Stop during what you are doing. Have you heard this sentence before? Parents often use this statement with their children. Thus, as a conditioned behavior, we learn to always focus on doing instead of consciously being. I recently overheard a conversation that illustrates this behavior.
Don’t waste time by spending too much time doing non-productive things. The individual I mentioned above made this statement. Stop doing what you are doing. You’re wasting time. Instantly, I saw and felt confusion and frustration in the second person. Why? Because her focus was only on the details of the experience. Let’s be clear about something. Losing focus to your state of being in any moment insures mind dominance through thoughts or emotions.
The conversation intrigued me. Any moment in our existence is not really significant. Would you agree? And, no, this does not contradict with what I wrote above in reference to the details within any moment. However, I will rephrase. The moment is never about the moment. This insight suggests that, ultimately, time and any details within time are insignificant. Living life and conscious being do not consist of details such as what, who or why. Instead, focus on how you experience this moment. This suggests that you should focus on your relationship to the moment. Clarity, thus harmony, manifest when you consciously observe yourself. Consequently, your state of being during any situation determines the outcome. Don’t place absolute labels on anything within your experiences. One thing is not necessarily better than the other until you realize the true significance of your being. Being is the focus of living.
Stop and Smell the Roses
Again, I suggest that any experience is not about the details of the moment. The content, whether, thought, emotion, person or thing have no true significance. Nevertheless, the mind uses anything within this moment as a means to an end to interpret and define the experience. Therefore, a mind-dominated person’s focus is only on superficialities. But, any given moment is a gateway to freedom. The space beyond this gate is a self-determined independence of the mind. Please practice the following realization.
Let’s use the example of a tree growing leaves in the spring to illustrate moving beyond the mind. A tree neither knows the moment nor the details within the experience. Thus, as in springtime, leaves simply appear. Nonetheless, the tree does not attempt to define itself through mind rationalities. Equally, the tree does not label or define the act of being and of growing leaves. The tree simply allows everything to be as it is now. The wind blows and the leaves come and go. And, one day the tree will fall.
The concept of stopping one thing to do another only has relative significance from a mind perspective. Focus on how you experience something and observe the outcome. Figuratively, stand next to your mind and body. Use this awareness as the focus point of being and living. First accept without attachment. And, don’t depend on the outcome to be as you think.
