Bringing Our Whole Self To The Present Moment
“Looking upon leads to awareness. Awareness leads to action.” – Talmud
The Master once asked his disciples which was more important: wisdom or action. The disciples were unanimous: “Action, of course. Of what use is wisdom that does not show itself in action?” Said the Master: “And of what use is action that proceeds from an unenlightened heart?” Tony de Mello’s fable highlights that deliberate action emanates from an awakened mind and pure heart. Mindful action unfolds when we are present in the moment, not absorbed in runaway thoughts. Our actions stem from being aware and awake to a greater purpose and not victims to our innate desires. It is easy to succumb to numbing thoughts because they are buried deep within our psyche. We are only aware of them once we have carried out the deed.
Mindful action involves bringing our whole self into the present moment, engaged with life as it unfolds. Its power lies in its practice and application. The more we are mindful of our actions, the less pain and suffering we encounter. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction states the aim of mindfulness is to act with clarity and intent. Mindful action calls us to be prepared instead of having a divided focus. We become absorbed in the flow experience of life and bring our thoughts into the present moment with openness and honesty. Does this make sense that being mindful of your thoughts leads to mindful action and less stress?
To avoid heartless action, we can practice mindful thinking and pay attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. For some, it may take a lifetime of anxiety, pain and suffering to realise who they are. Yet through mindful action we connect with our deepest self, so our actions result from thoughtfulness. We harmonise with our inner intelligence and trust the intuitive guidance that appears, rather than dismiss it as unrelated. We realise underneath the façade; we are already wise and not at the mercy of our thoughts and emotions. Likewise, mindful action helps us deal with stress and anxiety because we are no longer governed by them. Instead, we use those disempowering states as motivation toward wholehearted living. Stress and anxiety serve no role within the body’s landscape since we are now mindful of the purpose they served: unity over separation.
Governed By External Elements
“Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?” – Lao Tzu
Mindful action is useful to reinforce nutritional harmony. Emotional eaters will benefit from mindfulness instead of responding to the pull of their instinctive desires. Often, we are at the mercy of our emotional instabilities and turn to food to feel better about ourselves. While short lived, the consequences of not attending to our emotional wellbeing heightens the discord between mind and body. Moreover, using food as an emotional blanket desensitises our emotions, so we react instead of merge with our core feelings. We may experience runaway emotions while powerless to guide ourselves back to harmony. Mindful action helps us to inhabit our body with attentiveness and act according to our core values. Have you experienced being pulled by your emotions and could do nothing about it?
Similarly, the power of focus directs our thoughts so our actions are intentional and not automatic. To focus means to harness our mental faculties towards appropriate action, which arises from intrinsic motivators and not external circumstances. Our focus can be deceived by the tide of disharmony, which can be disconcerting. Once we regain our composure, we shift our attention so our actions originate from mindful intent. It is no surprise life can be filled with circumstances not of our choosing. At these times, we must be careful with our thoughts and highest intentions, instead of being governed by external elements. Our actions define who we are while our words reveal who we aspire to become. That is why we must be persistent in choosing mindful actions that resonate with harmonious thoughts.
We are defined by our actions more than our words, so it stands they be congruent with how we want to be perceived by others. This is the one true barometer of our character that speaks volumes of who we become. Mindful action invites us to observe the call of our inner spirit. It is the modest counsellor directing our soul’s evolution. I believe we have discovered something important here: Mindful action emerges from a greater intelligence tied to a pure heart and enlightened mind. To the uninitiated, an enlightened mind naturally means a mind free of prejudices and conditions. Therefore, as we become attentive to our inner spirit, we allow it to influence our thoughts, rather than be led by the chaos of our external world. As the computer idiom goes: “Junk in, junk out.” To be mindful of our thoughts leads to deliberate action, which is the fertile ground of an enlightened mind.
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Tony Fahkry
Expert Life Coach
