Thursday, July 17, 2008

Awareness and Appropriate Response

The broader our awareness of our ever present moment and (ALL) that it includes, the more appropriately,(i.e freely) we can respond rather than blindly react to our whole life. What is your whole life? What ever is present right now. If you are a human being reading this, that (right now) includes a body, a mind, and what some might call spirit. What would it look like to respond appropriately to your body? A healthy and balanced diet:proper ratio of carbs, fats, proteins, and calorie intake based on your body type, proper mineral and vitamin intake, and proper hydration. A regular exercise routine done safely and efficiently: flexibility, cardio, stability, core, resistance, balance, and reactive for a total program for functional mobility. Last but not least, adequate rest. What would it look like to respond to your mind appropriately? Simply bring awareness to its function. Awareness brings understanding, understanding breaks down false identification with conditioned, habitual thought patterns which gives space for an appropriate response rather than a blind reaction. What would it look like to respond appropriately to spirit? Spirit is your life, just become intimate with it, bring awareness to your whole life. Regular meditation is key, and not as difficult as it seems. Meditation is always happening (right now), most are just not aware of it due to ideas and concepts of what it is. Being that it is happening every moment we are alive we cant miss it if we just bring awareness to the present moment . Awareness reveals appropriate response, appropriate response reveals peace and clarity of mind.

When I talk about "awareness" its very simple and direct. Not some mystical, spiritual, deep meditative ability. Although the insights one might have upon looking at any aspect of ones life with "direct, objective, awareness" can be profound. Why is that? Objective awareness is awareness before mind activity, that which is aware of mind activity such as thought, perception,and so on. When I turn this awareness on the mental activity happening here and now at any given moment I realize how crazy, creative, rational, and limited this mind is. When I rest in awareness this mind is no hindrance. When its crazy I watch it, then when it judges itself for being crazy I watch it. When its rational I watch it, then if it claims rational superiority I watch it. Being it has this tenancy towards extremes I can find myself in the middle,centered, balanced in awareness seeing things clearly as they are with now the potential to respond appropriately. Profoundly simple, or simply profound! Take a look! An invitation to explore awareness. Have fun!!!!!

5 comments:

Jim Foster said...

When I talk about "awareness" its very simple and direct. Not some mystical, spiritual, deep meditative ability. Although the insights one might have upon looking at any aspect of ones life with "direct, objective, awareness" can be profound.

This really hit home to me as I was reading this. Now that I've directly experienced this countless times in my life, the idea of meditation and awareness is much more clear and immediate to me. Thank you for posting this!

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Kathy Wallers said...

How would I incorporate Buddha into my spritual life? I have gotten caught up at different times in my life with the Bible being the only truth and Jesus being the only way...
Will adopting these precpts into my life cause feelings of guilt or contradiction?

Abijah Crabtree said...

Hi Jim,
I felt it important to express this. What I am pointing to is not a "gaining" awareness, but a striping away to reveal bare awareness. So I am not gaining awareness of my life, awareness is revealing my life to me. ultimately awareness is revealing itself to itself. Thank you for your comment, I hope this helps.

Abijah Crabtree said...

Hi Kathy,
Thank you for commenting. This is a good question. My suggestion is not one of adoption but one of exploration. I am not suggesting you explore religion, philosophy, I am not even suggesting you explore spirituality. These are all distractions from what I am suggesting you explore, simple, direct, objective, awareness of your life. Hence the name Fat Free Buddha, not Buddhism but the awakend one as you, your life. The only truth you will find is nowhere els but in you, your life. Take a look at (why fat free buddha). Thanks and keep posting.