It's a Sunday morning and my day begins
under a mosquito net, as I woke to remembering a dream of being lost
between two worlds, and having wild sensations of being in Asia and in Africa. The content of the dream reminded me of one of the many reasons I joined the Peace
Corps----to find simplicity!
In the USA, we are taught to think, we
are taught to do and produce, we are always moving, but we are not
taught on how to stop relying on thinking. We're trained that lots
of ideas are a sign of being clever, another notch to be valued,
earning points with others when you have the fastest mouth. In fact,
we keep calling our own intelligence the best thing sinced sliced
bread! But how much lasting happiness does it get you? How much toll does the body and mind take when we are always doing? The mind is
fogged by emotion, bias, fear, anger, disillusionment, and so on.
Because of these emotions, most cannot possibly see it's way clearly
to any real solutions or any deep peace. We wind up fighting the
natural order of things, we get lost in words, the misdirections of
language, and we get led around in circles by words. I think of all
the endless meetings I've sat in during my work days, and all the
words spoken that meant nothing, or nothing got accomplished! I think of the years not being able
to quiet my mind because of all the words and stressors around me.
Having much free time and some isolation
here, I am relishing my quiet time. I find myself recalling the nuances of change I'm experiencing---realizing that my mind churns, then finds something to
settle on. I ponder and reconstruct my past and my future, decisions
I've made, appreciating my life, and then meditating to quiet myself. The quiet time and quiet nature
of this village are opening up avenues to give me a deeper
understanding of the world around me. Having time to go deeper into
my body, as well, with my tai chi, qigong, and yoga is helping
cultivate what I think life should be. Some may think that cultivating ones own silence is a waste of time, but rather, it's a way to enrich the
improvement of spirit and mind. Monks and Philosophers have learned
to harness the unlimited power of free time and transform it from
boredom to insightful thought. My aim is not to be monk like,
but it is to strive for a more quiet existence in my mind and body,
and to take pleasure in the simple things around me.
I think that Buddha had a very special
understanding of what life is. He made it very simple---just bring
your mind back to this moment, don't let it go any further than
this...then your mind will be clear. When your mind is in
meditation---you can handl hardship more than you know! Exactly, it's all called Simplicity!
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