For some time now during my meditations I am transported into this visual experience where I see myself walking on a beach with my Guru. He is a man clothed in a deep orange monk's robe. It is the most peaceful experience and without words he invites me to walk with him. I am so comforted by his presence and we walk and walk until my mind strays to some current life event and I am no longer on the beach with him.
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In my day to day worldly life, I have committed to living moment to moment on as a spiritual pilgrimage. Which to me simply means that each day is an opportunity to grow closer to God. God, being the wonderful being that he is, has given us the gift of free will and so we can choose to walk daily with him or we can attempt to take control of our own lives.... and you know how that goes; we suffer the consequences of wrong actions and end up in a continuous repeating pattern.
I will preface that even though I have made the conscious choice to walk the spiritual path moving towards self-realization, every so often I stumble. It became apparent to me the other day that although I have great courage to face anything, I was still being pulled into this incessant trap of worrying about money... which is quite ridiculous, because at the very moment I have everything I need -- food, shelter, good company, friends and renewed family connections.
I discovered through my meditations and through the transmissions my guru sends to me when I am in a state of peace, that worry is a form of 'drama.' And drama pulls us away from God.
A few years back I began looking into the Buddhist faith as well as Hindi culture. In both religions there is a discussion around karma and rebirth. It seems to be that if we don't learn our lessons we must come back after death again and again to overcome these trials. What interested me the most about what I was beginning to understand was that the dramas of life are actually the cause of the death-rebirth cycle or the repeating patterns.
Google Images - In the Footsteps of Buddha
During my lengthy meditation the other day as I walked with my guru on the beach I was given a birds eye view of seeing the scene from a much higher level. I could see the two of us walking as well as witnessing a variety of colors and scenes flashing like a movie in the nearby ocean. It was so beautiful it looked like the dancing northern lights. I also had the view of being inside my body standing next to my guru. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a glimpse of the flashing lights, yet I was not lured in by them, I kept my gaze wholeheartedly connected to my guru.
Google Images
At the end of our walk he commended me for my devoted focus. He went on to explain that the flashing scenes in the ocean were of all my life actions. The whole experience appeared to be a foreshadowing of the actual death or out-of-body experience that comes when we finally leave our human bodies. He shared with me that what ends the death-rebirth cycle is when you can stand beside God or your Guru and keep your gaze solely and loyally on the Divine. It only takes one moment to glance at a passing past-life scene and you are immediately pulled back into the wheel of repeating patterns, back into the world, to live and suffer all over again.
He shared with me that the purpose of meditation while you are still in body is actually a training for your eventual death. I never really understood why I meditated I just knew that when I did, I felt good during and after. Now that I know meditation is a training for our departure, I am much more interested in this process of human evolution.
How often have you been meditating and the phone rings and you are tempted to answer it, or you get a thought about an email you want to send or just even the smallest thing like an itch overwhelms you and you are torn out from your inner peace.
The ability to be still in the mind does not just happen in meditation - a master works on this in all aspects of his/her life. To not be pulled into the dramas of gossiping about others or slip into self-deprecating thoughts of doom is a huge victory.
I have a friend who sometimes shares things with me about his life. Often times he will preface his story by saying he has not told anyone else what he is about to share with me. I suppose because it feels so big and there is fear that most people would judge him. I didn't realize I was doing this but he said to me my responses are always without reaction and carry no expression of shock. When you can be a witness for another staying neutral in your own thoughts this is another form of not going into drama - and not entering the wheel of death-rebirth.
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I reflected that my recent writings talk alot about death and to some that may sound morbid or depressing - to me it is wonderful. As I continue to master the practice of meditation it is actually freeing me up to living more fully in this life without attachment to emotional chaos or worry which can be incredibly heavy and debilitating.
On that thought I am going to go meditate now. And since I am writing this on Saturday evening, November 5th I am actually taking Sunday (the next 30 hours) off of technology - keeping with the idea that on the 1st Sunday of the month I am encouraging people to shut off their phone, internet and TV and do something else like go outside and enjoy nature.
Good night.
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