I had written this piece a few months ago. A 'Sunday' message from a friend had taken me to the depths of 'stillness' and helped me 'be in the flow'.
Today, as I face my erratic unbalanced mind, and watch how it is finding the illusion of short-lived solace either in the past or the future, I read this piece again to help me remember the magic of being in the present. It's strange how we can be in the depths of stillness one moment and get into the spiral of mind chatter the other. If we are able to just see the chatter of mind, observe its erratic nature and realize that the chatter is either about the past or the future, we will automatically find ourselves in the present. I guess that is what life is all about.
Here is the piece on 'being still' and 'being in the flow'!
The thought for this article came from these lovely quotes I read about 'stillness' and being 'in the moment.' There is such profound meaning in being still. You'll see the myriad of expressions about stillness exclaimed by the authors in the form of their quotes below:
"Just as the waves can subside to reveal the stillness of the ocean's depths, so too is it possible to calm the turbulence of our mind to reveal its natural pristine clarity." ~ Kathleen McDonald
“This moment in which you experience stillness is every moment. Don't let the mind seduce you into the past or future. Stay in the moment, and dare to consider that you can be free now.” ~ Adyashanti
“Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking, and listening activates the non-conceptual intelligence within you. Let stillness direct your words and actions.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
“Empty yourself of everything. Let the mind become still. The ten thousand things rise and fall while the Self watches their return. They grow and flourish and then return to the source. Returning to the source is stillness, which is the way of nature.” ~ Laozi
“Be still. it takes no effort to be still; it is utterly simple. When your mind is still, you have no name, you have no past, you have no relationships, you have no country, you have no spiritual attainment, you have no lack of spiritual attainment. There is just the presence of beingness with itself.” ~ Gangaji
“There is a presence, a silence, a stillness which is here by itself. There is no doer of it, no creator of this stillness. It is simply here in you, with you. It is the fragrance of your own self. There is nothing to do about this, it is naturally present. This fragrance of peace, this spaciousness, it is the fragrance of your own being.” – Moji
These writers have expressed their meaning of stillness is such profound words. It is these very writers who also speak about 'going with the flow'. One may ask 'should we be still' for a higher spiritual state or 'should we go with the flow'? While these writers have exclaimed the meaning of stillness through their lens, I am going to attempt to express the meaning of being in a 'flow state'.
Here goes...
"An untrained mind will resist anything that seems undesirable at that moment.
A trained mind, that is a mind in a 'flow state' will accept everything as it is, whether desirable or undesirable"
"Being in a flow state is flowing with whatever every moment has to offer, without the need to control the offering"
"When one is conscious of every moment
Of every situation
Of every occurrence
Of every action
And every reaction
It gives one the advantage of realization when the mind is still in acceptance and when the mind is in struggle with resistance
This conscious realization strengthens one's state of acceptance and helps cultivate a 'flow state' of being"
"Situations are undeniable
Their occurrence is but a natural phenomenon
It is our choice whether to accept or resist
And it is the choice to accept that enables the 'flow state' of mind"
"Newton once said, 'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction'
I urge you to question this from a spiritual perspective
For you have no control over the action
But the reaction is an action of your choice
Being free of fight and judgement as a response to any action is the tonic for being in a flow state"
"The action is not in our hands
The reaction is
The stimulus is not in our hands
The response is
You have a choice to accept or resist
Resist the resistance
Accept the acceptance
Transform to a flow state of being"
Through these expressions I've realized that ‘being still’ and being in a ‘flow state’ may mean the opposite from an English language perspective, but they are indeed the same when it comes to understanding their meaning in the context of spirituality. Conceptually being still and in ‘flow state’ are both pathways to higher states of consciousness. Being still requires us to accept and exhibit oneness with the situation, so does being in a flow state. Meaning the opposite yet both are a reflection of a centered mind, both of these lead to a feeling of fulfilment. How is it even possible?
The essence of the concept can be captured by saying that 'one needs to be still on the inside' and 'flow with the situation on the outside.' Here's an analogy that perfects the true meaning of this article.
The sunrise and the sunset are both opposing phenomena. One takes place at dawn when the sun appears from the eastern hemisphere, while the other takes place at dusk when the sun disappears from the Western Hemisphere. While the sun rise and the sun set are opposites, let's look at this conceptually.
Dawn is referred to as the period of twilight before the sun rises, while dusk is referred to as the period of twilight before the sun sets completely. Both are twilight nonetheless. It is the usage of language that makes dusk and dawn the opposite of each other. But again, they are opposites given that one is associated with the rise and the other with the setting of the sun.
Another perspective from a reader that felt apt to incorporate:
As we all know, the earth actually revolves around the Sun. The Sun rising and setting gives us a different impression. Individually, we are all still, but at the same time going with the flow of the Earth’s rotation as well as revolution.
Just like both dawn and dusk mean the opposite but are both twilight, stillness and flow state may mean the opposite but both refer to a Zen mind.
And just like how dawn is in the morning and dusk is in the evening, being still is on the inside and being is a flow state is on the outside.
The Sun's orbiting of the earth is in continuity, resultant phenomena being dawn and dusk; similarly, the state of higher consciousness is in continuity, with a continuous phenomenon of stillness on the inside and a flow state on the outside.
Wishing all of you more ‘stillness’ today... may your ‘flow state’ enable you to transcend the barriers to limitlessness.
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