The Reiki Blog

Step on the brake. August 5, 2013

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing,
Spring arrives, and the grass grows by itself.”
—Zenrin Kushu

“Never be so focused on what you’re looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.”
—Ann Patchett, State of Wonder

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” (unattributed)

Our society is always in such a rush. From the moment we rise until the time we go to bed, we’re busy, busy, busy trying to do fifty things at once. Insomnia has reached crisis proportions in this country because we can’t even manage to turn off the to-do list once we turn off the lights. Morning can’t come soon enough for us, so we can run on the hamster wheel again!

This is perhaps even more true of those of us who follow a spiritual path like the Reiki Way. Not only do we have bazillion chores, errands, deadlines, and family issues and needs to deal with like everyone else, but we aspire to wisdom and compassion, even enlightenment. And we want to get there as fast as possible!

So we cram in as much meditation, yoga, and as many other spiritual practices as possible, as if we were following some sort of sacred diet and exercise program. Instead of the Paleolithic Diet or the Atkins Diet or the South Beach Diet, we’re on the Reiki Diet, trying to shed all our excess pounds of limiting baggage as quickly as we can. Stillness, observation, appreciation fall by the wayside as we frantically measure our daily progress en route to our goal.

There’s also the comparison trap, so prevalent across our culture. How do we measure up against other people? Do other Reiki students in our class seem more “spiritual” than we do? If we’re Reiki teachers, are our Reiki classes drawing as many students as so-and-so’s Reiki classes? Yikes.

Comparison is a distraction, even a poison, since it takes us from stillness to envy. Spirituality is not a competition. It is not a sport. It is not about us versus them, and if we’re on the winning team. It is, ultimately, about learning to be still, and being comfortable, at peace, being still.

Stillness is at the heart of every spiritual practice, be it meditation or yoga or kendo (the way of the sword) or chanting or calligraphy or hands-on Reiki or prayer. The poet T.S. Eliot described it as “the still point of the turning world.”

Not being still means not just that we don’t want to take the time to see the world and other people and creatures around us as they are, to take the time to appreciate and enjoy them. Ultimately, it means that we don’t want to spend time with ourself, because we don’t like our perception of ourself and don’t want to see us as we are. By constantly rushing, multitasking, distracting ourselves, we can avoid that person we don’t want to see in the mirror or even think about.

And yet, without accepting, loving, and spending quiet time with ourselves, there is no possibility of spiritual growth. You cannot feel genuine love for others if you don’t first love yourself. “The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart,” the Buddha said.

I will tell again the wonderful story of the enlightened monk. An eager seeker asked him, “Tell me, great Master, is attaining enlightenment difficult?” The monk replied, “Attaining enlightenment is not difficult.” You can picture the excitement of the seeker. He knew it all along! There was some simple trick, The Enlightenment Diet, that would propel him to nirvana in three weeks, and now the monk was going to reveal the secret to him! Picture his chagrin at the monk’s next words: “One has only to begin, and then continue.”

We all need to walk the Reiki path a step at a time, not judging others, not judging ourself, not making pointless comparisons, not rushing, but savoring every step of the way. The Buddha also said, “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” And that means frequent stops to smell the roses. Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring arrives, and the grass grows by itself.

Just for today, take time to hear the grass grow.