Being Here and Now

Last Sunday we are gathered for an iron-man chanting marathon (thanks to Maria Kammerer!), to practice chanting Reiki precepts.

Just for Today
Do not Anger
Do not Worry
Be Grateful
Do your work Diligently
Be Compassionate to yourself and all living beings

The precepts seem simple but I’m amazed by the deeper layers one can discover with practice. After our marathon chanting I had two discoveries:

Bear with me on this imagination: Imagine a Chinese lantern made from a flexible soft material, almost like silk. It’s like accordion but you can pull from each side and manipulate the lantern. Imagine this lantern has 4 sides and each side has blinds. One side is “Do not Anger”, second side is “Do not Worry”, third side is “Gratitude”, forth side is “ Diligent work”. The bottom end is “Just for Today” the top is “Compassion”.

Let’s build up the lantern from the bottom up where the bottom most end is “Just for Today”. This is what grounds the lantern down to Earth (Being here and now). The opposite end or top of the lantern is “Compassion”. This is what hooks us up to Heaven. The lantern itself is a bridge between Earth and Heaven.

If you pull the side of the lantern from the “Do not Anger” side, (i.e. if you practice this precept and be aware of the anger, recognize that it’s only the ego, recognize the root causes of the anger and succeed to transform the anger), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal the Great Bright Llight within the lantern.

If you pull the side that represents “Do not Worry”, (i.e. if you recognize that worry is only comes from unsettled mind, it’s just a thought and it’s not aligned with our true nature and if you transform worry to ease), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal the Great Bright Light within the lantern.

If you pull the side that represents “Gratitude”, (i.e. if you pay attention to the little miracles of being alive and your heart fills with joy and gratitude), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal the Great Bright Light within the lantern.

If you pull the side that represents “Diligent Work”, (i.e. if you utilize your full potential that you came into this world for, that your potential becomes your work and your work is your utmost potential), the blinds on this side of the lantern opens up to reveal the Great Bright Light within the lantern.

If you pull the lantern from opposite ends, (i.e. you practice Compassion in the Now), all four sides of the lantern are collapsed and there is no lantern anymore and the Great Bright Light is totally exposed.

The second understanding is similar in nature but it is math related. I think there is a math nerd within me waiting to be discovered!

In this one, “Just for Today” or if we simply call it as “Being Here and Now” has a multiplication factor of 0 (Zero).

Whatever you multiply it with (or bring this factor at the presence of others), everything else disappears and the result is zero (non-duality or emptiness).

You multiply “Here and Now” with Anger, anger disappears, end result is zero; you multiply Here and Now with Worry, worry disappears, the end result is zero. You multiply it with Gratitude, there is no need for gratitude anymore, because there is no subject to feel grateful or any objects to be grateful for, the end result is zero. You multiply it with “Diligent Work” there is no one left to work, or any work left to be done, the end result is zero. Multiply it with Compassion and there is no one left to be compassionate for, including the Self. The “Here and Now” is the Golden key to de-activate the need for all others, it’s the zero factor ☺ but look at what remains…

Here and Now x Anger = 0
Here and Now x Fear = 0
Here and Now x Gratitude = 0
Here and Now x Work diligently =0
Here and Now x Compassion = 0
What remains = Great Bright Light

Love & Light,
Zeynep