Let Life And Love Live Through You...

The nature of love is one of the most complex things to comprehend. One of my favorite quotes by Bruce Lee is: "If one loves, one need not have an ideology of love." Instead, love--true love--is a state or condition of being wherein the activities of the self have ceased. And in order to experience this state, an understanding of the workings of the self in all of its many varieties of consciousness is required.

You must think of love as a mutual experience of the body and the mind. When you love you must believe on one level that there is something constant about the body (physical constant) and that this physical constant is inherently and intrinsically enduring and tightly "connected" to what you perceive to be the identity of the person you love or even the object you love.

However, we do change or better said...we are change, as it is our ability to change with the change. Bruce Lee referred to this as "the changeless state." And in order to have success in the people and things you love you must have its experience transcend your physical body, and in order for love to evolve, you must experience the powerful emotional state as well.

In the case, that the emotion of love is not present, a state of not being able to change with change results in a changed state--which will lead to "growing apart." We must allow things in our life to evolve in its natural process, which will bring a truly wonderful experience. We must often remind ourselves not to possess or cling to the physical world.

As I mentioned in the past, the physical world is itself illusory, you're engaging in non-reality-based behavior, and this will set you up for failure. But instead if your experience of love can allow you to "let go" by not clinging to it, you will find that your relationships, goals, everyday activities will not only become more interesting, but will grow into a very strong unity of body, mind, and spirit.

Love can only exist in an environment that is free of ego--where one has forgotten oneself. To Bruce Lee, one did not have or possess "love" but rather lived the emotion in the present to the fullest possible degree and reveled in the experience of it. When love surrounds you, it becomes a tremendous physical, mental, and spiritual experience. "Love is like a friendship caught on fire.In the beginning, a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep burning and unquenchable."-Bruce Lee

You must value happiness and know that happiness in relationships, family, workplace, everyday activities should be derived, not from a whirlwind that involves an extreme emotional state, but from a more balanced relationship/behavior...remember that true Yin/Yang is expressed through temperance and moderation--not by running to extremes. "Nothing can be secured by extremes...only sober moderation lasts, and that persists through all time. Only the mid-part of anything is preserved because the pendulum (of life) must have balance, and the mid-part is the balance," says Lee.

So I leave you with this thought...allow life to live through you and remember that to get the most out of life lies simply in your decision to live your life with the principle of balance and to learn to cooperate with the natural patterns of our world. And most importantly, let your career, relationships, and daily activities be harmonious expressions of who you truly are.

Little, J. The Warrior Within. 1996. Pgs. 64-66.

Create Your Own Striking Thoughts

"THE CHANGE IS FROM INNER TO OUTER...WE START BY DISSOLVING OUR ATTITUDE NOT BY ALTERING OUTER CONDITIONS."

"THE MOMENT IS FREEDOM. TRY TO LIVE FREELY FROM MOMENT TO MOMENT, LETTING THINGS HAPPEN AND ADJUSTING TO THEM."

"THE TRUTH EXISTS HERE AND NOW. HAVE OPENNESS AND FREEDOM...THE FREEDOM TO BE OPEN AND NOT TETHERED BY ANY IDEAS, CONCEPTS, ETC."

"TIME IS WHAT LIFE IS MADE OF!"

All the above quotations were made by none other than BRUCE LEE.

Now Create Your Own Striking Thoughts And Life The Life That Is At Your Fingertips.

Ride The Wild Tiger...

Life is like a wild tiger. You can either lie down and let it...Lay its paw on your head-
OR SIT ON ITS BACK AND RIDE IT.

Look Inward

"If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it, and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." -Marcus Aurelius

I want to share something I read in this book. It was about this doctor who was working to cure criminally insane patients in a hospital ward using a technique called ho'oponopono. His whole theory was based on, "if we want to change the world, we must first change ourselves." The doctor explained by using this technique, he recognized that the people around him were reflections of something that needed to be healed in himself.  Situations and events involving others may appear as something outside ourselves, but the truth according to his technique is that the world is as we are, and that if we want to heal it we must take complete responsibility for ourselves  and our connection to the world around us.  

I found this absolutely amazing... There was no magic or voodoo performed on these patients.  All he did was review each person's file and then turned inward, into HIS OWN HEART! He kept saying over and over again, "I'm sorry," and "I love you." And most importantly is that his theory was successful.  Some patients who had been shackled were allowed to walk unrestricted and others improved so much that they were taken off their medications.

Sadly but true, we are accustomed to seeing ourselves as separate from the world around us, in which case it is easy to blame others for problems we may encounter, neighbors being too loud, or to a war halfway across the globe.  The exciting message and POSSIBILITY  is that everything that comes into our lives, BOTH GOOD AND BAD, is a REFLECTION, a MIRROR in which to see ourselves.  I think it is important to look at all aspects of ourselves... I have explained in my last few blog entries the importance of internal and external forces that shape our overall body, mind, and soul.  I think it is very important to understand issues and feelings that may arise from situations or people around us.  It is important on how we react, how we feel, how we can change any outcome... YOU HAVE A CHOICE. 

We are surrounded by obstacles and PESSIMISM each and every day... and because of negative problems we tend to limit our expectations, protect ourselves from failure by not trying or reacting, embarrassment, and disappointment.  In our society, people have often given up too fast, stopped following dreams/goals, expected little or nothing... just to PLAY IT SAFE.  But the sad thing about PLAYING IT SAFE, is that many people end up with little or nothing.

On the BRIGHTER SIDE, the idea of OPTIMISM can fill us with elation, strength, and a sense of accomplishment.  You MUST believe in yourself and recognize the wonderful opportunities, possibilities, and joys that life holds for us. You will face obstacles in everything and anything you do, but once you LOOK INWARD within yourself (YOUR HEART)  and UNDERSTAND INWARD within yourself (STRENGTH OF YOUR HEART), you will overcome and start to grow! 

Make your DREAMS COME TRUE... LIFE is like an ECHO-we get from it what we put into it,  and often much more!

NEVER GIVE UP AND FINISH YOUR FIGHT! YOUR FIGHT TO FIND...WHERE YOU ARE? HERE! AND WHAT ARE YOU? YOU ARE THIS MOMENT!

Hawthorne, J. (2007) Be The Change. p260-262.

Ohrbach, B. (1998) You Can. p.6-7

No Matter What

I would like to share these deep and powerful thoughts to you, which were given to me...

Love, life, the pursuit of happiness. The shredding of my soul blossoms a new beginning. Utter loneliness swarms me, entraps me. The lost intimacy of a companion. Stepping back from a great friend. I search daily for strength to pull me out of the deep, damp hole. I sit and hear darkness. I see silence encamped around me. My heart drops, and each pounding beat weakens. My thoughts are moving through my head like an undying twister. Confusion is the misty rain, sprinkling down on my body. The journey begins...

Deep within lies the one person that can free my imprisoned emotions. But how will I ever redeem the truth that makes me who I am without hurting who I am? Why me? Why have I been chosen to live the mysterious way that I do? Punishment is my forsaken reward in which I thrive off of. Someone has to be me, so why not me. A gentle love waiting to spring out to the surface. Barriers and walls built daily to protect my fears. Barriers that make me who I am. Someone special took pieces of that wall down with every heart-filled word. With every gesture of love and care. The walls were still there but became transparent. But still exists because of my fear...a society that grows with blinders on to the world. A society that looks without compassion to see only what it wants to see instead of looking within. 

A bird can walk in peace, but fly with fear. The right way is not always the best way. We are all born a certain way. We are given gifts which we sometimes don't like, but learn to appreciate. I have sat and pondered time and time again in my lonely hours. I have concluded that self-respect and self-love are a dominating structure in well being. Letting the barriers down allows me to breathe. Communication is by far the most important thing. Openness and honesty relieves me of my burdens. I believe that when you find happiness and joy, you should never let it go. You should never let that one thing or that person who brings it to you go. No matter how things turn out, the HEART, the MIND nor the SOUL ever let go of that joy. That moment, experience, and understanding will NEVER be forgotten and forever it has changed me to BE WHO I AM TODAY.

Be Flexible With Difficulty

The power of water..making its way through cracks...adjusting to the crack...finding its way around it or through it. Think of yourself moving like water. Water can give you the insight you're searching for and remind you that you have the strength and power deep within your soul/spirit...to accomplish anything you set your mind to...to be anything you want to be...to overcome anything that may stand in your way or prevent you from moving forward.

Formless and shapeless like water...the substance that has so many answers for you. I have always been so fascinated with the power of water and everything it stands for...I want to share a couple of interesting points with you.

Water is known as the blood of the earth...flowing through its veins. It is something that has complete faculties. Accumulated in Heaven and Earth...stored up in the various things of the world. Comes forth in metal and stone...and concentrated in living creatures. This wondrous element is said to be something very spiritual. While many believe that what will transform the world lies in water.

So...I know what you are thinking...what does this have to do with me and my life? Well, everything. The answer is in WATER. :)

I want to share a small story that will hopefully enlighten you. A seventeen-year old boy decides to go sailing on his boat to think and to be alone. He was having some difficulty finding the ways to overcome life's challenges... difficulty in learning to understand, difficulty in utilizing the force/energy of any challenge to his own advantage. He had to learn to forget himself and just follow the challenge's movement. To let his mind do the countermovement without deliberation...to just RELAX. For example, in order to learn how to effectively sail, you must LEARN TO USE, NOT OPPOSE, the forces of wind and water.

So as he sat in his boat he got so upset and so frustrated with himself that he punched at the water with all of his might...and it was at this moment his AWAKENING BEGAN. "I struck it just now, but it did not suffer hurt. Again I stabbed at it with all my might, yet it was not wounded. I then tried to grasp a handful of it, but it was impossible. This water, the softest substance in the world, could fit itself into any container. Although it seemed weak, it could penetrate the hardest substances in the world. I wanted to be like the nature of water," the boy stated. In order to UNDERSTAND YOURSELF,  you must first ACCEPT YOURSELF by going with and not against your nature. 

Water is so malleable that it is impossible to grasp a handful of it, and when struck it is impossible to hurt. It was at once both pure Yin...One of the softest, most yielding substances in the world. And pure Yang...it could also penetrate the hardest forms of matter. It can be calm like the still surface of a pond, or turbulent and violent, like Niagara Falls.

The nature of water is to ADAPT itself instantly to any obstacle in its path, by moving at its OWN PACE, and BEGIN a natural process of surmounting it. Does this sound familiar to you? Be like water...if you can learn to flow with adversity, you will eventually overcome it!! And it is only through our flowing with life that we are able to ADAPT and GROW.

Remember, life is MOVEMENT...and if you cease to flow with it, it will pass you by. Like Bruce Lee once said, "Running water never grows stale. So you've got to just "keep on flowing."

Little, J. The Warrior Within. 1996. 43-48.

Your Process

I want to touch on "OUR PROCESS." Our process in ourselves and everything that surround us in our life, how they go hand in hand...together becoming ONE UNIT. Embracing everything around us (good & bad), understanding the choices we make...being okay with making mistakes along the way, and allowing things to evolve...allowing things to change.

Understand that everything around us has a relationship. Each has its place and each functions independently. But understand that WE AS PEOPLE make the process of life possible. Many think that the world is here for us...we are alive and here on this earth to live and to experience. And as true as it is, you must understand that it is here as much as we allow it to be.

Work hard...do the everyday activities that will shape you and improve your process.

Overcoming Difficult Situations

We live and we learn. I believe we often times have to experience everything in life (good and bad) to fully understand the true meaning of what life is all about and our purpose. It is through painful experiences that we grow and strengthen from the inside out. It is being able to overcome difficult situations and getting closer to finding the peace that exists inside of you that is truly the blessing in disguise.

My Love

A song that reaches deep within...so much meaning...powerful words. Able to release and finally find peace. That is what I hope for YOU always. Try to love faithfully. Be strong and stay strong.

Enjoy This Beautiful Song By Sia- My Love