Coming full circle. How to push aside the tall grass.

"In the pasture of the world, I endlessly push aside the tall grasses in search of the Ox." - Kuòān Shīyuǎn

For the ordinary soul, the world is full of grief. Happiness eludes us because we are fixated on our need to be constantly entertained. Our compassion for others is also fleeting because we don't even have compassion for ourselves. If love begins at home, why are we so hell-bent on fear and loathing? Our problems and challenges arise because they are rooted in our psyche which dances in our minds like a monkey swinging from one tree to another. Much has been written about the mind and its mercurial nature. However, compassion is instinctual and goes beyond the mind.

"Along the riverbank under the trees, I discover footprints. Even under the fragrant grass, I see his prints." - Kuòān Shīyuǎn

Finding compassion is not as hard as you think. It is rooted in life management issues. Behavioural psychologists talk a good game about positive psychology. However, their vocabulary is stripped of all spirituality as if spirituality is a "dirty" word. Nonetheless, people who practice yoga know that yoga is founded on the science of conscious energy. According to the masters, all living things are connected by the same energy, which they call our primordial consciousness. Awareness of ourselves as consciousness, therefore, allows us to express and personify compassion.

Although compassion can appear to be an emotion, it goes much deeper than the mind can comprehend. Genuine compassion is actually dispassionate because when exercised selflessly it has no favourites. It does not enquire into your political affiliations nor does it consider social standing, gender, or race. It stems from a world of goodness, where we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do not because we receive anything in exchange. Above all, compassion is not transactional.

Finding compassion in a world of grief

The path of mindfulness is perfect for those drawn to business leadership because consciousness shapes our worldview. When we start to believe in the fiction we have created in our minds, our lives are not centered on reality but only on what we perceive to be reality. To be in full rapport with life, the mind must be stripped clean of all thoughts. To do so brings the practitioner into a state of presence. Once this is done, compassion becomes one of our closest friends.

For this reason, it is our belief that the practice of mindfulness can pay huge dividends. Zen masters for centuries have counseled practitioners to focus on the tasks they do with?awareness?because it heightens our sense of compassion.?It doesn't matter what those tasks are. It can be doing the laundry as well as writing a client report. Acting with consciousness requires absolute focus. Training the mind to respond in this manner will give you a clearer sense of your own authenticity. At this juncture, compassion flowers like a lotus.

"I seize him with a terrific struggle. His great will and power are inexhaustible." - Kuòān Shīyuǎn

Mindfulness is not what you think

Mindfulness is not what you think. The simplest technique is to sit in a quiet space and watch your breath. In Kashmir Shivaism, practitioners call the ingoing and outgoing breath the divine vibration. When you consider this closely, you come to recognise that without this vibration you wouldn't be physically present anymore in the external world. Without the divine vibration, embodying compassion would not be possible. It is only in a physical form can you make it express itself.

When practicing, it is unnecessary to count your breaths.?Listen closely to the sound it creates. In Sanskrit, they refer to this as the?"Hamsa" mantra, which means "I am". It is natural to all living beings. You need not change your belief system nor engage in any rituals. Just be. The blissful state that ensues stills bodily functions and quiets all discursive thoughts. Concentrating on the breath is nothing new. In fact, it is quite an ancient technique. As Lama Govinda wrote, it gives you a lucid path: "This state of perfect mental and physical equilibrium results in inner harmony where serenity and happiness fill the whole body with supreme bliss."

What is most striking about the practice of mindfulness is the process of breathing. Breath is the connecting link between the conscious and subconscious mind, between the gross material plane and those planes of finer substance. What I particularly love about this practice is the fact you gain access to your very own voice rooted in authenticity. True personal development is impossible unless you live the experience.

Although many meditators use mantras to fill their thoughts, others use visualisation techniques focused on a sacred image. Please note that there will come a time when you must relinquish these props. The term here is?"surrender", an often misinterpreted concept. This is why Zen masters prefer to focus on the breath and to give in to it totally. Let your mind be reabsorbed into its own state of being. Buddhists call this the?void. It is total emptiness. Only when you come out of this state do you recognise that this is where you have been.

"How may a snowflake exist in a raging fire." - Kuòān Shīyuǎn

Mindfulness has the ability to bestow enormous power on you such as when you act in the present moment. In this state, the mind is no longer held hostage to your emotions and feelings.

You see quite quickly that you are not your life situation. Most people will never experience?this and I find that a shame. It is not that they can't experience this. They can. They have chosen not to do so because they enjoy the fiction of the personhood they have created for themselves. Plato addressed these points avidly in his dialogues. Sadly, no person can give this experience to another. He or she can be guided by a master, but it is up to you to make it happen. This is why it is referred to as self-realisation.

Bringing it back home. As the renowned Zen master, Yasutani-Roshi aptly said, "You are the dharma to perfection!" Most of us only see that the glass is half empty not that it is half full. We fail to see that yin and yang need each other to complete the circle. The good news is that you are already the circle. There is nothing to seek, nothing to buy, and essentially nothing to do. Just be who you really are. So what are you waiting for?

About The Author

Andrew Scharf is an Award-Winning MBA Admissions Consultant ?? Executive & Career Coach recognised for helping top performers, and aspiring professionals be all they can be. His?mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world at?Whitefield Consulting. Have a professional project you would like to discuss, send him a DM.