Reminder to update your subscription to the Inner Oasis blog

If you are receiving this via email, then you are currently subscribed to the Inner Oasis blog.

This is just a reminder that we’ve moved the blog to   www.inneroasisonline.com/blog.    All our new posts are there, but you’ll need to subscribe again from the new site to receive updates via email.

Thanks for supporting your Inner Oasis !

 

We’re Moving !

We’re moving  the Inner Oasis blog to a new location that will be more expandable and aligned with the Inner Oasis Center for Awakening site.

Continue to enjoy Inner Oasis perspectives, and join the conversation at www.InnerOasisOnline.com/blog.

Please update your bookmarks,  and subscribe to receive new posts and updates via email, or other services.

Profound creative inspiration does not come from thinking.

Inspiration and truly creative ideas  do not come from thinking.  They comes from Stillness, ‘ The Field’, ‘The Zone’, the Source, Pure Consciousness.

Once a basketball commits to drive to the basket, thinking does not play a role in slipping through the defence and dunking the ball.   This act of inspired phyiscal performance comes from ‘the zone’. 

Creative solutions to really tough problems -  our A-Ha! Experiences  - come from a moment of stillness, prior to thought – perhaps while taking a shower, or out for a walk. 

The brain can help us put creativity into action, or translate it into speech, but Stillness, is beyond its reach.

Where do you go when you die?

If you’ve been reading the posts here at Inner Oasis, or attending events at the Inner Oasis Center for Awakening, you probably know this is kind of a trick question. First, You don’t die. But forms come in and out of existence, so for practical purposes we could say that the body you inhabit is born and dies.

I had the great fortune to be with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in France when he was asked, “Where does an enlightened person go when they die?” I’ve always loved his response. Maharishi explained,

“Like a glass of water in the ocean. When the glass breaks, where does the water go? It doesn’t go anywhere. It simply ceases to be located.”

Of course, you Are enlightened, Whole, you simply have a strong habit of dreaming that you are not.   And You are pure consciousness expressing in a unique way, spiritualizing matter by existing in a body here.  Thank You for that !

So, you  are not going anywhere.  You already Are Everywhere.

Daydreams

I’m sure you’ve noticed how absent you are when you’ve been daydreaming.  You are not here, now.  You are off , totally absorbed in a thought stream, unconscious.   But,  a moment comes when you become aware that you were lost in thought.  In that instant, you are no longer lost. You have become Present.  You have awakened from the dream.

Most regular thinking is daydreaming.  Most of the thoughts are repetitive, and have nothing to do with the present moment. As a result they produce anxiety and stress.   Know that you are not your thoughts. Thought are optional and simply not always necessary.

When you wake up from a thought stream, who is it that notices this?  It is You, as pure consciousness.  This is your Awakening.  Choose to be awake rather than following the next thought stream.  Value these moments and you will see that thoughts will have less ability to make you unconscious, and veil you to the  present moment, the fullness of life and inner peace.

Karma

In ancient sanskrit,  karma is defined as “action”,  or  action-reaction.  Good karma is “right action”.

Eckhart Tolle says, “Karma is your reaction to your life situation”.  The reaction is resistance. Resisting current reality does not lead to right action.  It leads to stress and suffering.

He continues to suggest that rather than react,  simply respond.   This is Grace. Take action if action there is something to be done in the present moment. If nothing can be done, then simply allow it to be what it is, and relax.

Stuck in a traffic jam?  We all know what ‘reacting’ looks like.  Exasperation, tightness in your breathing or stomach, and even rage in extreme cases.    What does responding look like ?    Take a few easy breaths. Notice that you are simply sitting, probably very comfortably.  Not that bad, really.  If you need to let someone know you will be late and are able to safely call,  then you can do that.   Breathe, look, listen, feel.

Accept what is before you in the present moment.  If action is called for, your authentic response  (not a reaction) will be more creative and intelligent.

You Are what you are looking for

This message from Eckhart Tolle’s “Present Moment Reminders” describes the essence of many of the messages I’ve posted in Inner Oasis.

What people really want is to be fully themselves. They want the sense of aliveness, of being myself fully. But they want it through this, that, or the other. They don’t realize that nothing can give it to you because you already have it. And not only do you have it, you are it, you are what you’re looking for already. You don’t know that because you’re always looking somewhere else. You can only know that in the Now by aligning yourself with the Now and with the power that is there within you.