Reiki Help Blog :: Oasis Reiki Dojo

Meditation is a form of stopping. It stops the racing mind. It puts on the brakes when automatic thoughts take over. With meditation you can stop reactivity. It can stop destructive emotions from arising, or accelerating. When you can simply stop, a range of possibilities opens up. Otherwise whatever is arising dominates and you become it. Not only doesn’t that feel good, or contribute to your day, it isn’t what you are. You are not the hyper mind or the afflictive emotion.

Let’s go back to stopping. Most people only stop when they’re asleep. You attempt stopping on weekends, vacations, trips, etc. The trouble is that these timeouts go little beyond basic relaxation. Relaxation is fine, it’s a good thing. Relaxation alone doesn’t create awareness. And often that special weekend turns into a fight, feelings get hurt and the whole thing is ruined. This is because the conditioned mind and unhealed emotional content have not been put under the lamp of awareness.

Putting on the brakes is crucial. It’s only then you have a chance to actually notice where your triggers are. In meditation you learn about yourself. It’s hard to learn about yourself in the rush hours of life. Your awareness isn’t exactly free or clear for self-study. Your awareness is trapped by your to-do list, hunger pangs, a concern about your child or friction with a co-worker.

Using the brakes of meditation to just stop is a very good beginning. It allows a distancing from the habituated self, the one that runs on automatic impulses and ego needs. This distance is vital. Without it you remain a story. With your mask on and story intact you remain the status quo. Drop both and you’re transformed.

Once awareness is liberated and honed with regular meditation practice, it pervades daily life. It becomes a continuous and ever-deepening resource. Awareness which is foundational to the mind and its real nature, reclaims its place, giving you strength, solidity and spaciousness. As you continue meditating, awareness also transforms reactivity and destructive emotions so you’re triggered less often and for less amounts of time. You understand that your true nature is peaceful, joyful and whole.

Why meditate? Sometimes I wonder why we need to ask this question. Nobody who admires a talented artist, or pianist and would like to become one would say, “Why should I train? Why don’t I just go on stage and play Mozart?” However, when it comes to the basic human qualities that we might admire and hope to acquire—altruism, inner strength, inner freedom to deal with whatever comes our way, emotional balance, not being swayed by hatred and craving and jealousy— we think that they come up just because we want them to, without any training. Or we think that they are fixed, permanent, and that we can’t change them. It is absurd to think that we do not need training to nourish these kinds of positive qualities.

We have the potential to be more kind, to practice mindfulness, and to experience well-being, but we only use a small fraction of the potential we have. So that’s what meditation is about: to cultivate the qualities that we have the potential for but that remain dormant, latent, unused, and to develop them to the best of our own potential.

— Matthieu Ricard

Each post for the Reiki Help Blog can take anywhere from 1-5 days to write/research, proofread/edit, and post with an appropriate image and formatting. If you leave this space with any value, knowledge, joy or understanding, please consider making a donation of your choice.

Donate to this blog. Thank you!

Here’s a great thought:

How is it possible that a being with such sensitive jewels as the eyes, such enchanted musical instruments as the ears, and such fabulous arabesque of nerves as the brain can experience itself anything less than a god. — Alan Watts

The short answer is that what we experience through the five senses is limited and often misleading. In his lecture for being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1968, Yasunari Kawabata in part said:

The Zen disciple sits for long hours silent and motionless, with his eyes closed. Presently he enters a state of impassivity, free from all ideas and all thoughts. He departs from the self and enters the realm of nothingness. This is not the nothingness or the emptiness of the West. It is rather the reverse, a universe of the spirit in which everything communicates freely with everything, transcending bounds, limitless […] The disciple must, however, always be lord of his own thoughts, and must attain enlightenment through his own efforts. And the emphasis is less upon reason and argument than upon intuition, immediate feeling. Enlightenment comes not from teaching but through the eye awakened inwardly. Truth is in “the discarding of words,” it lies “outside words.” And so we have the extreme of “silence like thunder,” in the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra. Tradition has it that Bodhidharma, a southern Indian prince who lived in about the sixth century and was the founder of Zen in China, sat for nine years in silence facing the wall of a cave, and finally attained enlightenment. The Zen practice of silent meditation in a seated posture derives from Bodhidharma.

The five senses are highly conditioned. They perceive through multiple filters: Our childhood, parents and family, culture and religion, peers, and our own wounds as well as biases, often based on wounds. The senses which inform the brain, and the brain directly are influenced very powerfully by the accepted and promoted version of “reality” we’re educated into. A “reality” the senses verify because they are constantly turned outward.

The only real way out of this conundrum is silence. Silence is at our core. If we stop we can reacquaint ourselves with it. The outer world is noisy and busy. Our senses are trapped in the noise and busyness. But those aren’t our real nature.

“Buddha-nature, the essence of awakened enlightenment itself, is present in everyone. Its essence is forever pure, unalloyed, and flawless. It is beyond increase or decrease. It is neither improved by remaining in nirvana nor degenerated by straying into samsara. Its fundamental essence is forever perfect, unobscured, quiescent, and unchanging. Its expressions are myriad.” — Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche

Meditation nowadays has become a marketplace item, like everything else. A relaxation or guided meditation CD, going to the beach, swinging in a hammock, listening to running water all dim the input of the senses, or rather access the senses’ inner counterparts. These are all good places to start. It has to be emphasized that the seduction of the senses turned outward is overpowering. To break this hold needs a more serious method and its engagement.

Meditation reveals the silence within. Meditation reveals that the five senses have subtle counterparts that access silence and everything it is. Meditation reveals that silence is an abode, constant and eternal. Meditation reveals truth. Meditation is respite from the racing mind. Meditation is unlearning.

Meditation, simply defined, is a way of being aware. It is the happy marriage of doing and being. It lifts the fog of our ordinary lives to reveal what is hidden; it loosens the knot of self-centeredness and opens the heart; it moves us beyond mere concepts to allow for a direct experience of reality. Meditation embodies the way of awakening: both the path and its fruition. From one point of view, it is the means to awakening; from another, it is awakening itself. — Lama Surya Das

Each post for the Reiki Help Blog can take anywhere from 1-5 days to write/research, proofread/edit, and post with an appropriate image and formatting. If you leave this space with any value, knowledge, joy or understanding, please consider making a donation of your choice.

Donate to this blog. Thank you!

If you are new here or haven’t subscribed yet, please subscribe via email. You can also follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook.

Even if you’re not a Reiki practitioner, the following precepts and commentary on them can help you because they are universal.

For today only:
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be humble
Be honest in your work
Be compassionate to yourself and others

When we look at the Reiki precepts Usui Sensei included in the heart of his teachings, we usually focus on the keywords of “anger,” “worry,” “humility,” etc. These are huge of course and deserve contemplation and deep engagement (read Usui’s Precepts: The living tissue of Reiki). For the purpose of greater understanding, let’s go ahead and breakdown some other parts of the precepts.

This set of guidelines is really divided into two sections: The “Do not,” and the “Be.” Although we know them as the Gokai or five principles, “For today only” is powerful enough to stand on its own, and we’ll break that down too.

© Pamir Kiciman 2010

On one level, these are classic ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ found in all teachings. If you strip all the words and ideas attached to “Do not,” and “Be,” however, a new understanding is born. This bare, minimalist consideration brings a simple clarity.

“Do not” that’s not followed by another idea points to the action state of ‘doing’ and tells us to drop it. This is perfectly natural, as Reiki is a practice in nondoing. It’s a teaching that draws the practitioner into an original silence within. In an actionless state we can truly heal and be healed; we can truly propel evolution and rest in the spiritual. Action is changeable, it’s in flux. Spiritual qualities like wisdom and compassion are only available when outer action is stilled. Thus, Usui tells us: “Not do!”

Then he reinforces it with, “Be.” If we are, no guidelines are needed because we directly embody humility, honesty and compassion. These qualities are natural to us. They exist in the same silence we originate from and are born into the world with us. Isn’t that wonderful? From this beginning we enter a living and expressing process of obscuring and complicating this utterly simple setup!

And there’s what could possibly be considered a sixth precept: “For today only.” This is also about being.

“Today” means ‘now.’ It’s not about sunrise to sunset. It’s about the light of awareness in each moment. In each moment we have a task at hand, are involved in an activity, or interacting with someone. In each case, if we can truly be in the moment, anger and worry simply don’t arise. Anger and worry are machinations of the egoic mind. Awareness helps us dip into the silence which keeps us in balance and harmony even in the midst of intense activity.

Words are part of the world which is of form and activity. Ideas and words have to be used to describe truths which are formless. It’s a tricky proposition. The formless can ultimately only be experienced. In getting to truth through a teacher’s words, it’s helpful to consider them with freshness and notice the subtlety. Many teachings are condensed, nuggets really and in bringing out their inner meaning we have to sense outside the parameters of language and syntax.

Please share in comments what the precepts mean to you and how have they enriched your life.

The secret of beginning a life of deep awareness and sensitivity lies in our willingness to pay attention. Our growth as conscious, awake human beings is marked not so much by grand gestures and visible renunciations as by extending loving attention to the minutest particulars of our lives. Every relationship, every thought, every gesture is blessed with meaning through the wholehearted attention we bring to it. In the complexities of our minds and lives we easily forget the power of attention, yet without attention we live only on the surface of existence. It is just simple attention that allows us truly to listen to the song of a bird, to see deeply the glory of an autumn leaf, to touch the heart of another and be touched. We need to be fully present in order to love a single thing wholeheartedly. We need to be fully awake in this moment if we are to receive and respond to the learning inherent in it.

—Christina Feldman and Jack Kornfield

Each post for the Reiki Help Blog can take anywhere from 1-5 days to write/research, proofread/edit, and post with an appropriate image and formatting. If you leave this space with any value, knowledge, joy or understanding, please consider making a donation of your choice.

Donate to this blog. Thank you!

© Pamir Kiciman 2010

The paradox of human emotion is that it both enriches life by accessing a wide range of experiences, and can also be a merciless trap. We’re not robots. Our capacity for love, happiness, excitement, really anything that makes the heart swell and sparks the mind is cherished. At the same time, not all emotions are pleasant and even the ones that are can limit us. In the two previous posts regarding this (I & II) the specific distinction was made between an emotion and the human ability to feel. While these are used synonymously by everyone including many experts, the truth of the matter is that feeling is what allows us to experience an emotion which is the ‘color’ or ‘flavor’ of the feeling state. Emotion is what bubbles to the surface from an ocean of feeling.

This ocean of feeling is a truer source and we’re built to tap it. It’s a spiritual resource, not merely mental or emotional. Emotions don’t reach a state like peace, not fully. Peace is a feeling, a higher feeling if you will. Peace, balance, compassion, unity… these are ‘spiritual’ feelings or states that we can experience beyond relating to life emotionally. They are feeling states.

Unless there’s emotional healing, higher feeling states are elusive or inconsistent, or even dangerous as it may add to our imbalance. For instance, Love simply is. It existed before we did. It’s one of those feeling states that emotions can get in the way of. It’s a tragicomedy how so many cling stubbornly and painfully to emotions. Feelings are abiding, they’re built into the matrix of life. Emotions are what advertisers play with.

A feeling is fluid, it’s alive, it’s dynamic, it actually helps us when we tune into it or go deeply into it, it actually helps us connect with ourselves more deeply.

Emotion tends to be going outwards, like in seeking some sort of external expression. That’s why it’s called “e”motion, “e” here is short for Latin ex, which means out of some motion, out of, it’s motion taking us out of ourselves. — John Welwood

What is emotional healing? Primarily, it’s living without resentment and trauma tied to the past, that today triggers behavior and emotions negatively impacting you and those around you. Is it possible to be emotionally healed? Yes! The value of emotional healing is that it harmonizes your relationship with yourself and others. It gives you a sense of confidence and self-esteem so you can function well in the world, and be free of mental and emotional afflictions.

Once this is established, other levels of being open up. There’s the emotional heart and the spiritual Heart. The emotional heart has to right itself before the endless horizon of the spiritual Heart becomes available. A wounded ‘little’ heart can’t even consider the possibilities of Big Heart. Wounds obscure and keep you in the throes of unproductive patterns.

For now, this discussion comes to an end with some excellent writing on the subject by Sally Kempton:

Emotions become problematic only when you identify with them, when you get lost or stuck in them, when you privilege certain emotions and try to deny others. The Tantric attitude toward emotions—acceptance, openness to feeling, combined with the awareness of being a spectator—is really a quality of heart. It takes a certain receptivity and softness.

I’ve used a certain practice for years to cultivate that soft-hearted state of witness. It comes fom the late French spiritual teacher, Jean Klein. Instead of being simply the observer of thoughts and feelings, you consciously welcome them as guests. Anger comes up and you think, “I welcome you.” A beautiful feeling arises: “I welcome you.” […]

Surfing your emotions is possible only after you have cultivated some degree of separation from them, which requires you to have a built-in recognition that you aren’t just your emotions.

Contemporary yogic and Buddhist teachers offer a quiverful of strategies for interrupting the tendency to identify with thoughts and emotions. Basic mindfulness is one. Another is the process of recognizing and challenging the stories and beliefs that you hold about reality. Another, very powerful, practice comes from the devotional traditions and involves offering or turning your emotions to God. Instead of blocking emotion, you use your feeling states to give juice to your practice. There are examples of this in all the devotional traditions—mystical Christianity, Judaism, Sufism, and especially in the bhakti tradition of India.

Each post for the Reiki Help Blog can take anywhere from 1-5 days to write/research, proofread/edit, and post with an appropriate image and formatting. If you leave this space with any value, knowledge, joy or understanding, please consider making a donation of your choice.

Donate to this blog. Thank you!

Last night I met again with Reiki practitioners I’ve trained for our monthly dojo gathering. The theme for the evening was: Simplifying Oneness and how it helps in daily living. Oneness is a foundational truth deeply etched in the Reiki teachings, and across all wisdom traditions. In Reiki the practitioner is one with herself, her environment, others (especially when giving Reiki to another), the cosmos at large, Reiki itself and the Divine. The most accessible felt sense of Oneness through the Reiki teachings is compassion in most cases.

Just to give some context, Oneness has been elucidated cross-culturally by many spiritual traditions, and even by thinkers like Einstein. Here are only some examples:

When we look at the world, at the person in front of us, at the tree outside our window, it’s not immediately apparent that we’re “one” at all. The person in front of you is clearly separate to your eyes, encased in her own skin, with a distinct look and personality. It’s the same with the tree; it’s another life form, doesn’t have human features and is unable to speak to you using language. This sense of separation is accentuated when we’re dealing with people or places far removed from our family, neighborhood and close concerns. We express this distance with the word “foreign.” This word is derived from Latin, Old French and Middle English to have the meanings of “on the outside” and “outside.”

Gives pause, doesn’t it? Is it “outside” that the person in front of you or removed by continents experiences hunger and thirst, pain and pleasure, seeks happiness and prosperity, loves their family and is generally in relationship to life in the same ways and manner you are?!

And what of the tree? It definitely needs food and water. It contributes to life like you do; you admire it for it’s beauty and enjoy its shade or fruit. And it’s a member of a family, a species.

The Buddha said: “All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life.” It’s really that simple. This extends to all of life. Just today, the Dalai Lama’s official Facebook page posted this:

Ultimately, humanity is one, and this small planet is our only home. If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to feel a vivid sense of universal altruism. It is only this feeling that can remove the self-centered motives that cause people to deceive and misuse one another. If you have a sincere and open heart, you naturally feel self-worth and confidence, and there is no need to be fearful of others.

Last night, we gathered our own practical wisdom about Oneness, especially how it helps in daily living. Here are the major points that were shared by everyone:

• When we’re truly one with ourselves and nicely integrated, it’s a state of wellbeing and happiness.
• Oneness makes daily life meaningful and richer.
• Oneness prevents us from taking Nature for granted and helps us notice the miracle of a roadside weed.
• Engaging our spiritual practices with a sense of Oneness adds the dimension that we’re practicing for the whole world and not only ourselves.
• Bring that cultivated sense of Oneness to the workplace means better communication, less expectation and confrontation, an attractive harmony around us, and overall positivity.
• Being in Oneness is a flow state where natural order takes place, where we don’t have to be in control, and “magic” happens.
• This “magic” means that there are resolutions and results beyond what the logical mind could conceive, and arrived at with much less striving.

Oneness isn’t a topic that can fit in a single post, and will continue here in greater depth. In the meantime, please share in comments your insights about how you cultivate Oneness and how that has enhanced your life.

Also sign Humanity’s Team petition for the United Nations to establish a global Oneness day, the first of which is this October 24th.

Each post for the Reiki Help Blog can take anywhere from 1-5 days to write/research, proofread/edit, and post with an appropriate image and formatting. If you leave this space with any value, knowledge, joy or understanding, please consider making a donation of your choice.

Donate to this blog. Thank you!