Zen and The Awakened Soul
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Awaken.
Life moves, hovers, floats, bubbles, percolates inside and outside of us everyday.
At some point in our lives though, we have moments of super clarity. Call it Zen. Call it mindfulness. Call it revelation. Call it enlightenment. Call it what you will.
At this point of awakening, you realize several things in life about yourself, about life, and about the vast universe that envelopes us all. It’s like the point after a massive downpour of rain and wind, darkness and chaos, where everything becomes clear and you gaze out into a new world with baby fresh eyes.
All of a sudden, you FEEL like you have never felt.
Everything makes total sense, even if it is only for a flash.
Your body is hypersensitive to the sounds and textures around you, and all the things you have strived so hard for in life such as landing that big job, winning the lottery (even though you never play), falling in mad love with a soulmate, or even finally beating your best golf score to impress your buddies on the course all seem meaningless and pointless.
Materialism and ego cease. Soul rises. Awareness bursts out of every pore within and you simply feel…happy.
You realize that life is no perfect love story from a movie.
You realize that 90% of things don’t ever go the way you planned. So you learn to surrender. You still set goals, you just don’t rely on future expectations.
You realize the things you desired the most (with the most passion and feeling) have actually occurred because you simply gave them power in your mind and eventually, the universe created them for you.
You realize that the real perfection in life is…imperfection. Perfection is purely different perspectives of other people.
You stop being angry at others because you realize that you are just angry at yourself. And if you are the only one angry at yourself, what is the point of that? So you let it go.
You divide the difference of what you need versus what you actually want in life and discover that they are very rarely the same. Walking down the flowered path of desire and passions becomes the correct path, the path of true living. In the end, it always gives you not only what you need, but way more than you have ever wanted. It’s a surprise paradox.
You learn that FEAR really is just a four letter word. Just like the word LOVE. Both are simply feelings. Both are something we will experience in waves throughout our life. When we can simply surrender to both, life moves like a beautiful, cool, crisp mountain river.
You discover that there is your life, then there is your mental story of your life that is shaped by your past, by other people, by media, by peer pressure, and by society norms. During this moment of clarity and awakening, you decide that life as it is, without the story, is much sweeter.
You realize that work doesn’t have to suck. There is a convergence of doing something you love to do and making money at it. Thinking about it is not enough. Taking action injected with fearless passion is.
You realize you are nothing more than energy. You are the same as a rock. You are the same as a tree. In fact, those things are just blobs of energy we LABEL a “tree” and a “rock”. But underneath it all, we are all the same. Atoms. Energy. God’s fingerprints. When we can accept that and see others as ourselves, our ego dies. Our happiness rises.
You realize that there is no such thing as a mistake. You realize that there is no wrong decisions in life. If there were, you would have done something else at the time. So how can it be wrong? What is wrong is what you think would have been right…at the time. Do you think the universe and earth would have lasted billions of years if there was not some sort of cosmic and natural flow to life with all the “mistakes” that have occurred? Things are the way they are for a reason. Let it be that way.
You realize that no one is better. No one is worse. We all stand naked before the mirror at times and look the same.
You see glimpses of mortality in older people. And you even see it in child’s eyes. But at some point, you realize that there is real beauty in age, at every age. And there is beauty in death. That the soul can then transform like a butterfly and take flight in the beautiful unknown. We all will take that flight. But before we do, why not live the way we want?
There are moments that your soul will awaken if you get quiet enough. If you go silent enough. In fact, you may have had these moments during times of chaos or simply during times when the beauty of nature tapped you gently on the shoulder. Or it may have happened in a flash that occured so quickly, you missed it because you blinked. Start looking more. Stop blinking less. It is there.
The universe is knocking.
Open the door.
But first you have to quiet down the noise within to hear it.
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Posted on October 2, 2009
I love this post. I’m always working on being more mindful and I find it really hard. For that reason, reading posts like this really help me out. Thanks, Dayne!
.-= Positively Present´s last blog ..becoming the me i want to be =-.
Hey Dani, thanks for stopping by and commenting. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Being mindful sure isn’t easy, but it sure is worth it when we try.
Cheers,
Dayne
Wow. I love this. You touched on some of the deeper truths in life that are usually beyond words, and you have done it beautifully and so poetically. I’m sort of speechless right now, touched, silent, pondering…
.-= Miche | Serenity Hacker´s last blog ..Create Happiness With Less: Put Your Dreams into Your Routines =-.
Hi there Miche and thanks for your comment and compliments. I really appreciate it. I tried to write this post in a poetic kind of way, yet at the same time, informative. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks again,
Dayne
I loved it
. Thank you so much!. Oh and…I posted it on twitter 
Greetings Claudia and welcome!
I’m really glad you stopped by and most of all, that you enjoyed the post. Please stop by again!
Thanks for the retweet as well!
Cheers,
Dayne
Hi Dayne,
Thank you for this post – it is great! I do get these feelings usually amid chaos as you suggested… I guess after getting caught up in bureaucratic red tape with my business and then I begin thinking how this is totally irrelevant to life itself and how meaningless it really is (the bureacratic stuff, not life!)…
That none of that has any true bearing on happiness, on stopping people doing the wrong thing and that it is just another hurdle or challenge to overcome.
And then you have days when you could just float on happiness. The sun is out, my surroundings (mountains and cane fields) are perfect in their stillness and I feel like I am totally connected to my life.
So now I have a question. When I was younger I used to get these feelings where I guess I could describe them as an “awakening” that I am real, my life is happening and yes, one day I won’t be walking on this earth. It isn’t an out of body experience as such, but it was a strange realisation.
I have tried to explain this to other people and I can never seem to describe the experience properly… then I hadn’t felt it for years until the other night.
I woke at some ridiculous hour and felt the same feeling and realised that I am not going to be here forever. I am aware of my mortality as such, but this is something else.
Do you have any ideas on what I am talking about? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Kirsty
Kristy, first of all, thank you for visiting here and most of all, writing such a fantastic comment and question. My answer to you is this…I think what you are experiencing is getting in touch with your TRUE SELF (the soul). I think when this occurs, we then become alive, we become aware, and MOST of all…we realize that we are indeed fully alive, but it will end.
I think when we have experiences like you have had (I’ve had them myself and I think it has come across in this blog post)…we realize there is more to life than THIS life and US. There is something more going on, quietly, cosmically all around us. I’m not trying to be all “new age” or anything, I’m being serious. I think in those moments with you, you are tapping into your core self, and the core of the life force all around us.
I had a moment about 3 years ago during a simple 15 minute meditation where all of sudden, everything went blank. I felt or experienced the most profound sense of whiteness and total understanding. It all happened in a flash. But I can tell you, I’ve never forgot it and it made me realize there is something great going on underneath our noses.
ANYWAY, I’m not sure if I really answered your question. Let me know what you think.
Cheers,
Dayne
I read a book called An Introduction to Zen Buddhism by D.T. Suzuki when I was 14 (wow, so long ago) and have followed much of the philosophy to this day.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I do stop and smell flowers often
Dayne, would you email me? I have a blog-related question to ask.
Please and thank you.
.-= Pete | The Tango Notebook´s last blog ..Chuck Liddell’s Knock Out Tango Performance on Dancing With the Stars =-.
Hey Pete, I will have to check into that book. Sounds like it had a big impact on you. I’m glad you take time to smell the flowers between breaks of doing the tango.
Thanks for commenting!
Dayne
Dayne, good post, you’re right we’ve all had a taste of this still inherent joy, or flow. Once we start awakening the discoveries are surprising and it seems unique to each journey. Thanks for the wisdom.
.-= Kaushik´s last blog ..Floating… =-.
Greetings Kaushik. How are you doing? I agree with you, when we do start to “wake up”, the discoveries in various paths in life become very unique and colorful.
I appreciate you taking time to comment!
Thanks again,
Dayne
Thanks Dayne, I think your answer was fabulous.
It is great to know that I am not imagining these things and that many other people have had the same sensation!
The feeling for me is one of great joy and great sadness all mixed into one and it leaves me with the desire to achieve that state of being more.
Do you think that meditating helps achieve this state of being? I have engaged in a wonderful course of yoga, but the reflection stage has never allowed me to get there (not that I was intentionally seeking it).
It seemed to me that it comes about when I am not truly expecting it – like waking up in the middle of the night!
Thank you once again, I appreciate your insight!
Best wishes,
Kirsty
Kristy, yes, I really do believe meditation and the practice of daily mindfulness can help one fall into these “flash” states of bliss and awareness. Trying to get there, like you have said, doesn’t cut it. It is all about surrender, non-thinking, and pure awareness.
I appreciate you commenting and posing some great questions along with your life experiences.
Thanks again!
Dayne
An excellent blog entry. Thank you. I had the moment you were talking about last weekend, and actually it was the whole weekend. I tried to hold on to it, but I lost it. But I know it’s there and will come back.
.-= Ninette´s last blog ..Day 42: Homework =-.
Welcome Ninette and thanks for your comment. It’s nice to see so many people respond here about having these types of moments or experiences. Holding onto these moments never works and in fact, ends them. That is exactly what happened to me. Once that moment hit, it ended as soon as I started to think about it. It was profound, but probably only lasted a few seconds.
Thanks again for commenting!
Dayne
Its lovely to hear from others who have had the same experience.
The truth of it when it happens is just so………I don’t think the english language has a word for the feeling.
Perfect, is the closest word I can think of.
Knowing that everything is alright and that I have created my own world and am therefore responsible for it, the unhappiness in the world is perfect as is the absolute joy.
There is no wrong, there just – is,
Peace
Hey there Brigid and welcome here to TheHappySelf.com! You have said it perfectly…that moment can not really be described in words. Words don’t justify it at all. “Perfect” is as close as you can get like you say.
Thanks again for stopping by!
Cheers,
Dayne
Dayne, I really loved this. So much so that I tweeted and stumbled it. Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.
.-= Stephen – Rat Race Trap´s last blog ..An Optimal Balance to Your Life =-.
Welcome Stephen and thanks for your kind comment (and the “Tweet” and “Stumble”)
I really appreciate it and glad you enjoyed the post.
Come back soon!
Dayne
I absolutely loved this line “You still set goals, you just don’t rely on future expectations.”
Also really loved the recognition of everything as energy, I’ve had moments like this, but I hadn’t figured out how to explain them. You just feel so much at peace that it is hard to put in to words. Way to go!
.-= Justin- AlittleBetter.net´s last blog ..10 Tips for Chasing After Wisdom =-.
Hey Justin, I really love that line as well. I wanted to make sure that people understand that it is ok to have goals, but to not put too much emphasis and happiness in achieving them necessarily. If they do, that is good. If they don’t, it’s not the end of the world.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post and once again, thanks for commenting!
Cheers,
Dayne
Thank you for your wisdom Zen master Dayne
I know those moments you are talking about, I mostly get them when I drive fast in my car with my favourite music, or when im out in nature and its a beautiful day, or when Im at the gym.
I love those clarity moments:)
Have a wonderful weekend!
.-= Diggy – Upgradereality.com´s last blog ..Introducing Diggy & the 1000 reader challenge! =-.
Hey there Diggy! Funny you should mention having those moments while being absorbed in music and moving in a car. Without a doubt, I have had those moments as well so I can relate to you on that. Isn’t it great?
Thanks again Diggy!
Dayne
I don’t know why, but I got a poetic sense from reading this. Words like “tree,” “rock,” “energy,” and “God’s fingerprints,” were really zen-like, peaceful, and beautiful.
I agree that when we can look at other people and not seperate them based on their differences, but accept them as ourselves, we do not become six billion seperate entities on this planet, but one entity as a whole.
Perhaps when this day comes, true happiness will still remain a untouched.
.-= Tristan Lee´s last blog ..How to Get More Energy Naturally =-.
Hi there Tristan, thanks for your comment. I am in total agreement with you on connecting on how we see ourselves in others vs. our differences. It takes a bit of work, but when do it, we become humbled and more kind.
Thanks again!
Dayne
You’ve painted a glorious description of what I call “moments of total awareness.” And we realize, that in this vast and wonderful universe, we take part–we fit! And I love those moments of knowing that we, and life, are beautiful.
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Yes, you bet.
Thank you.
Dayne, this post is awesome! You write with such clarity and ‘raw truth’.. it is so authentic, and I get goosebumps! lol
my fav. parts here are:
You realize that 90% of things don’t ever go the way you planned. So you learn to surrender. You still set goals, you just don’t rely on future expectations.
You learn that FEAR really is just a four letter word. Just like the word LOVE. Both are simply feelings. Both are something we will experience in waves throughout our life. When we can simply surrender to both, life moves like a beautiful, cool, crisp mountain river.
Thank you for writing, and I am grateful to be here today.
Much luv,
Jenn
.-= Jenn Z´s last blog ..It’s Not Perfect Until We’re ‘ALL-together’… =-.