Our Only Practice

Our only practice: 

really, our only practice is one of allowing - and indeed, it's a practice of a full lifetime commitment, all the way to the last breath taken and surrendered. We are learning to allow what each moment holds without the interference of our denial, that everything is happening in the only way it ever could and this is proven by virtue of whatever's appearing right now. This isn't a blind acceptance or a call for inaction, no, it's more dynamic than that, the practice of allowing is an artful acknowledgement of what's present and our own fluid response in return. It's a play between recognition and response that continues through an entire lifetime, a practice, and once aware that life is constantly allowing, we're more relaxed and easy through the manner we respond. 

we're artist.

living our only practice.

for me this is the true gift of meditation, each moment is a small recognition of allowing, that often thoughts appear and seem to intrude upon a peaceful state of mind. An immediate reaction would be to push the thought away, denying it's moment to appear. And yet through many years of practice I've come to simply bear witness to a thought's arrival, knowing my effort to deny its appearance only leads to further battles of the mind. It's the art of allowing, of recognition and response, and even an initial reaction will find that it's allowed. Everything is, always. It's how life works. 

our only practice is to know that everything's allowed.

even our wish that things were other than they are.

and that's where the real practice begins, our commitment to this art, knowing that our greatest heartache in life is just as pure in it's place as all that gives us pleasure. We are free in our response, but not in what life delivers, tragedy befalls us all, illness and death are always near even as we deny their presence. It's just how things are. So our only practice than isn't one of truly allowing, we are not the ones who decide what's allowed within our lives - no one is, life unfolds with its own course of nature, and we are simply currents in its flow. Our only practice is to see, to bear witness to it all and respond in a heartfelt manner, compassionate, joyful of life even through the pain it often seems to bring. An artist is called to beauty, to add meaning to an empty canvas or a page, if only for themselves alone. 

 that's our only true practice. 

life, allowing...

and the beauty and art of our response. 

~

Peace, Eric