“Buddhism often compares the perfect mind state to a desert. The term sunyata, or the emptiness of emptiness, is a state in which no thoughts exist, no time exists, and the mind is empty completely in order to receive what the universe has to offer.” —Nora Caron
We endlessly chatter to ourselves inside our heads–commentaries, expectations, remembrances of things past, what we plan to do tomorrow, what we’ll do tomorrow if certain problems were to arise.
How do we ever enjoy the now of each moment?
For writers, this chattering drowns out the voice of the muse; for mystics in meditation, the voice of the universe; for the faithful in prayer, the voice of God.
May I suggest that it is hard to learn anything new when the mind is focused on the old that we already know? In fact, our expectations pre-define our reality and our understanding of it rather than allowing space for spontaneity and truly new experiences.
The answers we’re looking for are more likely to occur to us only after we firmly tell that voice inside our heads to shut up.
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Copyright (c) 2009 by Malcolm R. Campbell
I think the Buddhists have something there. I’ve known remote parts of the Sonoran desert to do that as well as the wild back country of the rockies.
Remote spots like those take us away from the hustle and bustle of the world. A endless trail, a windswept high country ridge, or a mixed forest of pine and scrub oak–getting away allows us to go within.
Malcolm
Very true, it is the vastness of nothing where we will find everything.
Hi, Tobeme, Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. “Nothing” does seem to be an infinite place.
Malcolm