Richness Revealed. . .
We spend remarkable amounts of our lives somewhere other than where we are. In summer, we complain about the heat and anticipate autumn. When colder weather arrives, we begin dreaming about spring.
We do something similar with life. We remember younger years. We anticipate retirement. We wait for the weekend, the vacation, the promotion, the relationship, the solution, or some future version of ourselves that we imagine will finally have everything figured out.
Meanwhile, today quietly passes.
Buddhist mindfulness asks us to return to what is actually happening. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. This moment. This breath. This season. The changing seasons offer a wonderful practice because they remind us how temporary our surroundings truly are. The cool morning you barely notice today will disappear. The brilliant leaves will fall. The particular angle of autumn sunlight will shift.
Knowing something will change can make us sad. But it can also make us attentive. When we understand impermanence, ordinary moments become precious. A cup of coffee on a cool morning or the sound of leaves beneath our feet. Maybe dinner with someone we love or a conversation with an old friend – nothing dramatic needs to happen for life to be meaningful.
Mindfulness teaches us that presence itself reveals the richness we usually hurry past.
Feel the temperature.
Notice the light.
Listen.
Breathe.
For sixty seconds, allow this moment to be enough.
The deeper lesson extends far beyond autumn.
We cannot prevent our lives from changing, but we can become more present while they are happening. One day we may look back and realize that these ordinary days were actually extraordinary. Buddhist practice reminds us not to wait until something becomes a memory before recognizing its value.
The season is changing.
So are we.
Be here for it.
Peace and Love, Jim
#presence #thedailybuddha #tdb
