🌈 1270 Friday, 13 September 2024 23:33
London
Refuge in Nature – On the eighth day of his meditation under the Bodhi tree, a man, who would later become known as the Buddha, experienced something profound, In a moment of deep clarity, there was the light of pure consciousness, an awe at the wonderful world around him, the world that always existed around him but only now that he saw it more clearly, all colours were sharp as if every object, the trees, the plants, the soil, the birds, the rocks, all felt live to him, later he called it as awakening.
I want to remind my dear beloved readers, that the same timeless truth exists within us all. It is only by recognizing this light, both in the world and within ourselves, that we begin to understand the unity and peace that lies beyond the temporary conditions of fears and worries you experience daily. The deeper reality is always present within us, waiting to open our awareness and see beyond the surface of our lives.
Our thoughts have a vibrational frequency, it is the electromagnetic energy waves that come out, just like our thoughts, every object in the universe, like this cup of tea on my desk, the apple, the little scissors, this laptop, my keyboard, they all exhibit the vibrational frequency, somehow all these objects should look live to me, stating their importance, it is the ego mind of us, that block our vision to see the thing that the way they are. When we step beyond the confines of our conditioned minds and ego-driven perceptions, we can see the world as it truly is—alive, interconnected, and bathed in the light of consciousness.
So constructively, train your mind to think positive thoughts, if you find yourself something negative, that makes you feel heavy, or doesn’t make you feel happy, all you need to do is, acknowledge, why am I thinking about this and for so long, I let it go now and focus the minds concentration towards creativly thinking something you want to attract in your life.
Positive thoughts can just simply be, thank you God, thank you for my parents or thank you for this moment of my realisation, that I still have myself, or imagine someone you love and suddenly having a catch up with them and you are having a laugh, and how much you love them.
Let go of the ego, we cannot hear what the surroundings are communicating to us, is the ego which says, I, me, mine.. for me.. Express gratitude for your awakening.
Someone asked Buddha, so you say, this plant, trees, the sky, the cloud, earth this stone on the floor everything is enlightened? and buddha answered yes and you’re saying all of these are enlightened but not I?
Then again buddha answered, yes, that is right, everything else is but you are not! he asked why? Buddha answered, because you are asking the questions.
All you need to do is let go—accept things as they are without resisting reality. Surrender to the present moment, embrace it fully, and simply say thank you. Don’t see differences in size, color, wealth, or beauty. These distinctions are merely perceptions. In truth, everything and everyone is equal.
Your true daily responsibility is to clear the negative thought patterns that surface in your mind. Unresolved emotions remain trapped in your body and resurface as memories. Keep only the thoughts that bring you happiness in your mental space. For the ones you’d rather forget, gently acknowledge them and say, “Thank you, and I let you go now. I release you mentally and spiritually. Thank you for the lessons you brought, but it’s time to move on. You go your way, and I go mine. I send love, blessings, and compassion to all the people and experiences tied to this thought. I release you now, and let you go!
If it comes back again, stay with it for a few minutes, and ask what is it this thought trying to teach me, I thank you and I let you go!
Understand the suffering you feel daily, and let go of the attachment, the fact of impermanence, the absence of separateness, and free-standing self and the power of practices of mindfulness and kindness.
Nature offers the same profound lessons as life itself. Just as trees let go of their leaves and flowers, we let go of our youth, time, and experiences. The changing phases, seasons, and cycles of nature teach us impermanence, revealing that there is no separate self. It is the sense of connection to all things, appreciating nature and recognizing oneself in others and in every physical element that exists.
I’m not entirely sure why I felt compelled to write all this today, but I feel a great sense of relief now that it’s on paper. My only hope is that you’ll be understanding and forgiving the next time things don’t go as planned.
Today Friday was a good day for me, rather busy, had back-to-back meetings at work, and a lot of catching up with work, but I’m glad all done and finished to my best.
I woke up naturally around 7:20, with the sun shining brightly outside. Grateful to be working from home, I checked the family WhatsApp group, read the prayer messages, and sent a heart in response. I sat on the edge of the bed and meditated, completing 35 affirmations. After getting ready, I dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, layered with jeans and a jumper. I packed my gym bag with essentials: a towel, flip-flops, shampoo, moisturizer, and a small padlock. Once at the gym, I locked up my things and headed upstairs to start my workout.
Had a really, really, really, really, really good workout, did 5 x sets of 11 reps of Pull ups on the bar, 22 kgs, shoulder dumbbell presses, incline bench dumbbell press, lateral raises, bicep curls, hammer curls, went downstairs and had a shower, went to my locker and I realized I had locked the key to my padlock inside my bag. It was one of those small click locks—classic mix-up!
There wasn’t a single moment of frustration or any “why me?” thoughts. Instead, I felt calm and in control. Well done, mind! Well done, brain! Well done, emotions! I’m so grateful—thank you, thank you, thank you! In that moment, I knew everything would be fine. I locked the key, but my focus shifted to getting home quickly and making it to my 9:30 meeting. I let the gym trainer know about the situation, told him I might need help later, but that I had to head out for work. I made it home by 9:15, grabbed a quick breakfast, and was ready for the meeting right on time!
I spent the rest of the morning at my desk, and around midday, I headed back to the gym. On the way, I kept thinking, Wouldn’t it be great if the gym staff had already managed to unlock my locker so I could just pick up my stuff? When I got there, that wasn’t the case. But when I pulled on the locker door, the plastic layer around the lock came loose, and the door swung open by itself! I was amazed. It didn’t go exactly as I’d envisioned, but in the end, it worked out just as smoothly as I had hoped.
I grabbed my stuff and headed to Tesco Piccadilly on the way home. Made a quick lunch, ate, and noticed it was 13:20. I left for Jumma Salah, arriving at Berwick Street just as the prayer began. I missed half of the first rakah, but I was glad I brought my janimaaz. Another guy joined me on the right side of my mat, and we prayed together.
The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. After work, I took a long nap, ran a few errands, and then finally sat down to pour my heart out in writing.. lol
Around the world today in the news –
North Korea published its first photos of a facility to enrich uranium for atomic bombs, please guys stop it! use the money and resources to help people and improve their quality of life not build these facilities.
Armed groups waging a civil war in Sudan are suspected of having looted priceless artefacts from a museum that houses much of the North African nation’s rich cultural heritage. (there is a lack of love and compassion among the people here.. what would we do to help?).
Last year was the worst on record for wildfires and one model of aircraft has become increasingly important in tackling them. Canadair amphibious firefighting planes are now among the world’s most sought after aircraft — The aircraft scoop up water from lakes or seas and fly as low as 100 feet (30 meters) above burning infernos. ( Good! use the money to do these types of good innovative things not to disrupt world peace.)
3 things I felt grateful for today
I was incredibly relieved and grateful when the locker opened smoothly in the afternoon, sparing me the need to ask the gym staff for help.
I felt a deep sense of gratitude after finishing work, knowing I had two whole days where I wasn’t accountable to anyone and could manage my time freely.
I’m thankful that the weather is expected to warm up to 21 degrees this week, especially after the recent cold spell.
What would it take for me and for you to wake up 10 x times bigger, thicker, more energetic, confident, happy, healthy, wealthy, aligned to goals, motivated, focused, make it work out in the morning, have a good workout, everything to be okay with family, friends and everyone around then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing, yet a productive day tomorrow?
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Goodnight, good luck!
Ash Khaleem
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