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busy life
June 2009 
Under the Banyan Tree 2
Posted on Oct 12th, 2006
by 
Harshada
Harshada
Just..... s t o p
Hi friends,
Last night I stayed up late hanging out with some friends in Brooklyn. We live in upper Manhattan so it is a bit of a trip and we didn't get home and into bed until after 1am. This is pretty late for me. So I got up late and I have a zillion things to do today and it could very easily be a perfect day for me to blow off my meditation practice. I could easily spend another 15-45 minutes here surfing the net, checking emails, organizing my schedule or whatever.
But what I know is that if I do take the time to practice, it will make a world of difference- not only for my day and my mind, but for my life and my world.
The truth is that I woke up late today. In a certain way, it felt like I woke up into an already fast-flowing world. It would be really easy for me to just give over to that flow. When I get up early to make time for practice, or if I take time off and go on a retreat, or find some beautiful place in the country, or go to some holy Indian temple it feels like a powerful time out. It gives me a perspective of being away, out of the flow.
But....how often can I go to an Indian temple? How often do I actually get out of the city, How often can I go on retreat. For many busy modern people- even getting up early can be very difficult.
We have to learn to just s t o p.
It is a simple matter of just putting on the brakes and insisting on a time for ourselves. Even a short period of quiet sitting can make a huge difference. Taking the time and making the simple effort does, in a certain sense, stop the flow of our world for a time. It gives us a chance to center ourselves, remember who we really are and then re-engage with our outer flow from a place of connection and power.
And yes, it makes our crazy day that much less crazy. It makes our sad day that much less sad. It prepares our minds to be as clear and positive as possible as we go out into the world.
Here's the cool part: When we take that little time to do that to go inside despite all the other outer demands- we create a mini revolution. We actually stem the tide of human suffering. I really believe that. The sages and masters all tell us that we suffer because we chase after fulfillment and satisfaction exclusively on the outside. (They never condemn the outside world but they do warn us that if we put all of our attention there we will bring on extra suffering). We really do have a choice today- we can just go ahead and join into the ranks of half-alive, tired, un-centered, unhappy people or we can do something different. We can stop. We can sit down. We can take a moment to go inside.
When we stop and just sit down and take 15 minutes to meditate or watch our breath, or pray and offer the elements of our life over to God or Higher Power or Consciousness or whatever we believe in, we have actually exit the rat race - the wheel of samsara. We enter into a whole new arena. Of course, many people take more than 15 mintues. Many of us dedicate a whole section of our day to our inner practice.
Then we go out into the subways and streets and offices and malls; and we do so connected to that Inner Place. We do so with a mind and heart that's ready to help.
Okay now its my time!
For more support for your meditation practice visit us online www.banyaneducation.com
Hi friends,
Last night I stayed up late hanging out with some friends in Brooklyn. We live in upper Manhattan so it is a bit of a trip and we didn't get home and into bed until after 1am. This is pretty late for me. So I got up late and I have a zillion things to do today and it could very easily be a perfect day for me to blow off my meditation practice. I could easily spend another 15-45 minutes here surfing the net, checking emails, organizing my schedule or whatever.
But what I know is that if I do take the time to practice, it will make a world of difference- not only for my day and my mind, but for my life and my world.
The truth is that I woke up late today. In a certain way, it felt like I woke up into an already fast-flowing world. It would be really easy for me to just give over to that flow. When I get up early to make time for practice, or if I take time off and go on a retreat, or find some beautiful place in the country, or go to some holy Indian temple it feels like a powerful time out. It gives me a perspective of being away, out of the flow.
But....how often can I go to an Indian temple? How often do I actually get out of the city, How often can I go on retreat. For many busy modern people- even getting up early can be very difficult.
We have to learn to just s t o p.
It is a simple matter of just putting on the brakes and insisting on a time for ourselves. Even a short period of quiet sitting can make a huge difference. Taking the time and making the simple effort does, in a certain sense, stop the flow of our world for a time. It gives us a chance to center ourselves, remember who we really are and then re-engage with our outer flow from a place of connection and power.
And yes, it makes our crazy day that much less crazy. It makes our sad day that much less sad. It prepares our minds to be as clear and positive as possible as we go out into the world.
Here's the cool part: When we take that little time to do that to go inside despite all the other outer demands- we create a mini revolution. We actually stem the tide of human suffering. I really believe that. The sages and masters all tell us that we suffer because we chase after fulfillment and satisfaction exclusively on the outside. (They never condemn the outside world but they do warn us that if we put all of our attention there we will bring on extra suffering). We really do have a choice today- we can just go ahead and join into the ranks of half-alive, tired, un-centered, unhappy people or we can do something different. We can stop. We can sit down. We can take a moment to go inside.
When we stop and just sit down and take 15 minutes to meditate or watch our breath, or pray and offer the elements of our life over to God or Higher Power or Consciousness or whatever we believe in, we have actually exit the rat race - the wheel of samsara. We enter into a whole new arena. Of course, many people take more than 15 mintues. Many of us dedicate a whole section of our day to our inner practice.
Then we go out into the subways and streets and offices and malls; and we do so connected to that Inner Place. We do so with a mind and heart that's ready to help.
Okay now its my time!
For more support for your meditation practice visit us online www.banyaneducation.com
Access: Public
Reading this was a space of respite for me.
Sometimes I rush out of the house (ok, a lot of the time) to get to work, and then as soon as I hit the crisp morning air, I catch myself rushing and not paying attention to simple yet important thing, like the way my breath is flowing throughout my body.
On the train I find the moment to pause, close my eyes, and focus myself on my higher intentions, is also the perfect place to make my re-entry into the world after having 'stopped'. All the good folks of the city, caught up in their thoughts and concerns, sharing the train ride with me….are in for a surprise.
A direct, gentle look at a person, and a simple grin, does wonders for people's awareness.
Thanks for the peaceful pause, buddy.
Ahhhh…thank you…awesome! And that picture pulls me right inside…