The Inner Waterfall

We can sit in silence and quiet the mind by placing our attention on the breath.  This marvelous reminder of the rhythm of life, the breath continuously renews our energies and nourishes our bodies.  The mind and the breath embrace together in a warm, loving recognition of our natural state.  We can relax and let go of anxieties and worries as the breath brings a calm reflection in the inner mirror of self-recognition. Quietly, then, we can recognize the coming and going of thoughts.  Thoughts of planning, worrying, comparing and criticizing all become much clearer to us then.  Pictures and stories emerge and play upon our minds like the projector flashing images on the movie screen at our local theater.  But we are more aware that we are simply observers of the thoughts.  We are not the thoughts, themselves.  The thoughts that bring fears, self-judgments, regrets and sorrows become less controlling because we begin to notice that they are not real.  They do not capture the deeper reality of our spiritual being.  They are the products of that great story teller, the Ego.  And we begin to let go of the thoughts, themselves and settle into the peaceful abode of the one who witnesses the thoughts – the one who is beyond thoughts and fears and worries. This is called “observing the waterfall.”  Thoughts and emotions can be seen as simply a cascading flow of impressions.  They no longer push and pull us into unwanted actions.  They no longer drive us into despair or depression.  We simply observe and let go of the waterfall.  We can then find the sweet scent of freedom surrounding us.  We have found one of the great secrets of our own, internal universe.  And this new-found freedom brings us Joy.