The First and Noble Truth
Or
28 Weeks & 3 days to go
Hello again dear reader, how have you been?
Me? Well, thanks for asking… I just have continued with my life…I have been eating lots of mangoes, drinking more water than I could have ever dream of being able to hold in my body, and have been craving a green flavorless liquid food call chlorophyll…
I have also began a consistent swimming practice suited up for making me feel weightless within the weight fluctuation experiences, and have really enjoyed my new found habit of sleep.
Also, during these past weeks I have come to meet a great friend, its name is WHAT IS. Which regardless of what I think, believe, or do, WHAT IS seems to be there always present for me, always supportive, a great teacher, a great presence, and a great model of its own name! While pregnancy keeps evolving, the sky continues to be blue, the grass green…my perception may change, and may label things, people, experiences and places in a very witty way, yet none of this have power over my friend who always kindly reminds me with experience that, what Is, IS, already…so I watch, relax, sometimes choose not to relax, and continue walking my path.
Meditation is the Observation of What is- Unknown
After the last post we received many comments and great advise from other readers perception field, WOW, I never cease to be amazed on the vastness of the creator on giving each of us the source will or FREE WILL (more popularly known) to perceive, say,project, think, and believe what we choose to…cheers for diversity!
Within the sharing lots of contemplation were done on my behalf…specially regarding THE MIDDLE-WAY which each time I hear these words I immediately hear drums, chimes and gong thunder- like sounds in the background of my awareness!
A dear friend of mine who serve as a Tibetan monk for many years told me that this “MIDDLE-WAY” was intended to be easy…smooth and non complicated, he shared that the teachings were all convoluted as many “tried” to describe the simplicity of what Buddha experienced into a complex form. “Mmmm don’t we all do this every day of our lives?”… Any way, he shared with me about the Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path and the Four Immeasurables and told me to study those if I desired to “know” more on THE MIDDLE-WAY (drums in the background again!)
Hold on! I thought the Middle Way was as simple as to observe, detach, breathe, and observe again…without judgment and or labeling of the experience…not even label pregnancy as such, nor reading, not even dividing a wholeness continuum process by statements like first, second or third trimester…not even saying: NOT EVEN!
Yet I was presented with these sacred texts and studies and in my complex choices I decided to read and meditate upon them….
I began with the Four Immeasurables which seemed short, more practical, and in a way easier to meditate upon…yet I wonder; Is action aligned with those truths as simple as it seems?
Lets take a look:
First of all I wanted to define what Immeasurable really meant: I First search in an online dictionary which reported: ENTRY NOT FOUND! Mmmmmm already the teaching in action…I remained focus on the principle SEEK AND THOU SHALL FIND and it worked
Second dictionary:
* impossible to measure; “unmeasurable reaches of outer space”
Third dictionary:
* incomputable: beyond calculation or measure; “of incalculable value”; “an incomputable amount”; “jewels of inestimable value”; “immeasurable wealth”
As my mind got a “definition of the word” it immediately associated it with life, vastness, sky, ocean, sand, and …thoughts! And also the capacity of one heart to love another, when absolute unconditionality is experienced.
The first Immeasurable states:
MAY ALL BEINGS HAVE HAPPINESS AND THE CAUSES OF HAPPINESS
Without any previous Buddhist training, I began contemplating and relating it to pregnancy, which is the main intention of this particular blog, and could feel how deeply I wished this for all, just by common sense, and the prayer that all beings, all children, all future generations, and NOW generations experience happiness as a state of being that I have always believed is created by the choices and actions we are responsible to embrace every day…it all just seems a natural way of being.
In a way the First Immeasurable says to me:
May all beings choose happiness, and act upon actions, words and deeds that will birth happiness
Choosing actions of love, generosity, non-judgment, and acceptance of “is-ness” with one another truly creates for me worthy causes to live within the birthright of all human beings to experience the “Happiness sate of being” where cause and effect are aligned towards the higher good of all sentient beings.
I must say that Mr. Siddhartha Gautama was truly a motivator of his time! And in such simple way…His wish and prayer seems to me to be an assignment for the minds to focus on this directive and align all thoughts aimed to the purpose of happiness which for me, without religious training, seems THE WAY TO GO.
So in my week 12th of this sacred pregnancy I find myself observing and experiencing different opportunities to practice the first Immeasurable. I am told that my uterus is now the size of a grapefruit, surely in the outside perception seems like a basketball size!…then I am told that a sort of migration process is occurring; the uterus is traveling from the bottom of my pelvis to a front and center position of my abdomen. WOW!? My mind also spots the word CENTER and seems to like it…
Then I am told something that seems not to fit in all these “studies” that I have committed to observe while pregnant and beyond: They say ” IF YOU ARE LUCKY, “IF” then the urge to go the bathroom every hour will be easing and coming to completion” “Again this all is good for the baby and not for the Mother”
Hold on beliefs! I am not concerned of the bathroom visits, or the “urges”. For me those are natural process of what is, plus I get the opportunity to be awake, walk , stretch my legs and go back to bed! Yet I feel unease with the urge of “doctors” choosing words like IF +LUCK in the same sentence as for me this summons me as a Woman Representative of Pregnant-hood to say out loud: I CHOOSE NOT TO BELIEVE IN LUCK and beliefs like that…as what would be will be and I wish you happiness and the cause of happiness:). So please choose your words wisely, mindfully and joyfully…and when in doubt, silence is something in the Pregnant-hood state we dearly welcome!
Then they continue to report:
“Morning sickness may be disappearing at this point”. HOLD ON AGAIN! Who chose to label that as Morning Sickness? When did we agree to call it like “that”? Why programming pregnant Goddessess with those words that carry within the definition of sick added to the beginning of a great day call morning?
At this point as I hear these words I am repeating in my mind: May you be happy and experience all causes of happiness and may you also change your words! Then I mentally suggest new names for the so call “condition”, my preference is to call it Morning BLISS, and any feeling of pregnancy judged as yikes! just to be seen as a reminder of pregnancy itself…that’s all, and no sickness for me; thank you very much!
Yes, in my mind I find myself editing the Buddha’s words! Gulp! Yet again, I feel he probably wont be offended as he wouldn’t take anything personal living the middle-way…right?:)
So then the news continues: “In the third trimester you should blame increased progesterone for what is going to happen to you: you will start getting DIZZY”.
Wait, did you just say BLAME? Blaming my own inner system? thank you and no… then I ask myself Really, I WILL start getting dizzy? You a psychic? Or, That well you think you know God’s plan? ….I prefer not to know..as usually his plans are greater than anything I can even imagine!!!
They say dizzy, light headed…and I say: O.K what comes comes…So far haven’t experienced that…and have no aversion towards experiencing anything that reminds me the gift of being pregnant.
Then I hear words that make sense to me: The Doctor suggests REMEMBER THAT SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE… I immediately take this as a directive from the benevolent universe being channeled through the Doctor, as it sees my ongoing questioning of the beliefs offered to me to sign up into the outdated belief system business! Ahhh the Universe gifts me these words to use for my meditation practice…taking one step at a time, slowing down, breathing, watching, taking action mindfully; now these make sense, thanks Doc…or shall I say; Thank You Universe!? You Rock!
Then it gets better and better, he/it says:
“If you feel dizzy or faint, just sit down, close your eyes and begin taking deep breaths, use loose clothing, and relax”.
Wow! My first assignment that matches the first immeasurable:
May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
Then they continue explaining me now what the baby is going through, in his own path as a being…he /she weights as much as half and ounce, his digestive system is in practice mode for when he/she is born, his pituitary gland is already producing hormones, the bone marrow is making white blood cells, she has doubled in size and going through changes! WOW AND MEGA WOW again!
And within it all I just hear one word behind all of these reports: CREATION.
I sigh and relax in gratefulness. This is when my heart rejoices even more, when all words vanquish, and where truly I can breathe without getting dizzy, or fainting…and where from my heart I imagine all Mothers, all Fathers and all children inside the womb and outside the womb on Earth smiling and singing together:
MAY ALL BEINGS HAVE HAPPINESS AND THE CAUSES OF HAPPINESS and may all women and their pregnancies be infused with immeasurable radiant golden light, divine support, equanimity, love ,compassion, joy, and the easiness and is-ness and love from all THAT IS….
Namaste,
To be continued….
