Rejoice in Ordinary Life

Lately, I've been reading meditations from the Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön. In the following reflection, she expresses what--I think--lies at the heart of Buddhism and of mindful practice in a very simple yet profound way. On further reflection, the following teaching does not even have to be identified with Buddhism at all. It is a key factor in trying to deepen oneself as a human person, pure and simple! Here it is:

We can learn to rejoice in even the smallest blessings our life holds. It is easy to miss our own good fortune; often happiness comes in ways we don't even notice. It's like a cartoon I saw of an astonished-looking man saying, "What was that?" The caption below read, "Bob experiences a moment of well-being." The ordinariness of our good fortune can make it hard to catch.

The key is to be here, fully connected with the moment, paying attention to the details of ordinary life. By taking care of ordinary things-- our pots and pans, our clothing, our teeth -- we rejoice in them. When we scrub a vegetable or brush our hair, we are expressing appreciation: friendship toward ourselves and toward the living quality that if found in everything. This combination of mindfulness and appreciation connects us fully with reality and brings us joy.

The Pocket Pema Chödrön, 29

If we're just more mindful in everyday life, there are endless ways by which we will realize how much we are truly, truly blessed. Rather than focusing on the bad or negative things, let's be more aware of the many good and positive things that are there for our savoring and cherishing!

Stop and Let Yourself Experience Depth

When we're not busy with the things we are absolutely duty-bound to do in our daily routines such as job or family commitments, doesn't life for many of us nowadays seem to be an endless pursuit of things with which we could be (unfortunately) mindlessly amused or entertained. Yes, the TV or our phone screen beckons to us with a seemingly limitless array of fascinating offerings - Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Instagram, games, news, this or that amusing factoid or whatever is “cool” out there.

Inevitably, there comes a time when, despite the many distractions around, we are faced with the stark experience of feeling empty (in a negative sense). This may lead to us becoming quiet and thoughtful. In those moments, some nobler thoughts might even come to mind such as: What's the meaning of it all? What's my purpose in life? What are the most important things in my/our existence? How do I make life more meaningful?

When these thoughts come, I say, “Hold it there!” Don't take the easier option and retreat back into mindless distraction with seemingly more "amusing" things. If we pay more attention to these nobler thoughts, we’ll realize that --and this is very important-- we're actually beginning to touch what many spiritual teachers and religious traditions consider one’s deepest core, the most essential part that actually makes us more fully human. Religious people have considered it our link with the Divine!

I’ll try to write some occasional reflections on the broad topic ‘Going deeper and beyond’. That would be my shorthand for ‘Going deeper (into our innermost core) and going beyond ourselves (self-transcendence) which is my working definition for the difficult-to-grasp word “Spirituality” which, in turn, is not only the heart of all religion but, I propose, the essence of our humanity. I also think that, in this twitter age, it would be good to have only one essential point for every reflection. Our first point here then is: Let’s STOP the mindless distractions every now and then and allow ourselves to go into our deeper dimensions.