Namaste dear one. It is my pleasure to share that the full-color print edition of “Finding Freedom Where You Are” is now available on Amazon here. A Zen Retreat + Artistic Experience in a book. The canvas is the page, the content is a guide. For a one minute video overview, please click here. This – Read More –
Drop everything.Even you. Bonus: What remains? —— A direct way to discover your true nature is by dropping everything — your thoughts, feelings, ideas, images, memories, hopes, plans, traumas, and triumphs. Then drop YOU — your idea of who you think you are; you as the person. What remains? Namasté and – Read More –
Namasté dear one. On the last episode of season 3 of my podcast (listen to “Live Free with Selena Sage” here), I announced that I was taking some time away from social media. Between then and now, I’ve been developing Instantly Zen, which I’m so excited to introduce! (I’ll share details about what it is at the end of this post because this message is focused on how Instantly Zen came to be.)
At the time that I disabled social media (way back on October 17th haha), I knew that I needed to take a step away from everything. I felt something new trying to bubble to the surface and I needed to block out all of the noise.
In the silence, I generated a lot of ideas, and I’m so thankful for persons in my “inner circle” who gave me feedback, both helpful and harsh haha, to get me closer to what this idea needed to be.
I admit freely that my first idea / presentation was off the mark, but putting it on-screen and sharing it allowed me to process it; the feedback I received helped me strengthen it; and as I developed it, I ended up weaving in parts of the original idea that were worth keeping.
I say this because often times we try to process ideas in our heads and resist sharing them with others for various reasons. Those reasons for not sharing can sound like: “It’s not ready,” “It’s not perfect,” “They will steal it,” “They will tell someone else who will steal it.” But please let me tell you that original ideas are never really ready or perfect; most people don’t have the know-how or energy to actually develop and execute the idea like you can; and if you have that concern about a person stealing or sharing your idea with the wrong person, they probably shouldn’t be in your inner circle.
That said, know, too, that thoughts are constantly changing, so the mental-development method is not really that trustworthy. Instead, I find there is great power in taking a moment to jot down random ideas that come up, and choosing to work through the idea that you vibrate with on the highest frequency (meaning, you keep thinking of it or it stands out).
Once you’ve made that mock-up, treat it like a first draft and share it with only a very small number of very trusted people (two or three) that will give you honest perspective. Then, prepare yourself for both positive and negative feedback and stay open to both. Don’t let negative feedback discourage you, and lean into positive feedback (even if it’s your own belief that it will work) to fuel you as you take the next steps forward to fine-tune your first idea.
When I first read this profound quote by Zen Master Huang Po, I thought it referred to the nature of the mind—if you start thinking of someone (or something), it can cause you to emotionally miss them (or it). Intrigued by this idea, I read some more of his work. Now, as I’m re-reading this – Read More –
Recently, on my Instagram page, I have participated in several conversations that address ‘personhood’, the concept of the ‘observer’, and the nature of ‘awareness.’ These are very critical distinctions in Advaita Zen…and the great masters (such as my own teacher, Mooji) provide profound pointings to illustrate the difference. (Taoism also describes awareness, and refers to – Read More –
Why are people reluctant to devote an hour to a spiritual video of exploration? Perhaps it is because not everyone is ready to wake up to themselves…or they have not met a teacher that speaks in a language that they understand. One of the things that I love about Mooji is that his messages are so – Read More –
This May, I traveled to Lisbon to meet with a Zen Master named Mooji. I have been meaning to write about this experience, but I confess…finishing my novel has gotten in the way of that. However, today, one of my cousins asked me to explain, “…what is Mooji is to [me],” and so now seemed – Read More –
Life is fleeting, and sometimes it seems that there is no end to worries. Every small thing becomes big and we somehow put off feeling happy until some later date … or until we achieve some future accomplishment. But this is not life. This is simply a cycle of suffering. In those fruitless moments of – Read More –
“When your mind is always completely empty you will have achieved purity. But don’t think about it or you’ll lose it. If you fall into a state of nonpurity again, however, simply pay no attention to it and you will be free once more.” -Zen teaching One of the key beliefs behind my book, Meditative Questions, is – Read More –
A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to him, “Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is now.” – Read More –