Buddhists love lists. They have a list for love, a list for pain, a list for right living and a list for how to stay in present moment awareness. They even have a list for how to identify a living Buddha. There is the Eightfold Path, the Four-Noble Truths, the Thirty-Two Signs of an Enlightened Buddha (long ear lobes being my favorite), the Six Perfections, the Twelve Dependent Origination, the Four Stages of Mindfulness, the Three Poisons, the Four Immeasurables. You get the idea. So, by extension, if you are a list lover, then you qualify as an automatic Buddhist! As a tribute to the checklist making path to enlightenment, I decided to make my own:
1.) Set up good spam filter to keep out junk mail thinking
2.) Stop leaking energy into doubt and mistrust
3.) Sit in the sanctuary of loving kindness for 10 minutes
4.) Love that one part of your body that you once turned away from
5.) Say Yes to what arises, until it is time to say No
6.) When alone and quiet, bring in the company of your loved ones
7.) Today let one thing surprise you
8.) Chew emptiness to pieces
9.) Live like a diamond; let every moment reveal a new surface
10.) Be faithful today to your own seeking, your own inner calling
11.) Let go of control and live with more spontaneity
12.) Let your broken self and your whole self merge
Each day I “go over” my list. I take one item at a time to the mat and then let it work on me through the course of a day. I come from my heart rather than living by prerogative. Make your own list and let it be your guide to living your deepest calling. List lovers of the world unite!
Photo: Anastasia Vityukova for Unsplash
