Thursday, October 30, 2014

Centeredness


Hemann Hesse says:
‘ Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary
 to which you can retreat at anytime and be yourself.’
Once you discover your own centeredness,
you  will start to connect to the source of life
and its immense power within!

Centeredness is a fine quality in human being,
yet many are not aware of;
yet it has nothing to do with being self-centered
Quite opposite-
Self centered has its form of the selfishness;
while centeredness has its flavor of the integrity;
Love is difficult to rise from a self-centered mind;
while for a being of centeredness 
love is the most natural thing!

Centeredness means you are aware that you are part of the whole
you are interconnect physically, mentally and spiritually
with everyone and everything in the universe-
that kind of awareness promotes your sense of reverence towards all the living beings,
because you understand that harming others is not different than harming yourself!

Centeredness means the knowing of your self and the total acceptance with your self.
You don’t assume that grass is greener on the other side;
 You have little desire to prove to the world of your worthy;
Your spirit can not be dimmed neither by praise nor blame,
You go beyond the worldly rules
yet you follow the ‘Highest Principle’ diligently with your full heart!

I know how it feels like to be centered less.
I had been there down there
I have lived my entire childhood for my parents
for  my teachers for everyone else except for myself!
Before one becomes aware of one’s own centeredness,
One is pretty lost in this forever-changing world,
and life can be pretty unconscious and meaningless!

A centered less man is like the duckweed floating rootless above the water
on the verge of being blew away by any strong winds!
A centered less man can be easily exploited by the others
even those with good intentions!
A centered less man can easily turn from the one being exploited
into the one exploiting others!
Centeredlessness creates separations in human's hearts;
Centeredlessness brews all kinds of sins in human’s deeds;
From a centered less man to a centered less nation
the principle underlying is the same!

Finding and connect with your centeredness is neither hard nor easy,
it depends on the quality, understanding and creativity of each.
At least if you are keen enough sincere enough,
you may find yours  through many creative ways-
meditation, martial art, Yoga even gardening…
 I have found mine through Aikido training.
what made me stay in Aikido is not only the physical aspect,
but also the center awareness  mental aspect-
In the higher Aikido training,
One is supposed to keep the centered awareness all the time
 as move throughout the range of motions,
and exactly that kind of centeredness reflecting stability and balance between
physical, mental and spiritual aspects!
As O’sensei- founder of Aikido remarked:
‘ Attack can come from any direction-
from the front, from the back; from the left; from the right;
keep centered and remain unshakable.’’

Realizing one’s own centeredness is a quantum leap,
but it is not the end means but just a beginning.
Keeping one’s centeredness from being moved away
by any externals or by any emotion swings
will certainly need some diligent and devoted trainings!
But I have enough reasons to believe-
If one practice long enough diligent enough,
to a certain point the flavor of centeredness
will start growing on you
taking over your life automatically.
No matter whatever you do-
You will be standing right in your own center forever powerful and graceful!



Monday, May 19, 2014

Meeting with Rumi


Four years I have lived in Istanbul-

I have seen the magnificent Sultan’s Palaces;
I have seen the impressive remains from the great Byzantine and Ottoman empires;
I have seen the forever bustling Grand Bazaar traced from the ancient Silk Road;
I have dined by the Bosphorus sipping wine hypnotized by the alluring belly dancers;
and I have ridden through this amazing ancient Anatolian land many times
……
But I have missed Rumi- Jala-AL-Din Rumi !

Rumi was a mystery-
He lived his life beyond any man’s definition;
He lived his life like a song, like a dance…
When the great empires fell in its ruins;
When the Sultan’s harem was fading away;
When Alexander the Great is forgotten…
Rumi is still alive!
He lives in the mystical Sufi music;
He lives in the whirling devish dance;
He lives in the hearts and spirits of his people…
He speaks to me- ‘What you seek is seeking you’
Then I understood that I was destined to miss Rumi -
because at the time I was seeking outside NOT inside!

Human’s life can be lived in such different depths and layers.
Lovers are lying together fresh against fresh,
but what is the deepest longing in their hearts,
eventually will set their minds thousand miles apart!
Are you secretly seeking Sultan’s harem in your mind?
Or is your heart secretly drawn towards the mystery of life itself?

In the mist of all the craziness and happenings of this world;
In the mist of all the temptations and desires of the human mind;
It is not easy to keep a pure heart;
It is not easy to keep one’s mind uncontaminated;
It is not easy to hold one’s spirit high...
But at least we can follow the footsteps of the Wise,
because they had been where we are-

‘ ‘Yesterday I was clever,
So I wanted to changed the world;
Today I am wise,
So I am changing myself.’’
So  please stop pointing your finger at others;
When you start changing yourself,
the world around you will be changed…

Here I am back to Istanbul!
Sitting again by the bank of the Bosphorus;
Gazing the blue water glittering like thousands pieces of mirrors
dancing with the sunlight…
Everything seems so familiar and unchanged,
but I know deep inside that nothing is unchanged-
I am no longer the same…
Once I had seeked and gained my beautiful identity-
the world applauded for me
while I felt drifting away from myself;
Now I am undoing my identity façade -
the world seems drifting away from me this time
while I have myself found!!!

As Rumi says:
‘‘Go find yourself first,
then you can also find me
..there is a field beyond the doings of right or wrong..
I shall meet you there...’’
Maybe that is why I keep returning ,
because there I have a date with Rumi !