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TEA and no me
“Be a Buddha, not a Buddhist. Be a Christ, not a Christian” ~ John Lennon
The map is not the territory is another way of saying it. There are guides and paths, and ways and means, but in the end you have to find your own way through your own lived intention and experience of knowing your true self. The self that is beyond or beneath or behind the conditioned ideas and concepts of who we think we are.
I recently participated in a Meditation Summit and listened each day to wise beings talk about their path, whether that path was Zen, Abrahamic, Non-dual, Ayurvedic, Sufi, or the various forms of Buddhist practice.
I was a bit skeptical about this at first because I’m not one to follow any kind of discipline as such but I found listening to people who have dedicated their path to awakening is an incredible balm to my soul. It’s not so much about learning about the particular path they were on, but it was feeling the wisdom and compassion ooze from each of the guest speakers who have dedicated a good part of their lives to a particular path of self-knowledge and understanding the nature of mind and ego.
It was refreshing to hear from them in a time where a lot of what is being shared in news and socials seems to reveal humanity’s ignorance and cruelty.
Always a Balance
I felt elated that there are beings here on the planet who are not on any kind of agenda to convince you of anything, but who have dedicated their lives to be in service of easing their own suffering and thus the suffering of others through a deep understanding of the nature of mind. Of course these organizations have been around for a long time so I shouldn’t be so surprised at the incredible depth and wisdom of the speakers, but perhaps it was the right timing to be reminded.
Mind you, I don’t intend to go into seclusion on top of a mountain and practice Buddhist meditations, or any other kind of practice that was shared during the summit. I sense that it’s not my path in this life. But if one is drawn in that direction of self-enquiry the opportunity to understand the nature of reality comes.
Following life's lead
A while back a dear friend offered to give me a tea ceremony. I went to her place where she and I sat for tea. I fell in love with the whole ritual and noticed how present I was for drinking tea and how easily I entered into meditative states.
Then I started to attend 3-4 tea ceremonies a week and every time, I went into a deep space of presence and mindfulness where all my senses were enlivened.
After each tea I somehow came to write Haiku. A poem that is three lines: First 5 syllables, followed by 7 syllables and then 5 syllables again.
They weren’t very good, but like the tea ceremony they put moments into words. Moments of noticing the most tiny things with awe and wonder. Whether that was the steam rising from the tea bowl, or the rumbling sounds of the teapot boiling, and the floating memories and insights that came unsolicited.
I hadn't at all planned on being a tea ceremony junkie but I am in love with it.
And it all came about by saying yes to attending my friend's offer to give me a tea ceremony for which I am very grateful.
MInd you, tea ceremony is a part of my heritage from my Japanese mother’s side, where the ritual of serving and drinking tea has been a part of monastic culture for many centuries.
And I get it now. I really understand why the tea ceremony is so revered. You have to experience it for yourself. To describe it is again only information, not the experience. Not YOUR experience.
Tea ceremony has become very popular right now. They seem to be everywhere. How wonderful. I hope you find one and can enjoy the ritual of drinking tea.
Be like a verb
Like the pouring of tea I once again remember that life is fluid. Not a solid thing. Life is a constant changing presence. To be alive is to embody this fluidity and embrace the movement of life force energy as it flows through all things. Nothing is static. It may appear so, but in deeper investigation everything is moving, vibrating and changing.
The key is to not fixate on any one thing and identify any description as being who you are when you are so much more than any description.
Moving out of the mind’s wanting, wanting, wanting and instead become equanimous with the comings and goings of phenomena without attachment, nor aversion towards things that come and go. To treat the pleasurable and the uncomfortable equally, knowing that each passes and can't be held onto.
Then …. A stillness and peace beyond the comings and goings is there. Always was and always will be there.
Namaste,
Aesha
BALI RETREAT FOR WOMEN
Join me in Ubud Bali on a women's retreat to come home to yourself and feel alive, calm, present in your everyday life through practices and guided experiences that support you to let go of your mind's "wantings" and trust more in the guidance of your soul.
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