On December 28, 2016, I woke up and did my “good morning glory”ritual. It is a super-charged energy workout I call michi-kung. During the moving meditation, I declare and say prayers. These centering charms keep my attention focused on my intention. That is to get centered, stretched, strong, and stress free like a deeply rooted tree. On that particular day, I recall affirming my 3Gs. First, “I am Grounded.” By loving our lower body and nurturing our roots and wings of light, we begin to know where home is. Second, “I am Grateful.” We count our blessings, not our stressings. And thirdly, “I am Gorgeous.”Know that you are enough. Be comfortable and joyful in your own skin and radiate authenticity. This helps you find a fearless confidence and the courage to be brilliant and be-“you”-tiful.
Suddenly, a question popped in my mind regarding the Gratitude Challenge video that I shared. The video was about how Leonard Cohen helped me find my hallelujah voice when he wrote the foreword to my first book Mental Fitness: Workouts for Body, Mind and Soul. The question, I curiously asked myself, was “What did I actually say in the gratitude video about spreading heart wings?” I let the thought go, like a cloud passing through my mind, and finished my meditation in motion. Later, on my walk with my zen pup Chado, the answer popped up, by spreading our heart wings to experience H.O.M.E. “Heaven On Mother Earth.” Precisely at that moment, Anita Moorjani’s book title, What if this is Heaven? danced across my mind. I knew I had to check it out. After my walk, I took Chado home and followed my heart.
I went straight to my local Barnes and Noble to buy Anita’s book. I started reading it right there in the Starbucks B&N Cafe. I immediately loved it and finished it within 24 hrs. The next day, I felt inspired to spread the word and share What if this is Heaven? with a picture on twitter. I also tweeted it to Anita Moorjani herself, and was delighted when she retweeted with “Yay, Thank you.”
Being born into a famous zen family, and carrying on the legacy of Sokei-an Sasaki, Zen Master, my great grandpa. I found that Anita’s inspired words resonated with me and rang true to the spirit of zen. For example, when she speaks of “Oneness,” she says, “after all, we are all connected, all part of one whole.” To that point, it is meditation or zen that reconnects us to our spirit of oneness. “Only to learn upon death that all that matters in life is to love, laugh, and shine our light brightly.” Anita Moorjani
Before committing to share this blog, I bought Anita’s wonderful Deep Meditation for Healing-Audio CD and read her first book, Dying To Be Me. As with the other book, I read it, loved the insights, and highly recommend it. Both of her books are catalysts to realize, as her subtitle suggests, How Our Cultural Myths Prevent Us from Experiencing Heaven on Earth.
“Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place you must find.”
Wayne W. Dyer
I have not had a near death experience or claim to know what it is like to come back from the great abyss. But I have experienced multiple situations that killed my spirit. (don’t get me started) But after each one, after a period of inner reflection, I came back with a stronger backbone, more resilient, as if I survived a near death experience. I shared some of these experiences in earlier blogs like, My Mistakes, Miracles, and Most Treasured Gem, and Storytime, Being The Hero of your Everyday Stories.
I love sharing resources, quotes, books, blogs, etc. because I love to reach more like minded souls. New ideas inspire creativity and can rewire us for miracles. May this blog encourage and support you to make choices that allow you to be on the same music page, experiencing more of heaven here and now on mother earth, and to celebrate the pure joy of vibrational harmony.
I recently encountered a challenging situation and tapped into what martial artists call “authentic mastery,” demonstrating grace, precision, and strength. This secret of zen strength is cultivated through meditation. Here is a tale, The Fighting Cock, by Chinese sage Chuang Tzu. It is a parable that will clarify the notion of authentic mastery from a Daoist martial art perspective.
Here’s what happened to me. On Saturday morning, January 14, 2017, I was sitting, waiting at McCafe, a newly remodeled McDonalds, while my car was getting a routine check up. I first ordered a hot tea. After sitting a while, I got up and ordered a breakfast sandwich and yes, fries. I returned to my table and got back to reading Anita Moorjani’s Dying To Be Me. I heard a man’s voice behind me greeting people and asking them if they enjoyed their meal. When he arrived at my booth, tucked away in a quiet corner in the back, I observed non judgmentally that he was slightly disheveled and quite anxious. He told me his name was “G for God, Allah, Jehovah…..and Todd.” I remained calm, smiled, and listened. Todd glanced down and commented on what he saw on the
table. He said, “You stole my gift card. Give it back to me.” His voice started getting louder and he stated that he had to kill me. It would be “bloody like a war” if I tried to walk out the door. No matter what, I was prepared to shift from worrier to a warrior. With enough self compassion, I stayed centered and grounded in my breath. Seeing my resolve, he hesitated and then said, “You’re not afraid of me.” I kept repeating the Hawaiian Ho opono pono magical mantra to myself, “Thank you. I love you,” to neutralize the stressing of being stuck in a corner with Todd and no one else was around. I simply smiled, mindfully aware on a deeper level that Anita’s book, Dying To Be Me, which I was reading when Todd showed up, was divine timing.
Her words, “Affection for the self and others is the same thing.” That was my Aha blessing. What happened next was, I gathered my things, pressed my zen button to reset and mentally start over, refocus, reboot and relax solidly into the present moment. I said to Todd, “Thank you for sharing.” and walked straight to the front door and outside. With a deep breath and much gratitude that all was well, I walked, maybe a bit faster, back to the Toyota dealership to pick up
my Prius. As I mentioned in the gratitude challenge video, the zen genius sleeps in everyone of us and demands to be awakened. And on that Saturday morning, my zen spirit definitely had a bit of a wake up call.
Polish your miracle diamond of mindfulness. To spiritually awaken, consider using what you already have, inner wisdom or insight to keep calm, hustle (do the work) and sparkle on living in the light.
Wayne with Anita, Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra
I say a little prayer from me to we got this. Yes, my wishes have been fulfilled sharing this blog with you. As I wrote this just now, I recalled that Wayne Dyer graciously mentioned Anita Moorjani in his book, Wishes Fulfilled. Since the moment is the perfect teacher, I was meant to read Anita Moorjani’s books and share them here. Now is a gift called the present moment, the precious present. Gifts are meant to be unwrapped, opened, and enjoyed. They’re even sweeter when shared with YOU. ZenJOY the moment.
Please share, Tell a friend! 143 you are loved