One day the Buddha was walking along and was asked by a passer-by: “Are you a god or a magician?”
And the Buddha said: “No, I am not a magician or a god. I am awake.”
Life Changing Moments
In each of our lives, certain moments occur quite unexpectedly which wake us up – and can, if we allow them to, prove decisive turning points for our whole lives. (I described one such moment in my life, “A Life Changing Encounter with the Divine” on another page on this website.)
Listen to another account by a friend of mine:
“It happened that as I walked along in the countryside, alone as the sun set, I was shocked and surprised by a chorus of birds singing. It seemed to me that I’d never heard birds singing before, and I wondered if birds sang like this all year round, only I’d never noticed it before.
Later among some Hawthorn trees in full bloom I thought I was in Paradise, and wouldn’t have been surprised if I’d heard a choir of angels singing.
As the sun set over the playing fields, a lark rose suddenly from beside me, pouring its song over me – then a feeling of awe came over me and I felt inclined to kneel on the ground …”
These moments wake us up to the existence of an unfathomable Mystery which seems to reach out to us and call us to itself. Suddenly we sense that we belong to something bigger and more spacious than we could possibly imagine. These experiences are very hard to put into words.
Unfortunately, we often let these experiences and their significance pass – and then the old habits and routines of our lives reassert themselves. But this does not have to be the case. Even if your waking experience happened a long time ago, if you recall it, it has the power to re-awaken your desire to remain awake.
The awakened state can be cultivated by various forms of psychological and spiritual practice. What is important is to develop for one’s self a regular daily practice and stick to it – even when it feels stale and boring.
Wake Up with Meditation
An important daily practice is some form of meditation and entering silence. Blaise Pascal once said: “You know what’s wrong with the world? I’ll tell you. It’s that most people don’t know how to sit in their own rooms and mind their own business!”
It is in silent meditation we begin to learn how to listen to the deeper rhythms of life; how to let go of our noisy distracting minds; and realise that although we have thoughts, we are not our thoughts and that we don’t have to be pushed around by our thoughts.
Journaling; moving forms of meditation such as yoga and Tai Chi; reading profound works of literature; regular excursions into the wild places of the earth; – all serve to wake us up and to help us to remain awake to life.
I would be happy to accompany and assist anyone who would like to recall their “waking up moments”, and who long to find a way of life and practice that helps them remain awake.
Author: Matthew Ryan, B Psych (Hons), MA (Marriage & Family therapy).
Matt Ryan is a counsellor with over 25 years of experience, with a keen interest in helping men of all ages to negotiate the various challenges of life and relationships.