Hallo, and good day to you!
What’s your favourite food in the whole wide world? Think deeply on this one, it’s an important question.
And how does this relate to being more present and alive? Well, you’ll have to read on.
I have part 2 of your homework on Alertness.
As always, topic first, my commentary after.
______
It's a funny old thing.
You are the stillness, the presence of now, that unspoken yet lived experience of "I am". You are that. It is here all the time.
The problem, the cause of all suffering, is that you are not.
For all the good things of life to come to you ... the end of suffering, complete freedom of choice, peace, joy, calm, focus, purpose ... you need to pay attention, you need to be aware of this foundation to all of Life.
So there is always two parts to Ascension or your meditation or mindfulness or prayer practice: 1) The Ascension Attitude, or a tool, a technique, a thing to help you relax AND refocus, and …
2) your active, alert, curious attention to that tool and what it aligns you with.
Alertness requires no effort, just an interest. When you realise you're off, head back in. Make the most of what you can be alert to, right now.
This week, your homework is all about alertness. Eyes closed, eyes open – what you pay attention to, grows.
______
So - What’s your favourite food?
Now - would you rather think about eating that food, or would you rather actually experience eating it?
Of course, you would rather be stuffing your face with it. Merely thinking about it is torture in comparison.
Experience beats everything. Fill your days with experience. And how you do that is through gently alert awareness.
So often people tell me that “It's my true nature, I am that sense of peace and clarity and being, so I need do nothing,” which is a lovely little trap to get into.
You can be ignorant of your true essence all your life. You can know it’s there, but never live from it.
And living from it is what makes a life truly come Alive.
Life gets extraordinarily simple when you base your awareness in the presence of Now – which is exactly the same as your presence. Where do you stop and the Now begin? (if at all) Find out for yourself – get alert, get curious.
Knowing it is there is not enough, this is all about experience. Without alertness there is no experience. There is just asleep. Which isn’t a deal - when you awake, choose to experience once again.
Alright?
Experience beats everything. Fill every moment with experience.
Awesome - go well!
Arjuna
PS.
You are already what you are looking for. You just need to wake up and be alert to it, now. "Alert to what, precisely?" is a great question to ask.
Here’s some ways you can clear the clutter and start to find out:
https://www.arjunaishaya.com/108-ways-full-content