FROM FLOWER TO FRAGRANCE
Osho said: “Meditation is a flower, and compassion is the fragrance.”
The meaning of this is that to influence others, we must first bring about a change in ourselves.
Our emotional state is a foundation for everything we do in our lives. If we are sad, we will produce sad things. If we are happy, we will create happy things. It seems obvious, and it is. But few pay attention to this fact when waking up in the morning and throughout the day.
People prefer to give in to the first flow of negative energy they encounter and vent all their anger on the world. A flat tire, a traffic jam on the way to work, a fight with your wife, everything is a reason for us to open the gates of hell and flood others with our negative feelings and frustration, regardless of the consequences.
Not to mention the endless parental meetings at school, where we are forced to spend a few hours with people we can barely stand the existence of; or at the end-of-year get-togethers at work, when that “colleague” who barely looks at our face during working hours and does everything he can to dig our grave, comes all friendly and wants to know what's going on in our lives, as if we were “old friends.”
The path of wrath is open, straight forward and busy. Many prefer to take it. But there is also the path of control, of the “brake”, as I like to call it. During a stressful situation, try not to react, just observe what happens, not getting involved in it. The longer you observe, the less desire you have to react aggressively, or in any other way. Just watch, wait, and watch the anger evaporate before your eyes.
The more you observe negative situations, the less anger you will feel and the less you will become involved with them. It only brings benefits, control and a sense of peace that can be addictive. At the same time avoiding stressful situations that are potentially dangerous to your health and well-being.
When we react aggressively to a bad situation, we create more negative energy within ourselves and feed the problem, be it a moment or a person. When we are agitated, we attract more problems, like a magnet. If we are calm, in control, observing, we can exercise the choice not to embrace negative feelings and attract more positive ones into our lives. Thus, we generate a positive cycle for our benefit and others.
As we become more “flowers” (observing, meditating), we exude more fragrance (peace).
It all seems very difficult at first, due to our inexperience in observing. However, as we watch more closely what is happening around us, we realize the level of emotional involvement that we can dedicate to a given situation and let it fade away without our involvement, which is precisely the food the problem needs. Without attention, the so called problem disappears. And that goes for anything in our lives. The less attention we pay to something, it is bound to vanish…
Observe, wait, meditate. Wait for the situation to resolve itself.
Just try. It is liberating…
