can consciously orchestrate in their lives. These examples of enlightenment are as personal as they are universal. Anecdotes such as these are proof positive that miracles are real because they forever alter the life of the recipient.
Enlightenment can seem like a random awakening, a strangely delivered gift. And those who are truly enlightened seem equally gracious in sharing how they came into contact with this experience. So it seems that enlightenment is based not on selfish evolution, but rather on a clarion call sent out to those who will listen.
There’s an abundance of spiritual books describing enlightenment and transcendental states of consciousness; some recount different levels the soul must experience to obtain complete freedom. Such writings often leave the reader longing for an experience that seems to be kept behind lock and key, forever hidden in some mystery school or discipline practiced in a far-off land.
When grace snatches me out of the hands of ego, and I find myself present, I cannot deny feeling grace’s presence. It’s like landing in the lap of the divine. The joy and bliss that arise in that moment cannot be described with mere words. Is there more to enlightenment than being caught up in the moment? Maybe, maybe not.
After forty-plus years of practice, I’m drawn to the simplicity of being present; I will remain open to the possibility that there is more. Perhaps my patience is an indication that I have glimpsed enlightenment. My duty now is to continue the practice and help shine a light for others to see.
Living each moment of the day with mindfulness is the switch that, when flipped, awakens the spirit, preparing us for enlightenment, which can come at any moment. We never know when enlightenment will strike. But it seems that it is a reality, and we must be in the present moment to receive its life-altering grace.
Metta is the practice of sending loving kindness to oneself and others. It teaches us a deep compassion for life. Being mindful of loving kindness can promote forgiveness to those it is directed toward. In the teachings of the Buddha, metta is a form of prayer; just as you are directed to pray for others, sending loving kindness creates the same container (conditions) to work within.
I have always been told when praying for self or others to follow it with the words Thy will be done. This neutralizes the request and carries with it the acknowledgment that I may not know what is good for others or even myself. When sending out metta, we always start with the word may: May I experience a life of love or May others experience joy within. The use of the word may takes the demand out of the request, thus becoming the neutralizer.
Metta can be your whole meditation practice. It differs from mindfulness, where we observe thoughts that arise and continually return to our breath. Sending out loving kindness is an action-based meditation. When I lead a meditation sitting, I let people know that I will ring the bell to signal the group that the remaining minutes will be spent practicing metta. I find that ending my meditation in this way provides a lovely balance to my practice.
When on retreat, you may find yourself practicing many times a day, for many days in a row. Some retreats have walking meditation times; this physicality, combined with mindfulness, breaks up the practice of sitting all day on the meditation cushion. Bringing metta into your meditative practice can help feelings that arise from long periods of sitting. Feelings about life situations can and do arise; we can feel our hearts empty out. Feelings of despondency can appear, and we can use metta to send loving kindness, for example, “May my heart be filled with love and compassion,” or “May I be led to right understanding of what is.”
When sitting upon the meditation cushion for long periods, we may send love to our cramped legs and aching bodies. Our egos can tell us that if we don’t move and stretch we will never walk again, but by sending love and appreciation to our body temple we can work through our physical pains. We see and then experience the sensations of the impermanence of our thoughts.
Metta and prayer are both essential principles that should be called upon with routine frequency as we move through a life that seems to lash out at us with chaos and doubt. To watch the news in today’s world will bring tears to the eyes of many, sometimes followed by feelings of powerlessness to reach out and help so many in need. Practicing metta teaches us to embrace compassion; we learn to put love into action, with opportunities arriving in each moment.
There are many ways to be of service to a life that is starved, sometimes by giving money, sometimes by giving your time, but always by silently sending out loving kindness to the hearts of others. Close your eyes now. Someone in your life needs compassion; maybe it’s you. Silently project the words May love be felt within the heart.
Just as entering the twelve-step arena can ruin the “enjoyment” of using, practicing mindfulness meditation can “ruin” living in the past or the future. The daily practice of Step Eleven can eventually become our most important moment of the day. The goal is to carry those moments of mindfulness with us as we arise from our meditation and carry on with our daily responsibilities to ourselves and to others. Noticing our breath throughout the day, we find ourselves refreshed as we return to conscious breathing. Being mindful of our life force is our introduction to enlightenment.
Showing up each day to our area of practice to sit and pay attention to our breath, if only for five to ten minutes, forms our discipline to begin our day with mindfulness. When breathing in, we know we are breathing in. When breathing out, we know we are breathing out. This simple task, repeated again and again throughout the day, can change our lives.
We discover that not all recovery or support group meetings are vibrant and inspiring, but we “keep coming back.” Like support group meetings, not all meditations present us with easily recognized gifts. Many times the message we receive is riddled with thoughts, bombarding us with more questions than answers, and at times returning to the breath is almost forgotten; yet we keep coming back each day. We don’t have to understand the experience of what is going on by showing up to sit upon our meditation cushions, but we continue each day, again and again.
When does a conservative practice like mindfulness meditation become radical? Let’s reflect on why some of us ended up in a twelve-step program with years of recovery behind us. The answer is simple: The using and acting out no longer worked. We were left with the realization that drugs and alcohol, or whatever else, would not give us the relief that they once promised. Only then could our denial be seen initially and eventually overcome.
With the daily practice of mindfulness meditation, we learn to observe and understand our minds. We learn to watch the thoughts that enter and leave our minds. We learn to sit and just be with the emotions that rise and fall in response to these thoughts. We merely observe and don’t attach; when we find ourselves lost in the wilderness of our thoughts, we immediately return to the sanctuary of our breath. When we are not in the moment, that realization acts as a slingshot, propelling us instantly back to the wonderful moment. This is how we practice radically.
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