The Ninth Window

If you want to fully participate in life, turn your awareness away from using the continual task at hand as simply a diversion. Seek beauty in the visual, and the world will oblige. It will share with you the glory of a red fingered dawn, the stunning charm of a painted bunting, the delight of an alpine meadow festooned with forget-me-nots, the majesty of a distant snow capped mountain, the peace of a pristine wilderness lake, the romance of a glittering night in Paris, the exotic allure of a white sand beach, and the enchantment of little girl’s smile, and perhaps some insight into perception. With expanded awareness,... the world becomes a panorama of shared beauty.

If you turn your awareness toward pleasurable sounds, the world will oblige by sharing with you Beethoven’s magnificent Ode To Joy, the delightful song of a house wren, the reverberating rhythm of a steel drum band, a kitten’s soothing purr, the appeasement of a kind word, the ohm of a gentle breeze in the cedars, the glee of wind chimes, a child’s lilting laughter,... and the world becomes a symphony of resonance.

If you turn your awareness toward the fragrant, the world will oblige by giving you an appreciation of the sweetest flowers on earth, like the Manchurian Lilac, the startling scent of an orange peel, a remembrance of childhood with the ambrosia of new mown grass, the call to adventure in sea mist, the pungent enigma of hot tar, the christmas of a pine tree, the soothing of a heavenly summer rain, the temptation of fresh bread, the coziness of a child’s shampooed hair,... and the world becomes a whirlpool of perfume.

If you turn your awareness toward tactile sensations the world will oblige by sharing the caress of a warm spring day, the oily silk of a rose petal, the brisk autumn morning, the bite of a clear winter’s night, the gritty dry roughness of sandpaper, the cloying adhesion of cling wrap, the icy smoothness of glass, the itchy annoyance of woollen clothing, the danger of a razor, the tranquility of a cotton comforter, the sympathy of a child’s hug,... and the world becomes a consoling embrace.

If you turn your awareness toward the delectable, the world will make your heart race with an enthralling chocolate mousse, satiate your cravings with spiced italian olives, amaze you with a savory mushroom and sweet potato pot pie, cause you to perspire with a spicy chile, calm you with a camomile tea, elate you with the sweet tartness of a cherry rhubarb pie, soothe you with the comfort of sharp cheddar on crackers,... and the world becomes a knowing wink.

If you turn your awareness toward emotions, you will find their source. Aversion is caused by things that your intellect deems harmful. Attraction is caused by things your intellect deems beneficial. Fear is created by encountering things that are not understood,from a condition of aversion. Joy and awe are created by encountering things that are not understood, from a condition of attraction. However, wisdom is created by encountering the emotions, from a condition of detachment. Comprehend that your emotions are created by your thoughts,...and the world becomes your compassionate counselor.

If you turn your awareness toward your thoughts you will find duality. First there is the attraction of the beneficial and the desire to thrive, which, left unexamined, leads to avarice, which has no bounds and leads to ruin. Next there is aversion of the harmful and the desire to preserve, which, left unexamined, leads to individuation, which isolates and petrifies. Then there is ignorance of the nature of reality and oneself, which is the source of desirous suffering, which, left unexamined, leads to continual delusion. All of these reinforce the ego and stifle awareness. Still, all of these words are merely words and will have no lasting impact upon your life, unless you commit to doing the practice,...and the world becomes your loyal confidant.

If you turn your awareness toward awareness you will find it flitting swiftly and carelessly from sensation to sensation, judging, knowing, forgetting, ignoring, and which, left unexamined, flows unceasingly and fruitlessly. However, delve deeply and you will find it is devoid of inherent self; that self or ego is an illusion, created by identification with unsubstantial and transitory emotions and thoughts.You will find that the separation of self and other is an illusion; that your greatest fulfillment is derived from your selfless acts. Thousands of pages have been written about the nature of the egotistical self, the impermanence of existence and the exquisiteness of interdependence. They were not fantasies, they were written by compassionate people who put their ego aside for the sake of humanity. Comprehend this wisdom concerning the inner nature of the infinite,...and the world becomes your identical twin.

If you put your ego aside and turn your awareness toward awareness of the infinite, which resides as the eternal moment outside the constraints of spacetime, your awareness will receive continual illuminations from its compassionate inspiration. The stream of consciousness of the infinite abounds with blessings to fill your awareness.You will learn to participate physically, intellectually, and in great empathy with all of life, without being attached to existence. Communion with the foundational processes of consciousness and awareness brings you to where the infinite becomes intimate. You flow into it and it flows into you,...and the world becomes you.