The Majesty and Grandeur of Life

Perhaps the greatest choice of all is that of choosing life. That is to say that when we choose to allow our attention to be absorbed in distraction we are disconnecting from life and are no longer having the living experience.

When we can become still an empty our mind of run away thinking, there is so much to observe. In the natural world nothing is ordinary, nor are the experiences to be had. When we have detached our attention from an ego agenda and become our true and authentic self, we begin to find the simple beauty of life in the world around us.

To the egoic mind, beauty and good are defined by how much sensation they can generate or how distracting they can become. The beauty of a flowers may not be notice or experienced because they do not generate enough sensation. When we become still and our minds are quiet, we unify our consciousness with source, the Tao, and the beauty within us finds unity with the beauty of nature. The true self dwells in simplicity and has little prerequisite for appreciation. There is simply this undefined beauty in the life around us. This unification with the divine is experience when something as simple as observing a child’s joy or the sincere smile of a friend or loved one.  This joy is natural and present when we can create the conditions for happiness to spontaneously blossom into our consciousness.

Infants will beam and gush with pure joy with only a moments connection with another person. When we gaze and smile at an infant, we connect with something divine and at once we both experience something very special and very pure. So it is no surprise when the Tao guides us to take up a child’s sense of wonder (Chapter 20). This is natural joy and the nature of the true self.

There is something symbolic and significant with the dawn and dusk of our day. There is a beauty, majesty and grandeur of a sunrise. In it lies the beauty of a new day along with the promise of yet another period of experiencing life. At the end of the day, the sunset promises a return to life after our nightly rest. After the evening sunset, we return to stillness and sleep. Repairing and mending our mind and body. Then in the early hours dawn approaches with yet another adventure and another period of experiencing the wonder of life. This is the underlying reality for which we are meant to be part of.

It is when we disconnect from the natural world and the cycle of life that self inflicted suffering and the problematic life of ego is experienced. Acceptance of life, even in its times of challenge has purpose. It is human nature to experience life in a duality where we compare this and that. So the good only has value when we have previously experienced the bad. Acceptance of the underlying reality is to accept life as it is. By practicing self awareness, that is by keeping ourselves as the true self we can avoid the resistance to life as experienced by the ego.

Where ever you are right now as you read these words, stop, and be present. Where are you in this moment of the life cycle? Is it night or day? In what ways are you in unity with the life cycle? In what ways are you out of sync with the natural cycle of life?

Soon, there will be a new dawn or a new sunset. Even if it is cloudy and raining, above the clouds and rain the sun will shine or the moon and stars will be out. If it is not cloudy, take just a moment to find the sunrise or sunset and allow your mind be still. In the stillness notice the appreciation of the natural light as the sun comes over and drops below the horizon. Notice the colors and wonder at how nature gifted us with vision that can perceive and a spirit in which to appreciate the beauty.

Notice any inclination to be impatient, to go and do. Thier may be a voice that is saying “so what, it is just a sunrise”. This is the voice of impatient and unappreciative ego. In this now, choose …. choose to let go of ego and thinking and just be. Just be at one with the universe and at one with the life as it unfolds around you. This my friend is living.