Practicing in the Moment
This article was written to a student participating in an online discussion group. The topic of the conversation was the Principle of Gratitude, and the issue being addressed was how to better practice in the moment, right now, instead of thinking about it later.
I understand how it can be difficult to practice in the moment. I have been teaching ideas like this for many years and over the years I have worked with clients and students who have presented countless variations in their understandings and applications. I have seen what works well and where students can have difficulty.
I have written several articles on Eternal Awareness, detailing some general ideas for more serious study, and I have also given several examples to consider. I can tell you that anyone with an interest in the potential of these teachings would be well served to review the teachings repetitively. And it would also be of benefit to practice with the examples I have given.
There are understandings contained in the teachings that will open differently each time you read them. I would like to explain this somewhat with an example: If you owned a book treating a subject of understanding, you could read this book and find different values to focus on depending on your mindset at the time. In one reading you might look at the general idea and at another time you might focus on a particular. Then, after working with the idea, you might reread the book and have questions you didn't know to have on your initial reading. And then again on another reading you might pick up on something from an angle you didn't have until you had practiced more. Some ideas should be considered and re-considered because the inner mind needs exercise and repetition can be very good.
Think about how many times you repeat some way of being that you don’t even like. Think about how many times you fall in the habitual trappings of the lower self. Now, think about building some positive repetitive value. We practice repetition every day. Learn to use it on the teachings.
I have seen many people who think they understand, but when they enter the moment with me, they are not able to do what they think they understand. I have seen this on ideas that are from their own choice and areas of interest. Talking about it is not the same as doing it and we should be able to do as we talk and as we live each moment.
These teachings and lessons offer anyone, willing to study and practice, a further understanding. If someone understands them a little, they can learn a little more. If someone understands them a lot, they can learn a lot more. It can happen for anyone willing to re-read them and willing to practice them more diligently. Whenever I re-read them, I think of still more ideas, and in those moments understanding once again opens its doors for me to share its reasoning and truths in my practice.
How many books do we need to read? How many lives do we need to live? The answer is many. And we need to improve our practice through a more quantitative, qualitative way of being. Think of the principles we are here to study. Apply it to this.
Respect the Teachings as something to study and review and something to practice over and over. Appreciate the detailed explanations and examples. Show your Gratitude by demonstrating how you are connecting deeper and deeper to the lessons. Offer the Value of your practice as something that truly deserves an even deeper Respect. Now, Appreciate that increase in Respect and show a demonstration of the increased Value through Gratitude by plugging it back into the teachings again. See the new Value and continue your practice.
If you practice this way, as I have already suggested before, you will discover, if you reconnect value back into the teachings as a form of Gratitude, that the teachings are waiting for you to return. The teachings have your next step and the next step after that, plus many, many more. This is a very good way to practice and it is one that many people fail to do.
Another idea that can be helpful in your practice is the idea of practicing more in the moment. When you write a post, you can practice and see how you are doing. When you begin, state the value you want to share. Then practice running the principles we are learning about here as I have described them. Just pick some part of the teaching and say what it is. Then practice that on the value you presented. Do several repetitions and look to grow your understanding of the value in ways that fit the particular teaching you are practicing. See if you can do three runs through the principles holding to the idea, using the particular teaching you chose, and working to build the value each time through. Afterwards, evaluate it. You can even evaluate it from another post using the same principles to evaluate your work.
This will help you practice more in the moment and it will help you use the principles, or lesson material to reflect on your practice.
Remember, it’s just practice and that's a key point to really learning. You don't want to be someone who simply reads about the wonders of life, but cannot live in harmony with them. Practice helps us all to grow and improve, and if we are going to be better givers, we better give ourselves the practice we need.
Remember, have fun!
Scott Walter, Sensei
August 5, 2009
