,

True Refuge: Finding Peace and Freedom in Your Own Awakened Heart 

Emmett Kelly 1898 - 1979

 

Some time ago, I came across the quote by Swami Kripalvanandji cited above.  Following my intuition, I immediately emailed it to a dear friend who was having a rough time.

She called me later to tell me it helped -- a lot.  After reading it, she immediately headed out to her garden to have a good cry.  She said it was exactly what she needed. 

Big Boys (Girls) Don't Cry

 

It seems that most of us have learned to avoid crying like the plague.  Widely viewed in our society as a sign of unacceptable weakness and frailty, we are conditioned to keep a stiff upper lip.  Hardening our hearts, we learn to steel ourselves against this natural expression of human feeling.  Although this conditioning is considered to be a "male," thing, most of the women I know often fight back their tears as well.  (Strain's of the Four Seasons singing "Big Girls Don't Cry-yay-yay"just ran through my inner iPod)

Hmmmm.  Maybe I shouldn't plunge ahead here.  I might get in trouble... 

 

Although I'm an amateur and would never charge a fee for just sitting still and comparing notes with folks on our experiences, I might get sued by the Commercial Mindfulness $$$ Cartel.  Although the pro's may give a nod to Buddha's first noble truth, acknowledging that suffering is baked into the human condition, they tend to skip right ahead to Buddha's Third Noble Truth.  

 

The Cessation of Suffering is the major pitch of most of the marketing campaigns.  In the Western world, where the evolution of Buddhism (and other eastern mystical traditions) has taken place mostly among the most affluent sectors of society, the Upper Middle Way predominates.  Freedom isn't free. The priceless Teachings come with a price tag.  Some even promise a weekend retreat at a high priced resort somewhere may just do the trick!

 

Yet,  the Practice involves something much deeper than that. For sure,  you aren't likely to see any glitzy promotional commercials proclaiming:

Mindfulness Practice: Guaranteed to Make You Cry!   

 

It might be bad for business.

And yet...

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