Thursday's Thoughts - December 6th, 2012

“You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.” 
-Gautama Buddha

I would like to begin this addition of Thursday's Thoughts with a sincere apology for not contributing to this series as much as it deserves. Unfortunately, as I search for my own Tao I am finding less time to meditate, let alone write my internal feelings on these quotes. Since meditation is as imperative to me as breathing, it is my time invested in writing that experiences the discourse. Please know that Serenity Sought is of paramount importance to me, as are the thousands of daily subscribers that claim my sources of inspiration for their own.

I have chosen the quote above based on the sincere gratitude that I wish to express based on the success of Serenity Sought. The purpose of these quotes was to provide points of meditation to reflect and discern their meaning as it relates to you, and your response has been overwhelming. Having as many people choose my site, or its sister sites across the social networks, as their daily source of inspiration fills me with an immeasurable amount of joy.

There is a reason that Cicero once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” Without truly understanding gratitude, we can not appreciate what is to come next, which is everything. We must understand nothing is owed to us, there is nothing that we have coming to us that we have not already earned. This helps eliminate our sense of injury, and the injury that is associated with it. What is left is the sincerest gratitude for life and everything that comes along with it, especially the darkness that provides us the wisdom to endure.

There are many things in life that you can be thankful for even when being bludgeoned by the dark side of chance. Take joy in your existence, and take care not to forsake even the smallest of things that are easily taken for granted. Do you ever pause to express silent gratitude for the sun rising every day? Do you know how imperative it is that it does? We must make a choice on how we see our life, and dismissing the negative emotions as quickly as they appear is the first step. It can be difficult to see the abundance that life has to offer if you continually feed your sense of injury and ego with negative energy and emotions, and it is imperative to dismiss them, or you will not be receptive to the joys that follow.

Thursday's Thoughts - August 9th, 2012

“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself.” 

-Lao Tzu

Why is it that we are the only species on this Earth that require schooling? Let us examine geese for a moment, they are perfect, requiring little to no guidance or instruction. They know their purpose and their task at hand through instinct and following example. Tao is always with these creatures, even though they are not actively seeking it. They do not need to be aware of the Tao's existence, as they have no rational consciousness to divorce themselves from the Tao.

It is only humanity that constantly separates itself from the Tao. We require different methods in order to reintegrate ourselves into the Way. We must go beyond the interference from our own internal ego, so we may know the Tao with the same constant intimacy as geese.

Whether you know or not, we cannot be anything other than ourselves. We don't require knowledge and schooling to know who we are. A rock is a rock, regardless if the rock knows it. A tree is a tree, even though guidance was never given to it. Knowledge is not needed for being, and often we miss who we are because we are desperately searching for this knowledge as if it were a hoarded secret.

An ancient Zen proverb states, "Beware of Buddha. If you meet him on the way, kill him immediately." There is a human tendency to become imitators, and this Zen proverb illustrates the point perfectly. There is only one Buddha, and he has transcended. Existence would become boring if we all imitated Buddha. Existence wants somebody new, something original. It wants you, and it wants you to be yourself.

Thursday's Thoughts - August 2nd, 2012

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them -- that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." 

-Lao Tzu

There is nothing in the universe that needs to be taken seriously. All of my bodily resistance comes from taking things in life too seriously, including myself, when really all of life is pure joy when it is allowed to flow without resistance. I am my own obstacle, and I must overcome myself in order to embrace enlightenment.

I must take nothing seriously. Nothing in life is serious. All is good, joyous, happy, fun when seen in truth. Seeing aspects of life negatively makes it negative, threatening your own soul and existence. I must allow myself to accept that nothing is truly under my control, the only control I have is how I choose to perceive the uncontrollable variable.

I can make decisions on a daily basis that will affect my level of happiness, but there are an infinite number of factors that influence and affect everything at all times for which I can never prepare or compensate for. I must realize that this is the way of things, and embrace life for its constant change and the excitement that comes with it. I must dismiss sorrow as quickly as it comes, and accept it willingly as I would accept happiness, for lessons are learned when the pain cuts deep.

As Shunryu Suzuki once said, "When you can laugh at yourself, there is enlightenment." I will make mistakes, but so will everyone else. True happiness is not found by never falling down, but discovered when rising with a lesson learned. I have the absolute same intrinsic value as every other organism that exists on this earth. I recognize that this means I am a valuable piece of the cosmic puzzle. Without my energy, this world as it is perceived by the masses would cease to exist.

Thursday's Thoughts - July 26th, 2012

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
-Gautama Buddha

It is hard to find joy when your soul is filled with hate, and even harder when you are filled with self-righteous angst. How can you embrace the varied aspects of beauty in your life when you are constantly seething with uncontrollable anger?

Of all concepts, this is the Taoist and Zen Buddhist precept that I struggle the most with. In everyday life we are confronted with people who hate a variety of people, for varied reasons. Hate has become these individuals' constant companion, intoxicating their thoughts and views with its malignancy.

It is one matter to favor one thing over another, or even dislike a certain aspect in regards to an individual's character, but hate itself is an all-consuming emotion. It creates tension in one's mind and body and fuels the fires of never-ending self-created stress.

In many ways hate is not unlike a self-imposed cancer. Its malignancy eats away at both the positive and negative aspects of the person wielding it. It absorbs the surrounding thoughts and ideals, twisting them for its own dark purpose.

After a time, a person's self identity becomes inveigled in the emotion of hate in a way that it becomes the person. When this happens the soul is lost, and you are left with nothing but the vessel. Your hate becomes you, and unlike the weapon you anticipated it being, it becomes an unquenchable fire that willingly accepts the sacrifice of your dreams, thoughts, and soul.

Thursday's Thoughts - July 19th, 2012

"The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves."

-Alan Watts

What is the meaning of Zen? What is the meaning of life? Philosophers, and Zen-seekers have argued this question since we have acquired the ability to communicate, yet we are now just as far from the answer as we were when we first began to argue the point. 

The only truth of life is that we are dying the moment that we are born. In all honesty, Zen Buddhism and Taoism have little to say about the true meaning of life, but it has a lot to say about the function of life. Zen teaches us we must seek to attain enlightenment and save all beings from suffering if it can be helped, but only if it helps assist those that suffer. 

Wisdom, and character are gained from suffering, it allows us to know our strengths and define our limits. So even suffering itself, has its worth and purpose. To embody this human function is to secure a mind that always asks, "How can I assist in making your life better?" This Zen-mind only concerns itself with the well-being of others, and since a majority of the human race has an issue with denying the self in favor of others, we have very few who have achieved the title Zen or Taoist Master.

All things arise due to causes and conditions, and these are constantly morphing and impermanent. We are born, we live, we die, and we live again, serving endlessly in the cosmic dance of ever-changing fate. The meaning of life can be found in us all, and the real question that you should be asking yourself is, "What is the meaning of your life?" It should be a question we inquire to inspire conversation, to get to know one another, to understand each others purpose. It can't be answered for you, not even by Buddha himself, but it can be experienced and understood.

Experience your life, and seek to understand it as it relates to you. Embrace it as you would your lover, and give to it with all the compassion that exist in this Universe. This world is what we make it, and your world can only be undone by another if you allow it.

Thursday's Thoughts - June 28th, 2012

Recently, a few of my readers got in contact with me and expressed interest in my thoughts on the quotes that I have posted for Serenity Sought. I explained to them that a majority of these quotes are provided by Zen and Taoist Masters, many of their teachings are for the beholder to analyze and learn from. A few of the quotes were actually intended to be heard before meditation in order to decipher their purpose internally.

Meditation is very sacred to me. It has helped me find balance when I felt I could barely stand, it is an amazing and personal tool. Amazing, because I have possessed this power all along and only in the last few years began to really understand its worth. Personal, due to the thoughts that come and go as gently as the breath that sustains them.

I took this knowledge home with me, and believe it or not, meditated on it. It occurred to me that my feeling of power, and my personal thoughts are irrelevant. The joy and exhilaration that I am capable of achieving was never mine to be possessed solely. All of these thoughts were laid down by men who have achieved far greater enlightenment than I may ever see. Without a doubt, I would never have began my search for the Tao had they hoarded their own personal thoughts and musings.

So on this day, of all days, I shall begin a weekly tradition of Thursday's Thoughts. Choosing a quote from men and women who have achieved understanding of Zen, or the Tao, I will then grant insight into my personal thoughts after my own meditation on the quote. I begin this tradition with you on the date in which I celebrate my birth by asking you to join in on the discussion. Your thoughts are as valid as my own.

"Zen is not some kind of excitement, but concentration on our usual everyday routine" 

-Shunryu Suzuki

The ebb and flow of yin and yang encompasses all of life and its creation. Remember that yin is the positive energy, while yang is the negative. Being mindful of the self and understanding that the only control you possess is over yourself assists in the detachment of emotional conflict and confusion. Realize that emotions have their place, recognize them as they come.

Embrace the emotions that give you joy, while discarding those that bring you pain and sorrow. Realize that these negative emotions are not simply obstacles, they just are. It is your own perception that brings wroth to your internal energy. Simply perceiving, recognizing, and letting go will save you from a life of anguish and torment. Don't simply exist, be mindful of your existence.

It is you that sends ripples across the calmness of the lake, you are the intruder in the way of things. To stay still in the depths, to be mindful of the moment, this is what makes the ripples dissipate. When the disturbance passes serenity remains, and a clarity washes over its surface to reveal the mysteries hidden in the depths of the mind. Enlightenment can be achieved by anyone, and happiness embraced by everyone, yet you do not reach out and grasp these things. You must be still, and allow them to happen.

Acceptance that the triumphs could not exist without the disasters grants you peace in the knowledge that this too shall pass. This can only be achieved through the study of your own existence, concentrating on your own tasks. There is art in everything, from taking out the garbage to picking up a pen. Are you capable of seeing this art? Greatness is not achieved with bravado, but instead is achieved in the smallest of tasks. Recognize these tasks for their worth, find joy in their simpleness. Your purpose is seen through focus of the now, let this focus help you understand who you are.