on letting go…
By philip | July 21, 2008
I have a little shrine of sorts set up in front of my meditation mat. On that shrine is an empty water bottle. I got it at an Ayurvedic center in Boulder, Colorado several years ago while on one of my spiritual journeys. It sat empty beneath the seat of my truck throughout the thirty nine day trip unopened and unbroken.
When I got home I realized that the difference in air pressure between when I closed it in Colorado and when I got home to Western New York caused the bottle to crush in on itself. It became my souvenir from the journey: fresh mountain air of healing caught in a water bottle, now sitting before me as I breathe.
As I was meditating this morning, I thought about how special that bottle is to me. Well, truthfully, the bottle itself means nothing, only it’s contents. And even that’s not really accurate. What’s special is the change that occurred in that bottle between Colorado and here. It is, perhaps, a visual representation of the change that occurred in me.
And as I meditated this morning, I thought about how fragile that relic is, and what emotion I would feel if the bottle were opened and the meaning lost. Would I be sad? Probably. After all, it’s lasted three years in that state and found its way onto my shrine. I would most likely miss it, and occasionally wish it hadn’t been opened and I could still see and touch this thing that represented an event in my life.
But then again, perhaps not. Perhaps it would be exhilarating to free myself from the clinging to this meaningless, plastic object that is merely a symbol of a change that can never be lost inside my Self. Perhaps the only true connection I have to this bottle that sits before me as I meditate is posession of it; the feeling that somehow I can own that which it represents if I only cling to this one sacred relic.
How many times to we cling to things in our lives that in themselves aren’t all that spectacular, but hold some hidden meaning that anoints them as sacred in this world of impermanence? And does that connection give us strength of its own virtue, or do we perhaps rely on the fear of losing this (elementally) meaningless thing to keep us engaged with the memory of what it represents?
The truth, I think, is that if we were to let go of those objects in our possession - be they water bottles, scars, or emotional baggage - we might feel not sadness, but release… Freedom from the attachment to something that once served us well, but now only takes up space in our lives that might better be filled with the only thing that really matters…..
…. this moment.
Topics: life, as it comes | 1 Comment »
Sorry so long, no write!
By philip | July 15, 2008
It’s been an insane few weeks, and I apologize sincerely for missing my blog posts. I hope no one was too disappointed.
The good news is that the past few weeks I have been busy working on getting things ready for the September 1st launch of the Ohanamalu Tae Kwon Do Community Program and Club. We (the World Martial Arts Association) will be reaching out to the West Side of Buffalo, bringing TKD to those who otherwise couldn’t or wouldn’t get to experience the magic.
More updates will follow, but for now, keep checking back here to see what you can do to help this initiative.
And for this week’s point to ponder, a simple thought that struck me as I comforted a friend in need:
“Perhaps love is not about being happy. It’s about being there when you are needed, and doing what you need to do.”
Much peace, my friends.
Topics: life, as it comes | 1 Comment »
this is BEAUTIFUL! :)
By philip | July 10, 2008
WE ARE ALL ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.
Topics: life, as it comes | 2 Comments »