There is a responsibility that comes with being human – to pay conscious attention, to attend to our thoughts, words and actions carefully. We are careful because these are what bring the world into being. You may notice that when you think and also when you hear words, you picture and believe that what they describe is reality. Subject and object are merged in these. Practice can help us see how this is so. The outer world mirrors the inner. So, we can mistakenly think that our inner world is the whole story. As such, we need to pay attention to it.
It’s a challenge in the usual cacophony of daily voices to discern truth from fiction, truth from opinion, from belief, our own. A mind and heart that we condition to be quiet and open enables us to see directly more of what is. We practice with being aware of how our own emotions and reactivity select and shape the narrative of our experience. To see directly what is takes patience and love, a spirit that is all- inclusive, and not narrowed by what we want and don’t want, what we like and don’t like. But first we must be aware of this. How closely do you observe and how carefully do you listen to your own mind and body chatter? Do you know your own agendas? Agendas can help us get work done, yes, but they also can hinder when they crowd out our sensitivity to all the rest of the present moment conditions. Discerning what is takes practice, patience and constancy of effort, on and on.
