Bliss is Natural.

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True freedom is freedom from oneself;

When one is free, it is natural to be blissful.

Please notice the difference between attentive acting and attentive being.

Attentive acting is a behavioral-mental event. It is known by observing. It is interactive, dualistic, specific, periodic and describable. It is directed to someone or something. This other may be a thing, a symbol, an idea or a person. It is usually preconditioned and caused by another event.

Sometimes, it is a negative emotional reaction to the other. The negative feeling may be that of fear, panic, anxiety, anger, hatred, lust, disgust etc. It is such a negative feeling that creates the duality of me-and-the-other. The negative feeling arises due to a larger gap between the reality and our expectations.

Attentive being is the holistic reality of our spontaneous energy-awareness-being. It is known by being itself. It is limitless, non-interactive, non-dual, timeless, and indescribable. It is not directed to anyone, anything, or any symbol. Attentive being is not a mental-emotional reaction to any event. It is spontaneous, ever-present, self-effulgent, unconditional and not caused by any known reason. It is just us as we are now. Natural Reality ever is.

In attentive being, one is mindfully present and happily nested within the holistic reality that is. In such a holistic presence, there is no other; no gap between reality and expectations, and therefore no negative feelings. It is blissful by nature.

Present holistic being is blissful, natural and effortless. One does not have to do anything to be, what one already is. One does not become someone else. Bliss is our natural state of being. We just have to let go of our habitual misperceptions, negative feelings, unrealistic expectations and to return to the ever-present holistic Reality.

Thus, blissful being is natural. It is our essential nature. This is not self-realization but, a realization of our natural blissful being. This can be described as, I am a naturally blissful and a peaceful being. [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] | There is no need to say all this; just be the blissful being that you already are.

Meditating with a Blue Heron

I got up refreshed at 6 am. As usual, I sat on a chair on our outdoor deck to meditate. It was a lovely morning. Temperature was just right. All was quiet, except for an occasional chirping of a bird. I thought why not walk on the dock and listen to the majestic St Johns River.

So, I slowly walked to the dock, watching and admiring the live Oak, Magnolia, Sweet Gum, and Cypress trees on way to the river.

I walked quietly on the long dock, appreciating the still sleepy river. The water was completely flat like a polished mirror, which was reflecting the distant lights of the Naval Air Base and the Buckman Bridge. The river is about four miles wide across. There wasn't much traffic on the bridge yet. All was quiet, fresh, and serene. The daybreak was yet to occur. It was still a little dark and mystic.

As soon as I crossed the boathouse, I suddenly noticed a magnificent blue heron, gracefully standing still, on top of a wooden piling. Initially, I was surprised by his presence. I immediately stepped back and sat down quietly on the dock, behind the boat, out of his sight, since I did not want to disturb him. I could see him, but he could not notice me.

I watched the bird very closely, with caring attention. I admired his calm stillness, standing balanced on one leg gracefully like a well poised meditator. He looked beautiful against the deep blue sky of dawn. I tried to meditate along with him by being at ease with myself and the environment. I kept quiet and silent. I tried not to talk to myself, as I did not want even the sound of my thoughts to disturb the Blue Heron and the great ambient peace.

Very soon, my mind became really quiet, and I could hear the spontaneous sound of silence amongst other sounds, including that of my breath. It was like a silent listener silently listening to silence.

All was naturally peaceful, where nothing was lacking. It was an undivided wonder. What a marvelous timeless and selfless moment it was! I forgot myself in the wonder of the essential reality.

Every now and then, I opened my eyes and looked at the blue heron and his surroundings. The river was so quiet that it was reflecting the bottom of our power boat, which was raised up in the boathouse. It was like a dustless mirror, reflecting all that was incident upon it. Further to my right, was the shore line with many Cypress and Pine trees, casting shadows in the shallow water. In the eastern sky, I noticed a bright star, probably the Morning Star. It was smiling at my puzzled look!

The blue heron was still standing still, as if meditating. No wonder that there is an ancient Sanskrit saying that one should learn to meditate like a crane. After a while, I decided to go back inside the house and get my camera to take a few pictures of the blue heron. So, I brought my camera with a telephoto lens and walked back slowly to the dock. To my surprise, the blue heron was still there standing on the same piling, as if waiting for me patiently.

I started taking pictures of the blue heron and its wonderful surroundings. When I went a little closer to the blue heron, he noticed me and got a little stirred up. He stood on both legs and started moving his head and neck around. I took a few more photos. When I went even closer, he got ready to fly off. He bent forward all the way on his tiptoes, and finally took off. He flew across the river making the typical loud roar of a male blue heron.

I was lucky to capture its amazing posture of readiness just before the take-off. One could see that he had gathered up all of his life-energy, in perfect synergy, and syncrony. His whole body looked like a living arrow, a perfect vector, aimed at the infinite matrix of the clear blue sky. What a wonder it was to see such a perfect example of physical and mental stillness followed by such total attentive engagement in action.

His very presence and the effortless flight was the great wonder of the moment. He was a great teacher of meditation, wisdom, and the art of integrative living in harmony with Nature.

On my way back, I noticed Morning Glory in full bloom. I just smiled and took a few more pictures. What a blissful morning it had been! I was fortunate to have been there.

Waking up

We have to wake up from our wakefulness, from our daydreams. We have to free ourselves from the habitual grip of memory of the past and expectations of the future. In other words, one has to free oneself from the sense of sequential, personal time and autobiographical memory that constantly intrude in our spontaneous current awareness. We have to return to the present reality repeatedly, until we learn to stay fully present throughout the day and be inspired.

We also have to learn to talk less and listen...