The purpose of life, to me, is to clarify and declutter my mind. The freedom from my own afflictive thoughts and emotions is the essence of inner liberation, and it ripples out into the world, helping countless beings.
Wu Men Hui-k’ai:
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.
Henry David Thoreau: Only that day dawns to which we are awake.
Twelve Ways to Clarify Mind
An excerpt from Jon Kabat-Zinn's book, Wherever You Go, There You Are:
Our thoughts can act like shades, our dream glasses. When we have them, we see dream family, dream job, dream colleagues, dream partners, dream friends, etc. We can live in a dream present for a dream future. Without knowing, we are coloring everything, putting our spin on everything. While things in the dream may change and give the illusion of being vivid and accurate, it is still a dream. If we remove our thinking shades, maybe, just maybe, we might see a little more accurately what is here.
Taking off these shades would make my life simpler, smoother, fuller, brighter, lighter, happier, and more comfortable. How can I do that? I have twelve nuggets captured from books, videos, or meditation visualizations.
ONE OF TWELVE: Beginner's Mindset - Embrace each moment with childlike curiosity, openness, lightness, and freshness without imposing presumptions, feelings, desires, or past judgments.
> Clarify My Mind: 1 of 12: Wonder and Lightness of a Beginner
TWO OF TWELVE: Be a witness, not a judge - Observe a stream of thoughts without condemning or pursuing them.
> Clarify My Mind: 2 of 12: Be a Witness and not a Judge, Be Always Aware
THREE OF TWELVE: Accept - Accept, allow, and welcome the current moment without resisting or fighting with it. Let it be.
> Clarify My Mind: 3 of 12: Accept
FOUR OF TWELVE: Let Go - Let fear, insecurities, anxieties, likes, and dislikes play out in the light of awareness: avoid clinging to or holding on to them. Let them emerge, pass through, and dissolve.
> Clarify My Mind: 4 of 12: Let Go
FIVE OF TWELVE: Trust or Faith or Belief - Tune in, listen to, and believe in the voice from inside. It will unlock my innate natural intelligence and inner abundance to emerge and enlighten me with insights and answers.
> Clarify My Mind: 5 of 12: Trust or Faith or Belief
SIX OF TWELVE: Patience - Patience brings me to my senses now. It guides me to accept the present moment as it is. It is healing and therapeutic.
> Clarify My Mind: 6 of 12: Patience
SEVEN OF TWELVE: Generosity - I am part of the universal consciousness, which is pure joy and abundance. There is a core inside of me that is rich beyond reckoning. Can I tap into it and cultivate a mindset to give and offer myself to others? It can soothe, heal, and nurture me from the inside, breaking away from reactive thinking patterns.
> Clarify My Mind: 7 of 12: Generosity - Give
EIGHT OF TWELVE: Leading with the Inner Compass - Tune in the bliss, intuition, and voice from the inside. Listen to it and take on initiatives that have a deeper meaning for me from the inside.
> Clarify My Mind: 8 of 12: Leading with the Inner Compass
NINE OF TWELVE: Gratitude - Count my blessings. Be grateful for the positives in life.
> Clarify My Mind: 9 of 12: Gratitude
TEN OF TWELVE: Equanimity - Can I meet events and experiences in life with calm, composure, and a peaceful heart?
> Clarify My Mind: 10 of 12: Equanimity
ELEVEN OF TWELVE: Empathy, Compassion, and Forgiveness - Compassion and forgiveness allow me to break away from reactive thinking patterns.
> Clarify My Mind: 11 of 12: Empathy, Compassion, and Forgiveness
TWELVE OF TWELVE: Surrender - Can I surrender my mind, body, and intellect to the universal consciousness? It can open up space for other ways in the series to clarify my mind.
> Clarify My Mind: 12 of 12: Surrender
References – Links, Videos, Books
I am grateful for the insights I gained from the following books, videos, articles, conversations, meditations, training, etc.
- Wherever You Go, There You Are by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Mindfulness Daily by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach (meditation visualizations audio training split over forty 10-12 min sessions)
- Minding Your Body, Mending Your Mind by Dr. Joan Borysenko
- Spontaneous Healing by Dr. Andrew Weil
- Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain
- Video from Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn – Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness
- Article from Sayadaw U Tejaniya – Awareness from the Moment You Wake Up
- Readings from Pema Chodron
A couple of other sources that inspired me when I was much younger to explore more about my consciousness and how it connects to everything that I do:
- Atma Siddhi from Shrimad Rajchandra Ji
- Self-unfoldment from Swami Chinmayananda Ji
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Which of these twelve nuggets resonate with you?