Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Don't Seek Inner Peace

Many people believe the purpose of Meditation
is to find Inner Peace.

That's not the conclusion that I have discovered.

Meditation has been around for thousands of years, in every culture and tradition.
In my country, Meditation is most often associated with Buddhism.

The Buddha started with 4 simple thoughts (The Noble Truths):
  1. Life is full of suffering
  2. The cause of suffering is attachment
  3. It is possible to live without suffering
  4. The Eightfold Path can lead to a life without suffering
It is important to understand that the word he used for suffering (dukkha)
is better translated as : "incapable of satisfying", "stressful", temporary,
conditional, compounded of other things,  or impermanent

When we become attached to things that are impermanent, we suffer.
Meditation leads to us to contemplate attachment to things that do not last
and hopefully release those attachments which do not satisfy

Good plan, but then what?

I believe a higher goal is to find what makes you joyous.
When I am in-joy, I enjoy everything around me.
I radiate this enthusiasm and encourage others to look for their joy.

Don't seek Inner Peace
Seek Inner Joy, Sacred Joy
and spread Joy to all
  • like butter

Still too much in one post. Hard to digest. [shrug] So it goes.

Eric (continuous learner)



reference: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-four-noble-truths-450095
retrieved: 9/27/2017

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Making Time Productive


Two ways to achieve goals.

1. Wait until the last minute and slam out whatever comes out of your fingers.

2. Spend significant time over several sessions to hone and improve your writings.



But the problem becomes that doing the work at the last minute makes quality unlikely.

Sometimes the first thing that comes to you is awesome and perfectly composed.

But it is very, very, very, Very rare.

Which is why the best writing happens after editing, thinking, pondering, dreaming about and rewriting over and over and over.

One suggestion I have read is to do a 20 minute session on the same topic every day for 2 weeks. Beat it into the ground, hone it with continuous thought, let it become part of your subconscious.

It would be nice. Wouldn't it? How do I get into that mind set?

I don't know. That is why this post is 2 days late and done off the top of my head.

Peace, Eric

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Continuous Learning


I started learning at birth.
I think all of us did.
Lights, colors, shapes moving around us.
It's our first school.

My parents told me that education was a good thing
and I would enjoy teachers.
What did I know?

Everything was new, I was full of spunk and vigor.
I went to school, I learned to read. I immersed myself in universes.

I had opportunities... never really grasped.
I was too smart for my own good.

Like when I dropped a full scholarship
and joined the Navy.

Why? I was lazy and sure of myself.
The Cold War was boring, I was safe.
In service, I was left alone to read and think
and move around the globe.

It was fun, but I snafued the rules and was sent home.

That was a long time ago, but I keep learning.
Everyone names their method, how about Continuous Learning?

Just follow two rules to achieve Continuous Learning:
  • I don't know everything (sorta humble 😉 )
  • I am eager to learn.

"Learning to be at ease with ourselves as we travel this journey is the most important wisdom of all."
~~ Kelly Epperson

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The First Day of my Life


I was not born yesterday.

Funny quip, eh?

Something that people utter when they are being song-and-danced by a bullshitter.

But it has a deeper meaning to me.
One of the Meditation principles is to "live in the moment".

When I focus on being Here and Now, I am just living in the splendor of this world.
Being in the moment means there is no past, no future.

It's not an oddity. Surfers do it all the time.
If you are not living in the moment on top of your board,
you quickly fall off the wave and suck foam.

When I can balance on the Here and Now moment,
I am eager to experience everything around me.
I look at the infinite possibilities and cherish the number of things
I have not seen, heard, felt.

It is not easy. I am usually replaying some moment in the past or rehearsing what happens next.
I think most people find it difficult to live in the moment.

How can I make it true more often in my life?

Let's explore.