Getting Yourself Unstuck – Initial steps

Certainly all of us at various points deal with issues and circumstances that cause us to be locked onto certain distressing thoughts. It is as if some souring event or person crawled into the mind, then explosively ignited our emotions.

When this occurs the mind keeps churning the same obsessive thoughts, and subsequently more thoughts are linked to the original ones, and neither the original nor the accumulating subsequent thoughts seem to leave. The result is we feel stuck. The host situation and the aggregate collection of thoughts and feelings associated with it linger on and on. This causes us to feel stuck both emotionally and physically. And consequently, we outwardly portray that which is distressing us because the toxic residues from these obsessive thoughts are manifested in both our bodies and minds.

I can remember situations in romantic relationships, my career, financial matters, in my ongoing relationship with friends and numerous other circumstances and encounters where my mind became stuck and did not know how to move on. Someone would be quick to give advice on how to move forward, but the advice usually was processed then ignored. Usually sound advice was sidestepped because it could not dissolve the emotional glue that held my mind to the problem. Not so easy to understand, but never the less true, the thoughts that perpetuated the problem won out over the advice that others would offer.

I found a way to rationalize that advice from a third party was overly objective and insensitive to all matters that projected an influence on the problem. The concerns that I was holding in my mind became emotionally charged, which strengthened their sticking power. Then because of this magnetic intensification of emotions, the attraction of more thoughts escalated and intensified.

I have learned that we need not allow ourselves to become stuck on concerns and situations that cause us grief, sadness, depression, or loneliness. We need not get to the point where we are tormented, frustrated, or anguished. Rage, anger and distain can be sidestepped. We can learn how to transcend the resentment and bitterness that is being silently or overtly directed toward others. We can also learn how to stop blaming ourselves. We can learn to be unstuck.

Here are a few initial and vital baby-steps to becoming unstuck.
Quiet your mind and body with meditative concentration on an innocuous object. This could be the thought of a cloud, flower or the awareness of each breath that enters your body.

Observe the mind. Just like you would watch a movie, just watch the thoughts that enter your mind and realize how these thoughts attract certain emotions and feelings.

Avoid a react to the thoughts or feelings that arise. Just let them do what they do one their own, without either your involvement or reaction.

These initial three steps will give you an idea of how the mind operates on its own without any intervention. It is a control agent, and thusly will automatically take control of what and how you think; which in-turn controls how you feel physically and what you experience emotionally. Also, the mind is not unlike a sponge.

It will automatically absorb what ever it is that it is applied to. Apply the mind to a certain thought and it will begin to absorb related thoughts and feeling. So the bottom line is that the mind is a control agent, and the way it controls you is by your choice of whatever it is that you overtly or passively will it to absorb. Observing and understanding this fundamental realization is the basis for beginning a shift in the thoughts that move through your mind, and in that single realization is also the potential to change your life. This initial step in Self-realization opens the first door to getting yourself unstuck. ~DB

Mental Movement Through Thought Traction

When bringing up thoughts about past events, encounters or situations we are often absorbing the mind with restrictive thinking. When dwelling on past occurrences, the mind will inevitably dredge up thoughts that are rooted in comparisons. We will compare what did happen to what we wanted to happen. We will compare the situation we are in with the situation we want. We will compare who we are with whom we want to be. All of these comparisons restrict the mind from experiencing clarity, and pureness of the present moment. A mind cluttered with restrictive thoughts cannot do what it is designed to do - to be creative.

Creativity blossoms when the mind is allowed to experience the moment in its pristine state. Thoughts that are rooted in yesterdays’ experiences will sooner or later bog the mind down with sluggish, slow, low energy movement. This sluggishness causes the mind to struggle. Struggle induces resistance between opposing situations - the one we want and the one that we have experienced. Resistive thinking causes the mind to dwell on thoughts that are repeated and re-circulated. So once we dwell on a past circumstance, moving away from the thoughts that focus on it become ever so difficult. At this point our feelings are elevated to the point of critical mass. We become anxiety ridden and then torment ourselves with stressfulness. Often frustration and anger set in.

If you would like to reduce the anxiety and stress in your life and avoid getting caught up in a cycle of repetitive restrictive thoughts, then here are a few things you can do to get yourself moving along the right pathway. Keep your mind in the moment by practicing mindfulness. Do this by sitting quietly and observing the thoughts that come to your mind.

All thoughts have a source and are perpetuated with some sort of resolution in mind. As you observe, try to determine both the source of the thought and what would have to occur in your life for the thought to go away. Then mentally visualize yourself clipping off both ends of the thought pattern. Remove from the thought any resolution that you have in mind. Also, remove the source of the thought.

Once you remove both the source and the proposed destination of the thought then the mind will detect that there is no reason to keep the thought. It no longer has no root or destination. So, sit quietly and mentally picture yourself cutting off both ends of the thought process, and then allow the thought to vanish. As a new thought arises do the same. Sit quietly and repeat this practice for five to ten minutes. Observe how your mind becomes so overindulged with thoughts that are caught between the way things are and the way you want them to be.

When repeating this exercise for myself, I also note the meaninglessness of a learned thinking process that dwells on the past. I am able to observe that my mind when dwelling on the past really has minimal capability in reaching a proper outcome. It is just too bogged down and over-encumbered with dredging up feelings and emotions that cannot provide the proper traction to reaching a suitable outcome.

The mind is like a truck and thoughts are analogous to the tires that carry it. The past is like a thick clayish sludge in which the truck tires sit. When we dredge up yesterday’s circumstances and encounters the mind cannot move forward because the thoughts cannot gain traction in sludgy anxiety filled occurrences of yesterday.

Try practicing this mindfulness exercise for five to ten minutes a day and observe for yourself the strand of thoughts that move though your mind. And as you do so, contemplate the thoughts that really control your thinking.

Do you control your mind or does mind control you? Is your mind automatically pulled to a certain situation or are you in charge of where your mind goes and what it focuses on? Are you moving forward in a fulfilling and satisfying way or are you spinning your tires in yesterday’s issues? ~Don~

Remembering your reality

God extends love, and He in no way recognizes the concept of unacceptability. God does not perceive in you or anyone, anything that is lacking. In His eyes no one is unacceptable. In love we are the extension of God made manifest in our human form. In love we are God’s likeness. Love, and you are as God is. In love we are one with God’s mind. When we extend love we are realizing what it is to share God’s presence. At that very moment we are recognizing our oneness with God. We are remembering who we really are. When love is present, God is present. When we are extending love we are expressing life in its true essence. We are realizing our unity with divine consciousness. When we share love or express love we are being as God is. In that very instant we are remembering who we really are and uniting with our reality.
~Don
¤¤¤BE HAPPY!!¤¤¤

Friends & Blessings

Here is a bit of profundity that was forwarded to me by Bob Hoffmann, a longtime friend and a fellow Happy Being. Thanks Bob.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with
guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.

They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.


"Such is the moral construction of the world that no national crime passes unpunished in the long run... Were present oppressors to reflect on the same truth, they would spare to their own countries the penalties on their present wrongs which will be inflicted on them in future times. The seeds of hatred and revenge which they [sow] with a large hand will not fail to produce their fruits in time. Like their brother robbers on the highway, they suppose the escape of the moment a final escape and deem infamy and future risk countervailed by present gain."
- Thomas Jefferson

BLESSINGS
Today I had coffee with a delightful, good-spirited, and heartfelt friend. After returning home I wondered why we had been called to meet and chat. Sometimes when Cheri and I meet, I get off on a
tangent babbling drama that has arisen in my life. And in every instance in which I repeat that behavior while in her company, I end up wondering why I do that. After our little coffee get together I wondered to myself why I just blow all this crap out while conversing with her. Then I opened the email that is printed on the prior page While reading it I gained an insight as to why we were called to meet, and why, at this particular time, an appropriate email message was communicated to me vies a vie Bob, a sturdy old friend.

For two days last weekend, retreat participants were united with the frequency vibration of pure divine love. During that time in retreat, I requested that the light be brought forth, and that we adjoin in divine consciousness. For in divine consciousness the light leads the way, and the path of Reality is cleared. Through divine consciousness we were unified with the meaning of our lives and adjoined the mind of God. The messages that were spoken in the retreat were again made aware to me in during the following week.

You see, I was called to meet with my friend Cheri and receive a message from my buddy Bob because it was the Universe’s way of reinforcing my awareness of what love and life are really about. God had sent me two runners to remind me, and keep me on track. I was reminded that the intensity of my concerns and issues are fueled by my own desire to keep the fires of anguish burning. Through the presence and words of these companions I was reminded of my true reality. My mind was redirected and I again recognize the purpose this life would have me serve. These formidable friends are blessings. db¤

Coincidences ~ are they accidental?

Do coincidences just appear by chance or are there some underline invisible basis from which they arise?

I believe that coincidences come forth from our thoughts. Have you ever thought of someone then within a day or so you run in to him or her. This happens to me with such frequency when I think of someone, then see him or her I say: I thought you up.
By that I mean that I have been thinking about you and now here you are.

I believe that as we are being drawn forward by our thoughts, coincidences arise to offer us special messages and guidance that is relative to connecting thought to destiny. Coincidences arise as either a navigational or information tool in leading us along our individual way in life.

A coincidence may appear to show us how to adjust our course; it may reveal what to look out for or something that we should avoid.

A coincidence may appear in the form of information. An off-handed conversation with someone may contain information about one subject that correlates to something entirely different. We may be looking for an answer or solution, and someone else will offer what we are looking for just by giving us an update on what is going on in his or her life.

The important thing about coincidences is to use them. Pay attention to when and how they appear. Try to relate a coincidence to what is being called forth in your life. If you are moving toward a particular idea or destination, look for the message contained in the coincidence that would help you in your movement. db¤

Being Aware Of How You Pray

It is not infrequent that after petitioning to God we feel a let down or experience a sense that God is not listening. Or one may think that God is not responding, and has not taken heed to the request that has put before Him.

For example a petition may be raised to God asking that he present the petitioner with a suitable romantic partner. Or possibly a request is made for discovering the prospects of a better job. In either case, when the request filled prayer goes unheard, then the one making the request is left with sort of an empty and inert feeling. He or she often feels sad and experiences angst.

Instead of praying with a particular request in mind, try meeting God at the source of consciousness from which his love radiates. Ask God to intercede with wisdom and guidance. God communicates to us through love. The wishes that we hold are often not motivated by love, but rather are a reaction to something we feel that we lack. They are a result of seeing what is not really present.

A conventional way of involving God in our lives is through prayer. In doing so often we infer that God is somewhere else and we are here, and we believe that we can get his ear by praying that he uses the power that he possesses out there to quell the issues that arise here. So often it is thought that God appears from on-high to intercede in our lives.

As you know nature repeats its cycles and patterns over and over. So much so that we live our lives in part, according to this repetition. For example we know that a day passes in twenty-four hours. And, we are assured that the oxygen we require is present in the air that we breathe. Without doubt, we realize that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. In our maturation, we come to know that certain laws of nature are also truths.

We can count on to them. And just as we can predict and rely on the static truths of nature, we can likewise depend on the truths of God. So by communicating to God through love we allow His will to be our guide. In doing so we are living according the natural truths of divine consciousness.

If we want to experience God’s intercession in our lives, then it is necessary to meet God though His sole way of communicating. We must experience God’s presence through love. When we do we will be led in the appropriate way. Godly or Universal truths are immutable. They are as reliable and predictable as truths of nature.

You can look toward the west all morning, and will not see a sunrise. The sun always sets in the west and rises in the east. That is an immutable truth. God always communicates through love. That also is an absolute and irrefutable truth. If you want God to appear in your life then you must intercede with Him in accordance with this truth.

Be aware of God’s presence. Ask God to be One with you as you stand in the face of adversity. God is present in your mind. You need not ask that He bring His powers from elsewhere, rather be aware that His power radiates from you. Within you is the presence of God made manifest through the power of love. So the first step in involving God in your life is to realize that through love you may tap into His mind.Then be mindful.

You are now aware that the love of God radiates from within you, so pay attention to the thoughts that are experienced when following that source of love. Avoid conceding to thoughts that originate in self-pity or the belief that you are missing something that you should have. Rather know that love is the pathway on which you travel. Like traveling through rushing, rocky river bottoms realize that the way through rocky life experiences will be made obvious. A way will appear.

God will navigate, and love is the pathway on which you travel. Like traveling trough rushing, rocky, river bottoms, realize that the way through rocky life experiences will be made obvious. A way will appear. God will navigate.

Follow the light. When you experience doubt and want to alter the course, instead surrender your concerns to the light of love that radiates from within you. When problems and issues arise say to yourself: “I am the way, the truth and the light.” Then allow that light to radiate and illuminate the way.

Meditate. Think about who you really are. Reinforce the mind’s ultimate strength with thoughts about who you really are. Know that the presence of God is within you. Know that all things in your life can be approached with that divine presence within. Know that when you see
your problems and issues through love that all matters are resolvable. – Don ¤¤

If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it. ~Mother Teresa

I do believe that everything we see, everything that is in front of us is just the visible part of reality. We have the invisible part of reality, like emotions for example, like feelings. This is our perception of the world, but God is--as William Blake said--in a grain of sand and in a flower. This energy is everywhere.
Paulo Coelho Quotes

WHAT IS SOTO ZEN?

Soto Zen emphasizes the practice of "just wholehearted sitting" as an unparalleled way to realize universal buddha nature, and as a great teaching on how to live. It is sitting without a personal goal, letting go of the mind's usual clinging to ideas and identities, and returning endlessly to full engagement in the present moment. Soto Zen also teaches through koans, classic Zen teachings presented in dialogue and action, through the words of Zen masters, and through study of Buddhist sutras.

Soto Zen pays particular attention to making your best effort in all you do, not separating spiritual practice from the rest of your life, and thus to taking the best care you can of the daily realities of family, work, and community. Ethics in Soto Zen are based on the sixteen bodhisattva precepts that are a guide for one's practice and an inquiry into the best way to live. Ceremony and ritual observances are further ways to express people's joys and sorrows.

The universal spiritual practice offered by Soto Zen is particularly relevant to today's complex, dynamic and pressured world. As anxiety about the future increases, a sense of isolation and sadness grows with it, and it is easy to lose one's spiritual compass. Despite increasing standards of comfort, expanding opportunities for education, and the excitement of technology, people in the modern world have not found peace of mind or peace among each other.

Soto Zen is a way of bringing peace into our lives and into our world, because it is a way of awakening and caring. It is a practice based on the creative, life-force of the universe that is native to all beings without exception as their truest nature, known as buddha nature. As this is our nature we have always at hand in this moment the opportunity to awaken to the vast reality of life. We are already in the complete universe of life as it truly is, but we are all too rarely aware of this, so we are rarely able to act in accord with our true nature. Seeing into one's nature, the anxiety of the self gives way to the generosity of equanimity and caring.
~szba.com