Here in midsummer it is possible to experience a marvelous expansion of heart and mind. Just as the parsley, kale and tomatoes in the garden become abundant and the oak tree spreads its great canopy, it is the time of year to cultivate joy. Perhaps you remember summers as a child lolling around on your backyard grass or staying out late catching fireflies. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, it is said that the world is essentially made of bliss. “The yogi knows that Brahman is bliss. Verily beings are born from bliss, in life they live by bliss, and upon departing they enter bliss.” How on earth could the whole world be bliss when there are wars and hunger and people starving? But if you see through the mind that takes sides, the mind that declares it’s us vs. them, the mind that defaults to prejudice, envy and lies, then you see through to the vast space that gives birth to all things and realize what a magical world we live in. While most people look to fast cars, fancy clothes, and big screen TVs for their source of joy, yogis realize the preciousness of this life. And the nature of this space is blissful peace. “ Everything changes, everything passes”, taught the Buddha, “when all is over, being and extinction transcended, still the basic silence and emptiness abides and that is blissful peace”. The work for all of us is to get beyond the confines of our dual making mind, to lift the lid of discord and dissension from our hearts and feel into the pure joy of being. And summertime is best for this as you watch a great expanse of sunset or stare for miles over the ocean. Let this be the season for absorbing into the incredible, mind-boggling wonder of the world, grateful for the ongoing gift we are given.
Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
