alive and good ox 230221 tr ed
I am alive – whatever crisis happens in our climate-change lives and other disasters – we are always alive – until we’re not, which is another matter – we always can remember – whatever befalls us – I am alive – anywhere you land up on a desert island, in a prison – you’re still alive – you can remember that – it’s a safety – that’s the ultimate safety – if we worry about climate disasters and safety of body – the safety of my spirit is, I am alive – settle into that – I am alive – also if people are criticising us – throwing all kinds of accusations and insults – not appreciating us as good people – still – I am alive
Ain’t that beautiful – ain’t that the most magic mystery that ever was – settle into being alive – explore what is this – what is that feeling – how do I know I’m alive –
You might find a few different ways – like you’re breathing – you have body sensation – you can see – go deeper and deeper into that – what is the sensation of being alive –
Do this very physically – where is it in your body you feel alive – do your toes feel alive – or is it a sensation that’s not quite limited to your body space either – is it sort of a cloud of awareness around you – explore what is it for you right now –
Beneath the sensation – you can say I’m alive because I’m breathing – or I have sensations in the body – or I can see – what is behind that – who is having those sensations – who is seeing – I don’t mean who as in me – what living being – what is it that allows me to see – or put it another way – just, I am aware – because I’m alive, I’m aware – what is the sensation of being aware –
Explore the qualities of that – mysterious – it’s so mysterious – is it beautiful – magic – do you like it – you might not like the miserable sensations of being ill, or feeling wrongly accused – however do you like the sensations of being aware – is it calm – is it restful – peaceful nourishing – what is it for you –
In meditation we talk about the natural state – is this the natural state – just resting in being aware and alive – is it good – is my natural state a state of goodness – don’t get caught on, well, I’ve been nice to people today, and I’ve looked after the cat – just, am I naturally good by nature – like a tree or flax bush – or any animal – even ferocious animals that eat each other – they’re not evil – they’re naturally good – just by being living beings –
how could we regard ourselves as evil or not good – we’re just like the flax bush or the tiger – even the poisonous snake – we’re all living creatures whose nature is good – because nature herself, Mother Nature, is kind of good – when I say kind of good I mean, not always behaving nicely again – but a living force – tune into that – don’t get into thinking – tune into that – I am good as a living force – a living animal – we all just want happiness, as Buddha said –
what is that sensation, when you remember, I am a good being – what does that feel like – is it some sort of state of love – gentle love – when we feel like that – I know what’s happening around us can be extremely rough – people can behave badly – climate disasters can happen – bombs – you name it – stay in touch with the basic goodness of ourselves – that also applies to others – even the worst – war criminals, climate criminals – they’re all still basically just aware human beings – tune into that – does that make you feel a bit more safe – even if they’re behaving badly –
nature herself – lots of people say, she’s angry with us, she’s taking revenge, she wants to kill us – what! – she’s sick – we’ve made her sick – she’s struggling – just like those of us who are sick and struggling with that – Mother Nature herself is still a good living being –
not suggesting you imagine her as a person – but as a living force – the planet as a living force is good – relax into that – and I am part of Mother Nature’s living goodness – the natural state of me and Mother Nature are the same – I am her child – so within me is all the wisdom – the beauty – all the qualities – the living qualities that make Mother Nature completely beyond imagination, magical, marvelous, magnificent – all that is within me too –
does that help me feel relaxed – safe – steady – all I have to do is remember that – I don’t have to strive to become good – I already am – good, wise, beautiful, state of love, calm – all that I already am – stay in contact with that – I and others, and nature, already are all that – surely that will help us help the planet herself, to stay in touch with it.