Sitting here with gauze in my mouth and a mosquito buzzing in my ear. I had a wisdom tooth taken out about an hour ago and the results are not yet in if I am any less wise. The mosquitoes are abundant here and if the door is open for a minute the house is full of those buzzing little creatures that have to be a mistake of God’s creations. Even though the Great Creator was great at creating, this little bug has to be a mutation of some higher idea. I am peaceful person but I am fully in support of wiping these obnoxious critters out in my neighborhood so the kids can play outside and I can walk my dog without constantly batting the little buggers away.
It is funny sometimes how the little things can bug us and we handle the big challenges so well. As I have mentioned before, going to the dentist turns my stomach into a three-ring circus of chaos. Yet just today I looked a criminal acting addict right in the eyes and told him his “poor me” attitude needs to change because it isn’t working for him.
Recently I obtained a book that I started reading years ago and never got back to it because somehow it disappeared. The book is called, The Book Of Secrets by the irreverent Eastern Mystic known later in life as Osho. This book contains 112 practices/techniques to assist a person in raising consciousness plus a very unique perspective on the human behavior. My intention is to share some of the techniques but they seem so simple and yet so out of the ordinary. I am concerned these practices will be discounted by some who read them. Actually as I write this I am thinking “so what” if they are not tried or appreciated. Any person giving them a sincere try will of course feel the power of the practices.
The first technique I will share is about following your breath. In this simple but profound practice you become aware of when the breathing stops on the exhale and when inhale starts up, then be aware of when the breathing stops on the inhale and when the exhale begins. The Buddha taught that following the breath has the power to bring enlightenment. Watching the gap in the breath between inhale and exhale and between exhale and inhale brings the practitioner fully into the present moment.
Try this awareness of breathing for a week in moments when you can tune in. Great moment to explore are when you first wake up in the morning, commuting to work and back, waiting in line, sitting in a meeting, going for a walk, watching TV, or before you fall off to sleep. Explore this and let me know what happens, I will be doing it with you and I too will report.