A Shift to Love

What is spiritual practice?

What is spiritual practice?

What is spiritual practice?

 
The Great Way is not difficult
for those not attached to preferences.
When not attached to love or hate,
all is clear and undisguised.
Separate by the smallest amount, however,
and you are as far from it as heaven is from earth.”

~Hsin Hsin Ming
 

S

piritual practice isn’t about manipulating life experiences to get what you want.

There’s nothing noble about sheltering yourself from the world. Or habitually responding with aversion and rejection. Or making your life small enough for comfort. Who cares if you don’t like your boss, or your job, or a family member, or a life circumstance? When will you follow the pointing finger back to its source?

There’s also nothing noble about surrounding yourself with only the best. Clinging to ease and gravitating toward what you love. That’s just another attachment to preferences. The flip side of pushing away. One more tug in the perpetual tug-of-war with life.

The Buddha said that suffering was wanting that which you don’t have, wishing you didn’t have what you do have, being around those you don’t like, and prevented from being around those you do like.

I love this/I hate that. I want this/I don’t want that. This is good/that is bad.

A neverending world of suffering and dissatisfaction.

So what is spiritual practice, then?

It is working out the puzzle within yourself. It’s getting clear about the nature of the voices in your head, learning about the multiple aspects of yourself, finding your Authentic Self, and directing your attention to the wise, compassionate and conscious Guide who can guide your life perfectly.

It is using everything in life as a mirror to see how suffering is created and held in place. It is experiencing circumstances as spiritual opportunities to explore within yourself so that this suffering may be released.

Acknowledged, accepted, embraced and let go.

When suffering is released, spiritual evolution and cultivation can begin. It’s the birth of the creative force within you and around you.

It’s when the real magic starts to happen. And you’d better buckle your seatbelt because it’s going to be an incredible ride.

When you let go of the rope, everyone and everything is going to fly!

 

In lovingkindness,


If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume One).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume Two).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness (Volume Three).

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, A Shift to Love: Zen Stories and Lessons by Alex Mill.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, Meditation and Reinventing Yourself.

If you enjoyed this article, you can find a version of it in my book, The Zen Life: Spiritual Training for Modern Times.

 


  Alex Mill trained in a Zen Buddhist monastery for nearly 14 years. He now offers his extensive experience to transform people’s lives and businesses through timeless Zen principles.

He is the creator of three powerful 30-day programs, Heart-to-Heart: Compassionate Self-Mentoring, Help Yourself to Change, and Your Practice, as well as the online Zen meditation workshop, Taming Your Inner Noise (now offered as The FREE Zen Workshop).

Alex has also written seven books on Zen awareness practice. The latest are entitled A Shift to Love: Zen Stories and Lessons (Get it for FREE here) and the 3-book series Living the Zen Life: Practicing Conscious, Compassionate Awareness.

He is a full-time Zen Life Coach who offers guidance and life-changing support to his private clients worldwide. Book a call.