“Under all circumstances, always, everywhere, and in all respects,
you must look upon everything as Brahman, and Brahman alone.”
~ Crest Jewel of Discrimination
Brother Lawrence mastered this teaching as he made it his practice to behave in each moment “as if there were no one but Thee and Me.” When I offer the present moment my one pointed attention and greet the present moment with ultimate abandon, free from the gnarled cage of expectation, that is the moment I find God being God in myriad shapes and forms. That is the moment I feel the peace of the Presence in the present.
Greeting the Beloved in the present moment with respect is a doorway through which we can all “practice the Presence of God.” Within this sublime practice of mindfulness, any one of us can begin living as if there were none but “Thee and Me” in the world. With this kind of awareness, we cannot help but welcome God in His all-pervasive form with myriad faces and varied costumes. Each moment weaves the sacred tapestry of holiness.
Yet, I sure tend to get distracted with a single thread of thought, activity, or sense pleasure and mistake the thought, activity or sense pleasure for the “Real Truth” rather than our experience of Being as Truth. Similarly, I can get carried away by my ideas about God and Truth rather than absorbing myself in the experience of Being as a portal to the Truth, a portal to LOVE.
Dostoevsky, in his book The Brothers Karamazov, knew the blessing of beckoning love in the present moment. He wrote, “Love all God’s creation, both the whole and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of light. Love the animals, love the plants, love each separate thing. If thou love each thing thou wilt perceive the mystery of God in all.”
These days, we have access to great teachers on practicing presence. Among my favorites is Thich Nhat Hanh.
If you are interested in playing more in this field of mindfulness, consider joining me in Provence. Or if you want to give the gift of a lifetime to your mother, wife, sister or friend, invite her to join me.
