To identify with soul is to expand the sense of identity from body/mind to include those elements of the psyche that are non-local in time and space, free of physical limitations and potentially at one with the Infinite. When the soul forgets its prior oneness with Spirit,it may seem to be imprisoned by the world of matter and illusion. The belief that the soul is trapped by physical reality is illustrated by the myth of Sophia. Sophia was an incarnation of divine wisdom, a compassionate soul who fell in love with the world and was caught in its web of illusion. the task of liberation, then, was conceived as freeing the soul from its imprisonment in matter. Anyone who has experienced burnout, a common occupational hazard among helping professionals, has probably had the feeling of being trapped in a web of necessity and impossible demands. Most recommended treatments for burnout consist of stress reduction and setting boundaries. They overlook the fact that burnout usually indicates a state of spiritual aridity, and that effective treatment may call for spiritual renewal or awakening soul. ~Frances Vaughan
just take a little time to remember humility as a sacred knowing………then come back to full-on living….vibrant, full, alive……
A Brahmin once came to the Buddha and asked him how he could enter the Abode of Brahma or the Divine. The Buddha told him that this was possible by practicing boundless kindness toward all beings, boundless compassion with all beings, boundless joy in the salvation and basic goodness of all beings, and boundless equanimity toward all beings, whether friend of foe. Practicing thus, the Buddha explained, makes it possible for one to transform the obstacles of meanness, gloating over the misfortune of others, unhappiness, and preferential mind. This was the way, he explained, that we enter the abode of the divine.
In another sutra, there is a story about the Buddha manifesting these boundless qualities of mind that he taught his Brahmin student. Once there was a very ill monk. His body was covered with suppurating, foul-smelling sores that were leaking pus. No one wanted to care for him because he looked and smelled so terrible. The Buddha went to the monk’s bedside and cleaned his sores, bathed him, and gave him support and inspiration as well as teachings. Some time later the Buddha told his followers that if they really wanted to serve him, they should serve the sick with boundless kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. The Buddha knew that he was not separate from any form of suffering.
The Four Boundless Abodes are lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. These are qualities of the mind and heart that are inherent to our basic nature. Buddhism calls these universal virtues the Four Boundless Abodes. By cultivating them in our activities, we strengthen their presence within us. As their presence grows stronger, so does their boundless quality. These abodes are the unconditional treasure that is always available to each of us, even when we are dying. ~Roshi Joan Halifax
Hold to your own truth
at the center of the image
you were born with.
~David Whyte
