{"id":741,"date":"2012-10-16T18:35:25","date_gmt":"2012-10-16T18:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/?p=741"},"modified":"2012-11-20T23:42:03","modified_gmt":"2012-11-20T23:42:03","slug":"present-to-the-abundance-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/writeherewritenow\/2012\/10\/16\/present-to-the-abundance-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Present to the abundance of life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Children teach me how to be present<\/p><\/div>\n

It is important to make yourself \u00a0\u201cindiferente,\u201d Ignatius of Loyola recommends in the Spiritual Exercises. \u201cIndiferente\u201d is described by the Casares\u2019 dictionary of the uses of the Spanish language as \u201cno determinado por s\u00ed a una cosa m\u00e1s que a otra\u201d or a state in which you are \u201cnot attached to choose one way or another.\u201d In the last post, Diane mentioned engaged non-attachment, not as a way of denying the life that we have but as recognition of the gifts given to us in every moment. By practicing engaged non-attachment, awareness and gratitude naturally emerge, then we can present to the abundance of life.<\/p>\n

Each day we get busier and busier. Our co-workers, family obligations, television, media, and advertising demand our time and attention. A year ago, I was in El Salvador, dealing with the devastating rains that killed many people and left tens of thousands homeless. When I visited Bajo Lempa, I was truly worried. So much was at stake, I barely had time to gather my own thoughts before I threw myself into action. After a few hours of frenzy working, I heard a voice. \u201cWho are you?\u201d said the five year old, looking at me as she firmly placed her hands on\u00a0<\/strong>her hips. Her eyes were deep and dark. When I told her my name she responded:<\/p>\n

“I am Brenda. Do you want me to tell you a joke?\u201d She laughed openly even before the joke was over. I could see how open her heart was, and how attentive she was to everything and everyone in the community. Maybe because she saw something in my face, Brenda knew what I needed. She made me laugh. In fact, she told me the same joke many times, because she only knew that one. It was her way of connecting to the abundance of that moment, in the midst of tremendous difficulties.<\/p>\n

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Mandala of theUniverse<\/p><\/div>\n

When we are present to the abundant gift of life, to this world and the life of all beings interconnected by recognizing our own common humanity, the universe emerges as one creation, thriving and growing free and without hindrance.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep a mind so filled with love, it resembles space\u201d is the instruction the Buddha gave to\u00a0his followers. As we separate the spiritual essentials from the spam in the messages around us, we move away from simplistic ego-attachments to an expansive loving awareness as emptiness or \u201cspace.\u201d That mind of love is clear like space. Space to perceive what IS. Space to allow what IS.\u00a0 Ultimately, in the co-creation of the space (as love) that contains everything and holds everything, we can be present and become co-participants in the abundance and love that are always available to us.<\/p>\n

Take a moment now to become aware of yourself.<\/p>\n