Friday, December 22, 2006

On Being Alone

With palms together,
Good Morning All,
Another Friday. Hmmm. For those of you about to leave for work and those already at work, please enjoy your day today. Remember each moment is what it is; it is we who add the good or bad of it.
Last night before bed, I was studying a short sutra on being alone. The Buddha was teaching in this scripture that literally being alone was not necessary, nor was it a particularly good practice as seeking this way places our attention on the "I" of the equation.
There are some who prefer to be alone. I was one of them. I rationalized this by romanticizing the thing, you know, mental pictures of a seeker away from the crowd, treading the road less traveled, and so on. Yet, this was a form of delusion. It is a trap just as wickedly poisonous as that of seeking a crowd for approval. The truth is, I was uncomfortable with people, insecure in myself I relied far too heavily on their opinions of me for my opinion of myself.
The Buddha taught that the best way to be alone was to be mindful wherever we are. This way of mindfulness means, essentially, to practice being "all one." When we live as all one, our literal singularity is the universe and we are its sense organs.
Practice to be a partner in the process.
Be well.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Like Groucho, I think there must be something wrong with anyone who wants to be friends with me.. heh

John Wood said...

I once had a dream, well a nightmare, and in the dream I was on the verge of being killed and was terrified. In the last moments of my life all I wanted was to share my grief with someone - I felt alone I suppose. Perhaps my zen practice isn't strong enough, or perhaps my gut reactions to terror are just overpowering. Do you have any advice on being mindful in situations where fear is overpowering?
All the best,
John

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