With so many laws of attraction floating around out there, I really
wish a had
Dummy's Guide to remind me which law I'm currently practicing
(or neglecting.) The Buddhists content that desire itself is verbotten.
Meanwhile,
everyone from the makers of The Secret to Jack Canfield agree that
desire exists
and it's really a question of the frequency you're tuned to as a matter
of getting
those things you want. I really think there's a big opportunity for
someone to write
a book distilling all these different factions of attraction. I love
drinking the Kool Aid as much as
the next seeker, but sometimes the options are overwhelming. Martha
Bone, today's writer, seems
to have it figured out though.
Amy Swift, Editor in Chief
Ladies Who Launch
Intention Driven Mindfulness
by Martha Bone
New York City
Sleeping Buddha, Inspired Textiles By Martha Bone
info@shopsleepingbuddha.com
Wouldn't it be great if you could press the 'easy button' and those
pesky hard things would just get done effortlessly? Sometimes, I feel
like I'm chasing my tail, trying to catch the uncatchable. The more I
want it, the more unavailable it becomes.
Buddhists call this condition samsara. It is the cycle of human
existence; suffering caused by desire. So, how do you want something
without actually desiring it? How can you make an effort and have it be
effortless?
My favorite scene in the Matrix Trilogy is the one where Neo fights
Agent Smith in slow motion. Neo seems to anticipate what is coming
next.
Neo is totally in the present, and though the situation is certainly
life threatening, he has no fear or doubt. He has finally taken
responsibility for who he is, and there is only the job to be done.
Sometimes, reaching out of one's comfort zone is a way to still the
mind and focus one's energies. That's how it was for me when I launched
my company, Sleeping Buddha, in 2005. As a trained painter and
illustrator, I had no background whatsoever in textiles or business. I
was working in India, and was confronted every day with situations I
had never encountered before. I just had to surrender, become quiet,
and pay attention. My inner voice became my guide and my friend. I was
open to what the universe wanted for me, and seemed to attract what I
needed effortlessly.
I learned that all action is preceded by intention. Right intention is
a combination of absence of desire, the intention of good will, and the
intention of doing no harm. All of us struggle in life because we are
driven by our desires. Because our focus is outside ourselves,
everything is hard and ultimately unfulfilling.
I've seen only through patience, determination, and effort can you
build enough momentum to surrender to what is. By staying in the
present, and lightly holding your intention within, you climb
mountains. Then work becomes like play, and like Neo, your approach to
all things becomes like a dance. There is nothing to think about. There
is no doubt. There is only what is.