Chapter 4 of love: the candlelight of awareness

Candlelight of awareness

Someone asked me, "how to start the journey to love?" you have already started the journey while you are asking this question; you are on the journey. Understand that you are already on the journey before you know it: that's why you feel you have to start the journey. Recognize it, be aware of it, and this cognition is the beginning.

You are always moving forward, going somewhere-intentionally, unintentionally, willing or unwilling, anyway, you are always moving forward-some great force continues to work within you. Existence has been evolving, and it continues to create something within you. So the question is not how to start the journey; the question is how to recognize it. It was there, but you didn't recognize it.

For example, trees are withered, but they don't know. Birds or animals are dead, but they don't know. Only human beings know that they are bound to die, and even so, their understanding of it is very vague. The same is true for life-birds are full of energy, but they don't know they are alive. If you don't know death, how can you know what life is? if you don't know you're going to die, how can you know you're alive? the two perceptions are the same. Birds, animals and trees are all alive, but they don't know they are alive.

Man knows one thing and knows that he is dying, but that knowledge is still vague and hidden in the thick smoke. The same is true for life: you live, but you don't really know what it means to live. If so, it is also blurred. When I say recognize it, I mean, begin to be aware of what the energy of life is already in progress. Begin to realize that your being is on a journey towards love. And when you come to a point of full awakening and there is not even a little bit of darkness around you, that is the end of the journey. In fact, the journey never begins or ends. You will go on even after that, but the next journey will be a completely different meaning and quality: it will be pure joy. Now, it is complete suffering.

"how to start the journey of love" begins to become more aware of your actions, your relationships, and your movements. No matter what you do. No matter what you are doing, even the ordinary thing of walking, try to be aware of it. Try to step in your footsteps in full awareness. The Buddha used to say to his disciples: when you step out of your right foot, remember that this is now your right foot; when you step out of your left foot, remember that this is now your left foot. When you inhale, remember: "I'm inhaling now." "when you exhale, remember:" I'm exhaling now. "you don't need to say it, not to say in words," I'm breathing in. "it's about being aware that you're breathing in. I'm talking to you, so I have to use language, but when you become aware, you don't need to use language, language is part of the smoke. Don't use words, just feel like you're breathing, the air is filling your lungs, and then empty. Just watch, you will soon have a recognition, a major cognition, that is: it is not breathing in and out, but life itself in operation. Every time you inhale, life pours its energy into you. Every exhale is a moment of death. With every breath, you die and you are born again. Every breath is like a suffering and a resurrection.

When you look at your breath, you will learn a kind of trust.

When you breathe out, you may not be able to inhale again. How can you be sure? who can guarantee that you can inhale again, but for some reason, there is a deep trust; you know you will continue to breathe. Or you'll be afraid to breathe. If you start to be afraid-"who knows if I go through this little death after I exhale, what will make me sure I can inhale again? if I can't inhale again, I'd better not exhale. "- then you will die soon! If you stop exhaling, you will die. But you didn't do it because there was a deep trust. That trust is a part of life, a part of love. No one ever taught you.

When a child learns to walk for the first time, he knows with great trust that he can walk later. No one taught him. He's just seen people walk, that's all. But how did he come to the conclusion that "I can walk"? he's so young. The adult is so big that compared with him, he is like a giant, and he knows that as soon as he stands up, he will fall-but he continues to try. Because trust is built in him; trust is in every cell of your life. The child will try, he will fall many times; he will try again and again. One day, trust will triumph over everything, so he begins to walk.

If you look at your breath, you will be aware of a deeper trust, a subtle trust in life-no doubt, no hesitation. If you walk, walking with awareness, you will slowly realize that you are not walking, but that you are being walked. It's a very subtle feeling that life is going on through you, not yourself. When you feel hungry, if you are aware enough, you will know that life is hungry in you, not you.

As you become more aware, you will realize the fact that there is only one thing you have, and the only thing you can say is yours, and that is: watch. Everything else belongs to this universe; only observation belongs to you. But when you begin to notice, even the concept of "I" will melt away. That doesn't belong to you either. It is part of the darkness, the clouds that gather around you. In the bright light, the sky is clear, the clouds are scattered, and the sun is shining, it is impossible to have any concept of "I". As long as simple observation; nothing belongs to you. Observation is the end of this journey.

How to start the journey began to become more and more aware. No matter what you do, do it with deep awareness; then even the little things will become sacred. Cooking or cleaning become sacred; they become rituals of worship. It's not about what you do; it's about how you do it. You can sweep the floor unconsciously like a robot; because you have to clean, you have to clean. Then you missed something beautiful. You wasted those moments, just sweeping the floor. Sweeping the floor can be a great experience, but you missed it. The floor is dry now, but something that might happen inside hasn't happened. If you are aware, not only the floor, but also you will feel a deep cleanliness to clean with complete awareness. Whether you work, sit, or walk, fill your life with more and more awareness. Let the candlelight of awareness burn in every moment and every action. The cumulative result is enlightenment. This accumulation, adding up all the moments, all the small candles come together to become a huge light source.