What is Meditation? Meditation just is…. Let your Meditation flow…

 

There are so many different ways to meditate. In my own journey of mindfulness, I have read and studied almost every technique imaginable. From Transcendental Meditation which is making a comeback to the thorough guidelines of my formal Buddhist training; to simply discovering my own path to mindfulness along the way.  I am guilty as charged for dedicating a whole book to meditation including helpful hints and tips in my recent release, The Responsive Universe.

Still, I have to digress; learning technique and skills is important. You need to have a foundation for which to build your practice on. Still, there is this continued misconception with meditation – about what it is and what it isn’t.

Simply said, meditation is…. It is that simple. We try to make it seem complicated and I find that the more complicated it gets the more trouble people have connecting to its quality of wellness. Taking it a step further, meditation is about mindfulness… nothing more, nothing less… it is about being present – keeping and continually redirecting your thoughts to what is happening right now; away from thoughts of fear and fantasy, past and future… What are you feeling right now? That is meditation… Did you have to refocus your thoughts a hundred times in 5 minutes? That is meditation…. Did the dog interrupt your session by chasing a fly across the room (happened to me yesterday) – that is meditation… Your stomach is growling and your foot just fell asleep? That is meditation…

You see, meditation just is…. Any attempt to meditate; any attempt to root your mind in the present is considered meditation. Even if you think you failed miserably at meditating it is still considered meditation. In this sense, you can’t lose!

You can meditate anywhere: walking the dog, riding a bike, sitting still and undisturbed. Meditation just is….

So, let your meditation flow – Stay diligent and do not stress about posture or your out breath; or all those thoughts that keep popping in your head. Every experience good or bad, positive or negative is considered part of the meditation. Meditation just is…

So, relax, breathe and just let it flow…

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com

How to stay on the Road to Wellness…

The questions have been pouring in, especially from Twitter. When a particular question grabs my attention, there is always a chance I will blog about it. Always feel free to forward a question or thought to me. I can be reached through this blog, facebook and Twitter – thanks again!A recent twitter nation follower asked how I find the energy and drive to meditate, eat well and exercise on a regular basis; basically, how do I stay diligent and steadfast?

Great question and you know what, it did not happen overnight. Living in a Responsive Universe is not about instant gratification. You can’t take a pill or meditate for twenty minutes and your life is going to change. This is not an infomercial where we advertise instant results.

For me it was the small subtle changes in my life that fueled my drive to continue on. The proof of wellness and positive energy is in the experience. The more I meditated the more comfortable I got at it. Meditation was difficult for me early on but after years of practice, I now yearn for any type of meditative respite. Plus, meditation can come in many forms (my noext blog will address that notion).

Eating healthy was another challenge – I love fried foods and I am not a big fan of veggies. The solution for me was juicing. I juice vegetables that used to simply repulse me: Kale, beets and tomatoes. I still can’t eat those things but I sure as hell can slam it down in the liquid form. I juice almost daily and it does two things for me: It gives me the anti-oxidant punch my body needs and juicing also takes the guilt away when I do want to indulge in something unhealthy – everything in moderation right?

Exercising is another obstacle I had to outsmart. I grew up at the beach and surfing or bodyboarding out in the waves was great exercise. Well, now I live in Chicagoland and the surf is not great on Lake Michigan – actually it really sucks. But, I found bike riding to be a fun, meditative way to exercise and relax the mind at the same time. I ride about 20-30 miles a week and I love it!

So, it is about out smarting the ego which is always trying to find excuses to not meditate, eat well or exercise. Again for me, the proof was in the experience. I just feel better mentally and physically when I include meditation with a healthier lifestyle. As you manifest wellness in your life, new perspectives, opportunities, clarity and energy arise and then you know you are on the right path. When you see small successes and victories in areas where there were only defeats and guilt it empowers you to continue on. It is not always easy, sometimes you do have to push yourself but the results are always worth it.

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com

Connect with Nature

What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives? -E.M. Forster

I love this quote because it centers on the concept of mindfulness. I would counter, what good is life if you do not connect to your True Nature within. A person that only lives through ego and false-self is a person that has never really lived.

Spend time in nature, go bare foot and ground yourself with Mother Earth – find your center and find energy, wisdom and happiness…

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com
New Responsive Universe Promo Video

How do you define an “Awakening”?

A really good question was directed to me during a recent newspaper interview for my book release – The Responsive Universe, Meditations and Daily Life Practices.

The question was: How do you define an “Awakening”?
I actually found that this question was difficult to fully answer – especially with the questioning party awaiting a comprehendible answer. During the interview I tried to find words to describe such an experience and few words were available to capture the sublime energy that surrounds such an event.

I did a little research on the subject and found that there are varying definitions and varying degrees of awakenings depending on the person and situation. An awakening is basically a spiritual arousing that includes the complete dissolution of one’s identity as a separate self with no trace of the ego driven mind remaining to govern our actions. In Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, he describes his awakening as a jarring event that immediately stripped his ego away to the point that he was somewhat disconnected from his previous self (false-self) and even reality as he used to see it – a complete departure from the “ordinary world” we live in. That is an intense awakening!
Then there are awakenings that come in waves or as epiphanies that are more subtle and palatable to the human consciousness. These types of awakenings tend to evolve over time into something authentic. Though the ego is not entirely dissolved, there is a new shift in perspective and energy that over time is self-actualized.

I have read that for many to experience such an event there needs to be intense suffering or some sort of traumatic experience that may spur or trigger such an event. I have seen documentation that NDE (Near Death Experiences) or even deep meditation can trigger such an event. In my book, I even theorize that spiritual legends like Jesus, Mohammad and Buddha underwent awakenings – later to be interpreted as their specific culture found fit.

I experienced an awakening about 12 years ago on a cold November day at the beach. It had been about six months since my wife and I buried our full term still-born boy and I was struggling with depression, dependency, lack of faith and shallow self-esteem. I remember the day vividly as I was sitting on the beach pondering my life. My awakening was subtle but also an immediate realization of a reality different from what I always believed to be true. I like to call this different reality a “True Reality”, sans of ego. For a moment, I was egoless and felt an energy and existence that transcended any previous experience. I would have other awakenings months later including one while driving out in the country. Waking up from my ordinary life and seeing how things fit together has propelled me forward to fulfillment. It was like getting a download from the Universe. The knowledge and wisdom I gained wrote the Responsive Universe. I did not study this stuff – it came to me in an awakening. This quality of knowing is like seeing 20/20 for the first time. This vision, the awareness, and the feelings sound like they would be jarring and intense, but my awakenings felt like a pleasant windfall. I immediately knew how to act and react to challenges and stress. I had a new openness and clarity with life. Things were brighter and clearer. Even my most challenging problems seem to be palatable. I guess the best way to explain my awakening is to imagine living under a veil of clouds your entire life. You suspect that there is something warm and positive behind those clouds because on certain days you can feel the warmth permeating from behind the grey. Then imagine one day the sun parts from the clouds and warmth and light shower down on you for the first time EVER. It is an amazing feeling!

The problem was, the static of life would return and quickly close off this new found world. Fear and ego would quickly return to smudge out this new found light. Through meditation and mindfulness, I am able to return to the light but it takes effort and though everyday gets easier, it is an uphill climb. I wrote the Responsive Universe in an effort to share this knowledge and even create a simple path for others to follow. I penned Nine Mandalas (chapters) that in effect shed light on a path less trodden that will lead to a shift in perspective – I live in the Responsive Universe everyday and my life has completely transformed into something so much more authentic. The gifts are there for everyone, we just need to awaken to the possibility that…. anything is possible…

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com

Going barefoot is simple authenticity…

Do you want to be true to yourself – if only for a moment? Do you want to be more grounded; connected; centered in the moment?

Go barefoot!

Take those shoes off and touch Mother Earth. Feel your toes and heels settle into the grass, sand or dirt. Feel the natural sensations associated with touching human flesh with the flesh of the Earth – a symbiotic relationship we tend to take for granted.

Breathe in positive energy and breathe out negativity

Connect to the experience – feel grounded in the moment

There is something authentic about going barefoot – if only for a few minutes

Try it

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com
New Responsive Universe Promo Video

Was Carl Jung a Buddhist?

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” -Carl Jung

Carl Jung was one of many influences for the Responsive Universe – Meditations and Daily Life Practices. This statement above speaks wisdom born from eastern philosophy. To look outside yourself for energy and wisdom is like looking in a mirror – a distorted image of your True Self; a facsimile rooted in ego and conditioned by society. To look within is to act and speak straight from the heart, san of ego; connected to the authentic essence that is True Nature; the intrinsic potential for reaching enlightenment within every sentient being.

Jung’s work on himself and his patients convinced him that life has a spiritual purpose beyond material goals – beyond this ego driven world we live in. Our primary goal, he believed, was to discover and fulfill our deep innate potential. Based on his study of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Gnosticism, Taoism, and other traditions, Jung believed that this journey of transformation, which he called “individuation”, is at the spiritual center or heart of all religions. It is a journey to meet the self and at the same time to meet the sublime. Unlike Sigmund Freud, Jung thought spiritual experience was essential to our well-being. I agree.

Jung’s work included some metaphysical studies in synchronicity which he defined as the meaningful coincidence of an inner image with an outer event, which can often let one see the world in a new light; especially if one responds very deeply, with the full involvement of his or her being to the meaning of the event. Sounds like self-discovery or an awakening? While Jung professed the importance of the psychological significance of synchronicity, he also said “I am equally interested, at times even more so, in the metaphysical aspect of this phenomena, and I cannot deny my fervent interest in this aspect.” I hear you Carl, loud and clear!

Carl Jung understood that the brain was a complex organ and yet this Universe that exists around us and in fact created us is even more sophisticated; further there was a sublime connection to be realized. Carl Jung was born in 1875 and died in 1961. He was truly a pioneer in forward thinking and I think he would be amazed at how now quantum physics is beginning to unravel the mysteries and connections within this Responsive Universe.

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com

related reference

Midweek Musings

Just a few observations this week and then I will move on…

I see there was a decent turn out yesterday for Chick-fil-A supporters opposed to gay rights; supporting Fast Food President Dan Cathys statement about the biblical definition of a family. I blogged about this a few weeks ago after right-wing Christian, Mike Huckabee chimed in. I got to be honest here and say that this type of behavior only creates division within our population. Yes, it is okay to speak your mind and support a particular institution for its beliefs. I am voicing my opinion now – and it is this: I am not gay and I really have no connection what so ever to the gay community but something deep down inside me tells me this type of exclusionism; this support that condemns a certain group of people is wrong. Huckabee, Palin and Bachmann all showed up in support and I think it is a disservice to the energy and synergy that is humanity. We will never evolve as a species when we continue to build these type of social walls.

Another thought –

I drove through the south side of Chicago yesterday and a religious billboard caught my eye. At the top of the billboard it said: “If you die today will you go to… Heaven or Hell?”. I think it is interesting how Christianity has to strike fear in the community in order to gain new parishioners. Ignorance breeds fear. Wisdom breeds wealth and bliss on many levels. Why would you settle for less?

Finally…

Have you been watching the Olympics this week? I think it is really cool how so many countries with so many different cultures, religions and viewpoints can meet in one place and compete in a civil manner. Sure we see small hiccups here and there but as a whole, the Olympics is one event where the world comes together for two weeks and we seems to exist as a planet instead of a divided globe. At least we have another week to enjoy this commonality before reality strikes again.
That is it for now – I hope I did not insult anybody – and if I did, you need to ask yourself why….

John C. Bader
www.responsiveuniverse.com