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Ep 134 Awaken to Mindfulness in Nature
- 2023/04/05
- 再生時間： 14 分
- ポッドキャスト
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サマリー
あらすじ・解説
It’s been awhile. Glad to see you back here. Today is a new day. A fresh start to a new you. A great time to ask the question, “Am I awake to this moment? To the here and now? To this moment?” Henry David Thoreau reminds us that the vast majority of civilization leads quiet lives of desperation. Or maybe if he were around today, he would say “noisy lives of desperation” Lives spent trying to be anywhere but here, now. Today I would like to invite you to remember that all we have is this moment. Yesterday is gone, a thing of the past, and tomorrow is no guarantee, a thing of the future. Everything that has ever happened has occurred in this moment. This moment is where the adventure begins, so why try to live anywhere else? Here at Mountain Zen Den we are all about connecting with Nature for Mindfulness and Personal Growth. By letting go of stress and finding joy in the moment. And happiness in the simple gifts of Nature. And the way we do that is by waking up and becoming Aware. By getting out of our insulated, isolated shells, and immersing ourselves in Nature. We begin by asking ourselves, “Am I connected and aware of this time and place in the natural world?” Here is one way you can tell how aware and connected you really are. Answer these simple questions. “What is currently happening in the natural world around me?” “What is the Season?” “What is the weather doing? How about the temperature? Are there clouds? What kind of clouds? Is there a breeze? What about the moon? What phase is it in? Is it waxing or waning? Where are Venus, Jupiter and Mars? And the stars… Could I point to Polaris, the North Star in the night sky and identify and name 5 other constellations from where I am standing?” These are simple and telling questions to help get us started to get an idea of how awake and connected we really are. To creation. Here are a few more. “How about the plants and wildlife around me? What is in bloom right now? What birds are currently ‘in season’”? How often do we take the time to notice the natural world all around us? The “Real World” as I like to remind myself. We are probably very aware of the current state of the political world in society and culture – the latest news, politics, economic financial markets of growth and recession, of gas and grocery prices, and even sports and celebrity status. But how awake and are we to the physical planet we live on? How about our internal world? Our personal state of being? Our self-awareness and consciousness of our connection not only to ourselves and our immediate family and relationships, but to every other thing in the Universe… the stars, rocks, plants, trees, and wildlife, down to even the unseen – molecules, atoms and subatomic particles? Why is all this important? Because disconnection with the world leads to disconnection with ourselves. And disconnection from self leads to depression, mental illness, and a host of diseases… The Native Americans had a word for this connection — “Hunkapi”. Meaning, “I am one with everything”. I was so inspired by this concept that I named our mustang Hunkapi. (Or “Huni for short). It is humbling, and alternatively comforting and reassuring to step back and become aware of the fact that we are truly one with everything. Buddhism teaches “non-duality” — that flowers and garbage are both organic in nature. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Looking deeply into the nature of a flower, you can see the presence of the compost and the garbage; but don’t be afraid! You are a gardener, and you have in your hands the power to transform garbage into flowers, into fruit, into vegetables.” But you can only do this if you are awake. Christianity teaches that God the Creator spoke the Universe into existence, and by doing so created everything — EVERYTHING — and then called us into co-creation with Him to “be fruitful and multiply”, and to “have dominion over the Earth”. Not in a self-serving sense, exploiting Nature as a resource for personal gain, but as benevolent care-takers, lovingly, and wisely nurturing and caring for each and every one of its members. But none of this matters or means anything if we are not awake to “The Call”, and mindful of our place in the Universe. M.H. Clark says it well in the priceless little book, “Outside/In: Questions, Quotes, and Activities to Connect You to Nature” – “You know the feeling. You get it when you are standing on the shore, or staring at the sky, or when the storm is passing over, or the season is changing, or the flower you have been watching is finally bursting into bloom. It’s the feeling of touching something that is huge and real and true. It’s the feeling of experiencing the wildest, most beautiful parts of the world, and at the same time, experiencing the wildest, most beautiful parts of you. ...