There is this general tendency to take action only after we face some kind of disorder. Does that mean that we are in favour of status quo as long as we are secure? Do we wait to feel empty to fill gaps?
From Emptiness to Restlessness
Are humans reactive beings?
• I resorted to Yoga only after I faced an unbearable back problem for a week.
• We think of doing something only when a handful of terrorists enter our space and devastate it.
• The history proves it that those in power stepped out of their inactivity only after they feared a revolution against the existing systems.
If I ponder over this process, I see it as a need to fill a certain kind of emptiness. There are many things that many of us take for granted. It can be a loved one, good health or mental peace. Suddenly, if it becomes absent from our lives, we start feeling restless.
Are you Conscious of The Empty Feeling
Do you feel it when it rains or do you forgo the fragrance of soil? When was the last time you actually shook hands with the enthusiasm a handshake deserves? Do you enjoy your food or feed your stomach? Are your “I am fine” replies to “How are you?” not fine at all? Do you use music to cut noise or do you get amused? Have you noticed that everybody has a unique smile?
Did you just realise what you are missing out on?
Yes,
all that eating, all those meetings,
songs you heard, spoons you stirred,
hands you held, feelings you felt
were EMPTY.
Mindfulness: The End of Emptiness
Be conscious of what you do and feel. Classified as the seventh step of Buddha’s eightfold path towards enlightenment, mindfulness makes you wise. It will help you enjoy more. Not only that, you can use your energy to heal yourself. This may be in context of a stressful situation or even from physical illness.
If we stay aware of what we are experiencing in this moment, not living in the past or the future, we will gain greater consciousness. Many of us get restless while bathing, exercising, eating or reading. If we, for once, consciously try to mitigate that impatience and feel that act as we do it, we’ll feel different. This works as effectively as meditation.
Good stuff Ankit. Just to enhance your last sentence – meditation is mindfulness and vice versa. You can meditate on anything and immerse yourself completely in that moment – this could be a bite of tasty food that you took or the first feel of cold shower in your bath. Every moment has its amazing side – one has to be ready to experience it!
Very nice article:)
• Have you noticed that everybody has a unique smile? Beautiful…
• I feel resorting to yoga after having a back pain is a positive and proactive step and not a reactive one …Reaction would probably be sitting and sulking, worrying, blaming, complaining etc etc….
Sharing my perspective!
Meditation and Mindfulness are not mutually exclusive. Experiencing the depth of each moment is meditation! Eyes could be open or closed
Regular meditation sharpens awareness levels and your mind wanders less and less. Mindfulness is in a way, just one of the types of meditation. To add, the key to mindfulness and any other form of meditation is not effort, but effortlessness….
1) Meditation takes you from restlessness to awareness. Being ‘lonely’ and being ‘alone’ are completely different attitudes in life towards the same situation…..Which do we wish to experience?
2) Meditation is the glimpse of the ‘Fullness’ of ‘Emptiness’… Experience it
3) Don’t believe ‘ANYONE’ till you have experienced it yourself
Beliefs can shake, but the conviction of one who has experienced, cannot be shaken. Let the magic begin…..
“Meditation and Mindfulness are not mutually exclusive. Experiencing the depth of each moment is meditation! ” – Very interesting perspective, Kalyani. Thanks!
Interesting thoughts…
I considered resorting to yoga as reactive because it was a reaction to backache. Sitting and complaining is a passive act. However, the most positive thing will be consciousness of the importance of healthy body and acting on it, irrespective of your fitness.
I wish if you could elaborate on this one: Being ‘lonely’ and being ‘alone’ are completely different attitudes in life towards the same situation…..Which do we wish to experience?
@ Ankit – You ask and you answer yourself:)
‘ human beings are like telephones. A phone is dead without a connection. Similarly, if we are not connected to ourselves, we are not alive. Connection to your self is what experiencing God is.’
Think about it!!
You can be alone, and not feel lonely, if you have the connecting power:))
a confession: whenever i see the glasses… one empty, one half full and one full… i really feel like making all of them empty. the wine looks too tempting!!!