September 1, 2020
Lately, I have been working with the koan, “no deed there is no doer thereof,” as I “do” life.
The simple act of writing this blog has been a wonderful exploration of the topic. For several weeks I considered the focus of this post and nothing landed. The usual stories about not having a “real” or “focused” Recording and Listening practice dominated the internal conversation. That was ego’s thinly veiled attempt to prevent me from sitting at the computer and writing this blog.
Then, while I wasn’t looking, I stumbled upon a topic.
One afternoon, I popped in the earbuds and played recorded messages on shuffle as I did house chores. As I was cleaning the floors, a recording from a recent weekend workshop played a message to me about Authentic Nature. I literally stopped in my tracks and felt goosebumps as the words pierced through the veil of egocentricity.
My reaction to those words revealed the subtle and hateful messages that previously held my attention: “Do that, hurry up, what’s next, there is so much to do… .”
The mentor’s words reminded me of the wisdom, love, and compassion at my core. The words were simple, nothing profound, yet spoken directly from the heart. In that moment, I broke free from the hidden tethers of egocentric karmic conditioning self-hate. I was reminded that an egocentric identity, with all its petty needs and desires, was not cleaning the floors. The floors were dirty. Life responded using the tools available in the moment. I was free.
The experience serves as a reminder that the practice of Recording and Listening is not a deed nor does the practice need a doer. There is no need to know which recording to play or what experience to expect.
The practice does not have to have a purpose or an object to serve as a beautiful and simple tool of disidentification. Hearing oneself speak from the heart cuts through the subtle hateful voices lurking below the surface when we are busily moving through life trying to get things done. The words gently nudge us back HERE, cradling us as we slip into our Authentic Nature.
Gasshō
-
If you have been in practice for a while, have had the opportunity to attend any of the weekend workshops this year, or have completed any of the exercises available on the recordingandlistening.org website, you can play-back the recordings on shuffle-mode and listen to the wisdom, love, and compassion in the background as you go about your day. Chances are good that there will be one or two recordings that will stop ego in its tracks and bring you HERE.
Do you have a favorite R/L insight, idea, or practice tool? We’d love to hear it! Send us your favorite quick tip (75 words or less) or submit your idea for a blog post.