In the Paradise of Life and Death

We, individuals, live in The Paradise of Life and Death. It is just a term, of course, but a suiting term, in my experience. The Paradise part of it is no exaggeration, and I mean it in the sincerest way. The world is truly divine, and the smallest part of it can be completely fulfilling. All we need to experience this, is consciousness. We do not need a higher salary, we do not need a better job, a better relationship, a better home, more respect, or more success. Some of us might require those for other reasons, but not for the experience of Paradise. Consciousness and consciousness only, is needed.

Perfection is in every inch. Grace is abundant in every corner of the natural world, but typically we fail to see this. We fail because instead of taking care of each other we compare, compete, and hurt each other. So, we come to worry. So, we hold tight our earthly treasures. Failing to deal with or accept death (loss of any kind) we fail to embrace life, and trapped in this conflict, protective and frightened, Paradise escapes our gaze.

To know Paradise here and now, we must learn to let go. Letting go requires fearless trust – faith. It requires letting go of strife, letting go of future, and letting go of ourselves. To see Paradise we must pay attention to, and enter what's right here and now. How can we do so? How can we become fearless enough to let go of all concerns and matters, and simply experience the world. That is a journey different for every person and psyche, and yet it is similar.

The mind is occupied with the objects of life, and with the problems threatening our ideas of “a good or better life”. By steering the mind away from these concerns, and focusing on the sense-experiences of this moment and place, we practice letting go. Still, to manage that for any length of time, we must see through the objects and ideas which captivates our fears and desires, and learn to relax in the midst of the storm of being. Faith in God may help this, or believing that at the foundation of all things, existence is good. One must develop trust in the Universe, trust in breathing, and trust in Life and Death. You do not need to control this moment. You can let go of everything right now, without losing anything of importance. I do not mean letting go of the steering wheel while driving a car, but letting go of the rigid grasp we all keep around our lives. Even in the face of our worst nightmares there is consciousness, there is breathing, there is Life. A flower is ripped apart by a sudden hailstorm. Tell me, does life not continue? It is this protective mentality, that needs our favorite flower, our favorite us, to remain at all cost, that stands in the way between us and Paradise. We may have accepted death for others, but we have not accepted it for ourselves.

When we have managed letting go of ourselves, and embraced Death, Life can flourish freely. Then we will be able to let go, without fear shoving us back into our minds of worry. Then we will be able to give our attention to others, and give our attention to the world around us. We will more easily be able to look upon the world without judgment, without constantly weighing and analyzing it. We may then learn how to see. When we hug someone we like, perhaps when we have sex, or taste fantastic food, there may be a moment when we simply receive the impression. There may be a moment when we manage to allow things to be as they are, without adding labels, or feeling the need to understand and control – a moment when we do not interfere or try to gain anything – a moment of purity, free from our ambitions. If you understand what I mean, you can practice this same approach when looking around at simple things, like trees, clouds, grass, gravel, puddles or anything. Practicing in such a way Paradise may reveal itself, and you will know that you live in the Paradise of Life and Death, like we all do. It will make you laugh, and bring you to tears of joy, because you will see more than beauty. Paradise is not just pretty. It is spiritual, and connects us with the essence of all – with the Lord Himself. Paradise is form in formlessness. It is individuality in non-duality, and Life in Death.

We all live in the Paradise beyond Life and Death.