Being Awake

It has been said that after his enlightenment, the Buddha was met on the road by a man who noticed his extraordinary presence.  This man asked, “Are you a god?”  “No,” the Buddha replied.  “Well then, are you some kind of magician?” the man queried.  “No,” the Buddha replied again.  “Are you a man?”  “No.”  “Well, what then are you?” the man asked.  “I am awake,” the Buddha said.

Most of us sleepwalk through our lives.  Even when we slumber in a mind that thinks it is separate from life, the adventure of our lives is calling to us.  Breath by breath, step by step, it is inviting us to intimately and immediately connect with life the moment it appears out of Mystery.

This process is spoken about in practically every myth that has ever been written.  Intimate connection with life is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the sleeping princess who awakens with a kiss, the Golden Fleece.  This sense of connection we are yearning for is to be found here in this living moment.  And yet we look everywhere else except here for our peace, for our joy and for our sense of belonging.

I invite you right now to place your finger on the side of your neck and find the spot where you can feel your heartbeat.  Rest your finger there for a few moments, feeling how steady and rhythmic the pulse is.

As we feel the pulse of life in our own bodies, we are in this moment awake for life and it invites us to experience trust, reverence and awe in this creative dance that is our lives.