The ABC’s of Zen Living December 5, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Meditation, Mindfulness.trackback
Accept the “what is” without resistance. IT is what IT is.
Be Here NOW.
Clear out the mental clutter you’ve been carting around ~ worries, fear, guilt, opinions, judgments, and attachments.
Do one thing at a time (Eat, Pray, Love) with mindful attention and awareness.
Embrace yourself as you are, where you are.
Focus your attention fully on the task at hand, whether you are chopping carrots, talking with a friend, or cleaning the toilet.
Give your full attention to THIS moment.
Here you are, living.
In uncertainty, lies all possibility.
Just start . . . and the way will appear.
Know thyself. You are unique (like no one else) . . . like everyone else.
Live fully in THIS moment. Let the rest go.
Master your thoughts . . . master your life.
Notice the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds abounding around you.
Observe without judgment.
Pay attention ~ feel the rain on your face, listen to the waves crashing on the beach, taste the texture of life as it swirls around.
Quiet your mind. Just be.
Focus on your breath.
Relinquish your desire to control what is not yours to control.
Sit in silent stillness and allow your inner peace to surface.
Ten years from NOW, you will still be living in the NOW.
Understand the impermanence of life and the unity of all beings.
Value kindness.
Wake up! With full awareness, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Xanadu awaits.
You are the beginning, the middle, and the end of your life story.
Zen allows you to experience that story as it unfolds . . . right NOW.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Spirit Lights The Way 
As always, your advice has a tremendous amount of appeal. Thanks for the reminder!
Wonderful. We all benefit from periodic reminders.
Thank you, Nancy, for this post which resonates with me, my soul…
Recycled wisdom resonates within. 😀
Great advice. Many of us really need this reminder amidst the holiday hustle and bustle. However, I’ve hustled and bustled until now I’ve settled in to enjoy all that comes my way!
Excellent! I decorated the house today . . . with “December” (George Winston Piano Solos) and “The Nutcracker” as background music.
A delightful interlude. 😀
focus, awareness, being conscious = a joy filled healthy life.
Just so, Joss. When we are AWAKE and AWARE . . . the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Nancy, these lists are powerful. Thank you for posting just what I needed (again) today.
If we keep repeating the first three notes (A, B, C), we master Zen in no time . . . or should I say NOW time. 😀
I love the way you communicate, to the point and with clarity. Sharing this in Facebook!
Thanks, Maria! Zen living is simple . . . it just takes PRACTICE. Hope your FB friends enjoy. 😀
So… (in my typical completely random fashion)
I can’t help but think of the old ‘news reels’ from Citizen Kane every time I hear Xanadu…
(It’s going to be stuck in my head for at least a day, now).
Xanadu!
🙂
Xanadu first made its appearance in Kubla Khan, a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in 1798. Since then, its idyliic, exotic, and luxurious nature has stuck in many a head . . . so you’re in good company. 😉
Well at least you don’t think of that Olivia Newton-John disco-era song/movie. Oh well, I suppose now you will be thinking about it. Sorry … 😦
I remember she sang a song about Xanadu . . . but the melody is no longer with me.
As always Nancy you are right on the button!
“IT is what IT is”
and
change is inevitable
We have what we HAVE
and what we don’t have we will have to go without!
Thanks, PiP! It is so easy to allow our DESIRE to change things and acquire things to get in the way of enjoying THIS moment.
If we are OK right now . . . we are OK. 😀
and the more things we have the more things we want!
The more stuff we give away . . . the more easily we see that LESS is MORE. 😀
Underpinning this philosophy is the silent stillness you speak of. I couldn’t so any of it without 🙂
Tuning out the constant chatter of the monkey mind allows us to tune in to our creativity, serenity, and tranquility.
Aah . . . that’s better.
(Did your “smart phone” miss something in your 2nd sentence or are you emulating the syntax speak of e.e.cummings?) 😉
Me live in the here and now hmmmm. More often than not I look like that cute little Zen girl graphic. 🙂
Isn’t she a hoot! Definitely NOT having a Zen Moment. 😛
“This being human is a guest-house. Every morning a new arrival.” –Rumi
We have never lived THIS moment before. 😀
Great post!!!!
Thanks, Granny.
The book I’m reading at the moment asks, “How loud do you have to set your alarm clock (to remind yourself to be mindful)?”
Sometimes we hear the alarm bells ringing . . . but we don’t/ won’t tune out the monkey chatter long enough to Just BE.
There’s nothing like stating the obvious for clearing our cluttered minds. It’s all common sense, really; but we so easily forget it.
That’s part of the human condition . . . we get lost in thought and lose touch with the Here/Now.
To really LIVE, we must keep waking up to THIS moment.
Ah, a zenful way to begin my day. Thanks Nancy. It is what it is.
Thanks, Tammy.
Preparing a pot of white bean soup, smelling it simmer, ladling it into bowls to serve, tasting its fragrant . . . all mini alarm clocks designed to keep us awake and aware so that we can experience all that LIVING has to offer.
*pours Nancy a glass of wine* … ah, that’s better!
Is it the wine . . . or the wine ceremony , , , that brings us back to the moment and allows us to relax into it? 😀
at this time of year when we all get too busy, too worried about the future etc, good reminders. thnaks
This afternoon, I let it all be while I meditated. My inner peace and calm are still circulating . . . despite a challenging phone call in the interim.
Be Here Now is sound advice.
Wonderful, it was lovely feeling the rain and wind on my face – I was walking home from work today as it had just started to get dark, the sky was still quite a deep blue and the moon was slightly obscured by some grey clouds from time to time, but it was just beautiful to be outside.
When we “empty our cup” to drink in the NOW . . . pleasures are everywhere around. So glad you enjoyed the experience of walking under the almost night sky. 😀
I’m much better at this than I used to be 😉
That’s the Zen of Zen . . . the only way to “let it be” is to “let it be.” The more we practice viewing THIS moment with mindfulness, the more mindful we become.
It becomes a habit . . . like brushing our teeth or tying our shoes.
Love, love, love that Not Zen picture… It put a smile on my face and made me laugh out loud. Yes, be present… 🙂
Me too! When we stumble across “unexpected” humor, it wakes us up to THIS moment . . .
Laughter is an “alarm clock” reminding us to “empty our cup.”
Great advice oh wise one!
When we are present (and patient), we see with clarity. The way teaches us the way . . . as the path unfolds before us.
Namaste. _/!\_
I love your Not Zen cartoon. That’s so me right now!
That’s my favorite part of this post! Especially at this time of year when there’s too much hustle and bustle. 😉
Your cartoon looks like me in the mirror.
My husband burst out loud when he saw it . . . I suspect it reminded him of me when everything’s going WONKY! 😆