{"id":4282,"date":"2016-04-22T10:55:04","date_gmt":"2016-04-22T14:55:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/?p=4282"},"modified":"2016-04-23T20:27:10","modified_gmt":"2016-04-24T00:27:10","slug":"finding-our-true-selves-in-the-vastness-of-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2016\/04\/finding-our-true-selves-in-the-vastness-of-nature.html","title":{"rendered":"Finding our True Selves in the Vastness of Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_2714\"What is the self beyond language concept, and story? Can we find an identity in the unfolding awareness\u00a0of the moment?<\/p>\n

When we let go of stories and release ourselves into the flow of the moment, we start to\u00a0realize the world that we live within is much bigger than we realized. It\u2019s not only big\u2014it\u2019s vast.<\/p>\n

The ocean reminds us of that; the sky reminds us of that. The mountains tell us what is possible. The vastness of the nature is not only a metaphor. Our blood is salty like the sea; our bodies mostly water. Our atoms are the stuff of the universe\u2014bits of the Big Bang inside each one of us.<\/p>\n

The vast also exists within our brains. If we spread out all the branches of each one of our neurons, the length is a staggering 50 million miles. That\u2019s over halfway to the sun. This vastness is impossible to see, yet whenever we turn our gaze within with mindfulness, we are getting a glimpse of this stupendous connectivity.<\/p>\n

There are also vast spaces within each atom that comprises our bodies and all other material of the world and the universe. What seems solid\u2014even that hardest steel\u2014is hauntingly hollow. If we somehow removed all the space from all the atoms in the universe, we\u2019d have something about the size of a bowling ball leftover.<\/p>\n

Despite these magnificent examples of vastness, we tend to live in our stories\u2014the who, what, when, where, and why of identify. We miss the vast in our relentless pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain, discomfort, and inconvenience.<\/p>\n

Stories are compelling, addicting, and habitual. Perhaps, too, we ignore the Vast because it can be dangerous. Larger than our story. Larger than our small self and doesn\u2019t care about that small self.<\/p>\n

The vast reminds us of our vulnerability, precariousness, and aloneness. Just imagine being shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean. On the ocean, we are always on the edge of being or not being amidst the forces of the tide, waves, and depth (not to mention the creatures that dwell in the sea). In other words, impermanence is made plain by the Vast.<\/p>\n

We can also take a surfboard into the vastness of the ocean and learn to ride its\u00a0vicissitudes, making friends with that very impermanence as Jaimal Yogis has done and lovingly reported to us in his books\u00a0Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer\u2019s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea\u00a0<\/a><\/em>and\u00a0The Fear Project: What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me About Survival, Success, Surfing . . . and Love<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sati<\/em> is the Pali<\/em> language term that has been translated as mindfulness. It literally means \u201cto remember\u201d or to \u201crecollect\u201d oneself. From this perspective of remembering, mindfulness is the antidote to forgetting the Vast. It puts us in touch with the vast that is our bodies breathing in and through time.<\/p>\n

Je me souviens<\/em> is the motto of Quebec. I remember myself<\/em>. Perhaps this can be the motto for reclaiming our place in the Vast\u2014our small place in the great context that is existence. With mindfulness, this is possible.<\/p>\n

I am excited and honored to be teaching a workshop with my dharma brother Jaimal Yogis where will be exploring issues related to the Vast in a workshop: Finding Your True Self Through Mindfulness and Nature<\/a> <\/em>at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts (June 10-12). <\/em>Wherever we make contact with our true self, it is sure to be in the open expanses of the Vast. Join us then and there for that workshop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is the self beyond language concept, and story? Can we find an identity in the unfolding awareness\u00a0of the moment? When we let go of stories and release ourselves into the flow of the moment, we start to\u00a0realize the world that we live within is much bigger than we realized. It\u2019s not only big\u2014it\u2019s vast.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":268,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12,7,8,9,10,11],"tags":[459,1075,456,1077,1074,1076,457],"class_list":["post-4282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-shelf","category-buddha-101","category-metaphors-for-mindfulness","category-mindful-living","category-mindfulnesss","category-spider-mind-world-of-interconnections","category-teachers-and-talks","tag-fear-project","tag-finding-your-true-self","tag-jaimal-yogis","tag-learning-mindfulness-at-kripalu-center","tag-mindfulness-workshops","tag-nature-consciousness","tag-saltwater-buddha"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding our True Selves in the Vastness of Nature - Mindfulness Matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/2016\/04\/finding-our-true-selves-in-the-vastness-of-nature.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding our True Selves in the Vastness of Nature - Mindfulness Matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What is the self beyond language concept, and story? Can we find an identity in the unfolding awareness\u00a0of the moment? When we let go of stories and release ourselves into the flow of the moment, we start to\u00a0realize the world that we live within is much bigger than we realized. 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Dr. Kozak's ability to translate ancient healing traditions into pragmatic applications suitable for modern lifestyles through the use of metaphors have made him a strong voice in healthcare and business. Beginning with a journey to India in the 80\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s where he took the Bodhisattva vows from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arnie Dr. Kozak began his lifelong practice in mindfulness meditation. Intent on finding a way to bring the practical healing attributes of mindfulness he began incorporating these techniques in his private practice. In 2002 Dr. Kozak created Exquisite Mind in Burlington, Vermont as a vehicle that could expand his wisdom to larger audiences beyond individual psychotherapy to professionals and corporations, health care providers, public groups and, most recently with Exquisite Mind Golf, amateur and professional golfers. His award-winning new book, Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness (Wisdom Publications, 2009) is a thoughtful, funny, and inspiring translation of mindfulness practice through the inventive use of metaphor applicable to our daily lives. In addition to his work with Exquisite Mind, Arnie Kozak, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist\u00e2\u20ac\u201dDoctorate has been a Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Vermont and is a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine. He has studied and practiced clinical psychology, meditation, and yoga for more than 25 years. He has studied with several meditation masters, including S. N. Goenka, Larry Rosenberg, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After receiving his bachelors degree with honors from Tufts University, he was awarded a Presidential Fellowship to get his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University at Buffalo. He completed his training as a Psychological Fellow at the Harvard Medical School. Prior to founding the Exquisite Mind in 2002, Arnie worked ten years in the private sector for the PKC Corporation consulting on mental health content for this revolutionary software company.","sameAs":["http:\/\/exquisitemind.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/author\/akozak"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/268"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4282"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4291,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4282\/revisions\/4291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/mindfulnessmatters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}