To Meditate is to Look Deeply

How can we begin to answer these questions about life and death?

A good answer, the right answer,

should be based on evidence.

It is not a question of faith or belief, but of looking deeply.

To meditate is to look deeply

and see the things that others cannot see,

including the wrong views that lie at the base of our suffering.

When we can break free from these wrong views,

we can master the art of living happily in peace and freedom.

~

The first wrong view we need to liberate ourselves from

is the idea that we are a separate self

cut off from the rest of the world.

We have a tendency to think we have a separate self

that is born at one moment and must die at another,

and that is permanent during the time we are alive.

As long as we have this wrong view,

we will suffer;

we will create suffering for those around us,

and we will cause harm to other species and to our precious planet.

~

The second wrong view that many of us hold is

the view that we are only this body,

and that when we die we cease to exist.

This wrong view blinds us to all the ways in which

we are interconnected with the world around us

and the ways in which we continue after death.

~

The third wrong view that many of us have

is the idea that what we are looking for —

whether it be happiness, heaven, or love —

can be found only outside us in a distant future.

~

We may spend our lives chasing after and waiting for these things,

not realizing that they can be found within us,

right in the present moment.

———————————————————————-

 “Zenfully Quool Quotes”…

Currently featuring “The Art of Living”

By Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

My aim is to present

a deeper, higher, wider, non-theological perspective

into common sense Spirituality

that most of us folks raised in the ‘west’ never get introduced to,

to fulfill life’s most intriguing questions…

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The Start of 2020

Our business was doing great, but we still couldn’t afford to buy a house or a condo. Renting in Maui for another 30 years was not an option we wanted to take. Then, Bobbie Jo suggested we buy a sailboat that is comfortable to cruise and live in. By the end of January, we started looking for our new home.

After a long search, we found our dream boat in Mazatlan, Mexico. COVID-19 was not yet a concern when our boat hunt began, but masks were starting to appear at airports by the time we flew to Mazatlan. Originally, we had planned to get the boat ready as fast as possible to cover a full calendar for the busy wedding season. However, it was apparent our business was going to tank amid the pandemic, and the struggle went on until the end of the year.

Luckily, we scored an awesome condo for only $19 a day at Mazatlan. On the 10th day of our stay, we received the news that all harbors will be closed the next Monday morning. We thought we’d be stuck in Mexico longer, but another sailor advised us to leave before sunrise.

We felt the adrenalin of escaping the Mexican harbor master just before the sun rose that faithful day. The seas were rough as waves were building up in the tight channel that led us to the open ocean. We ended up anchored off an adorable little isle just a mile offshore. We enjoyed cruising to many spectacular anchorages and cute villages on our way to Puerto Vallarta, where we would depart for Maui on May 7. On May 30, 2020, we completed our 24-day passage from Mexico to Maui.