One Lucky Soul: OLS Reflections Ottantatré

OLS Reflections Ottantatré by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

• We teach by learning as we learn by teaching.

We cannot expect to serve humanity and help it evolve as long as our cup is empty. Fill it with whatever virtues — and vices — you may see fit, then you can do The Work. Go out and do, learn from the doing, then share your findings while teaching from the knowing. Without inner substance, you see, there is nothing to pour. And nothing gives a man more credibility than saying “I have been there”. For experience cannot be studied or bought, which is why it is the mother of all wisdom. Make it a conscious choice to replenish your cup… until you become the cup.

• The strongest souls are those who help others through their storms while they themselves are going through their own. The strongest also tend to be the gentlest.

Seemingly paradoxically, to have a strong resilient character means to likewise be somewhat fluid and fragile; just like water. Rather than rigid and unyielding, being brave and tough includes being tender and sensitive… as well as a certain level of softness.

People who are truly aware of their own strengths are comfortable in their own skin. For they have nothing to prove to themselves before the world, you see. That raw honesty, that courageous nakedness, also makes them vulnerable, which is not some kind of weakness as sometimes portrayed. Showing vulnerability is actually a sign of strength — a highly attractive quality in humans. It makes us relatable to our fellow Earthlings, allowing us to connect with them on deeper, more authentic levels. Vulnerability is powerful as it is sexy.

• The only reality in which you will truly seem to fit is one you have created yourself. Be a Light unto yourself and Love one another.

• Engaging in intellectual conversations can be quite erotic. When you seduce the mind, you thereby add fire to the heart. The body may then follow.

• Modern time societies have become the embodiment of what toxic means. City life with its concrete jungles, CCTV cameras, bright lights, noise, traffic, pollution, the news among all the frenetic hustle and bustle of our mighty civilisation tends to render humans unwell — mentally, emotionally, and consequently also physically. That is, for ones who have a certain sensitivity towards their environment. But those leading automatic existences don’t seem to mind the chaotic commotion nor the disconnection much. Because they keep themselves busy within the safety of their own bubbles — with ambitious competition, jobs, taxes, weekends, consumption, entertainment. They are trying to survive the toxicity by ignoring it or perhaps by not even acknowledging it. Truly, we can become so neurotically distracted to the point of rarely ever stopping to smell the flowers, to reflect on what we are really doing with our lives. Many are merely sleepwalking towards a fateful end.

On the other hand, a man living in a small and quiet laid-back town may come across a gorgeous praying mantis in the early misty morning, serenely resting in the shadow of the gate. He watches it for a while, snaps a photo, then bids it farewell. Sitting silently under a tree, he listens to the colourful melodies of the singing birds. Later he feeds a herd of local goats roaming in the street. Just breathing in life moment by moment, as it is rather than as we want or wish it to be.

When living among nature, you see, one has the inner peace and mental clarity to be constantly indulging their sensations. This unparalleled simplicity of a magical hour spent watching the glorious sunset along with the curling waves with feet planted in the sand — or of communing with another being — has a unique charm to it, which keeps one blissfully content and richly fulfilled. While nature remains a timeless inspiration for awe and wonderment, the naturally arising child-like delight is a reminder of life’s essentials.

Same world, different locations, but also different frequencies. Nature speaks.

• Transcend all bullshit, especially your own. And while floating up there you can also transcend the social ladder — by choosing to levitate.

• Heal ThySelf to a
HealThy Self
NowHere other than
Now Here.

We cannot really heal, save, or awaken anyone. Essentially, we can only inspire them to find out for themselves how to become their own healer and saviour. So they may own their truth, independently of a healer, guru, spiritual figure. This is not established through any associations nor formal teaching, advice, instructions, rituals or ceremonies. But instead, by sharing our bliss, grace, peace, passion, sensibility, awareness, groundedness — our energy. It remains up to them to integrate what they experience in such presence into their lives. It is their journey after all, during which their own answers are to be unveiled and revealed.

Looking for radical, fundamental change? Change yourself rather than trying to change others. You want awakening? Awaken all of yourself rather than trying to awaken humanity.

Verily, the divine spark you seek is already within you. Allow it to shine through you unobstructed and it becomes a torch that eternally lights The Way.

Love is The Way.

• Truth is the cure to many diseases. Yet truth without love may seem unbearable at times.

• One essential key to a full and fulfilling life is to never lose the wondrous curiosity or childlike enthusiasm. To be a creative adult requires just the same.

• Dare to create your own rituals. Not for anyone else to follow, but for your zen well-being.

Zen simply means meditative absorption. The word Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese ‘Chán’ [ 禪 ] quietude, which originates from the Sanskrit ‘Dhyāna’ [ ध्यान ] meditation, absorption, or thought.

“Zen” is traditionally a proper noun as it usually describes a particular Buddhist sect. In more recent years, the lowercase “zen” came to be used when discussing a worldview or attitude that is peaceful, calm, serene. The word was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2018.

Whether meditating, drumming, dancing, walking, or doing the dishes, it matters not what kind of activity or practice allows one to embody this peaceful state of consciousness. When the mind is still, there is a certain intuitive attentiveness that naturally filters out the distractions, allowing us to remain flowing in the Zone without interruptions… interrupting ourselves, that is.

This echoes the words of Alan Watts: “Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.”

Now, if we agree that the present is where time essentially exists, that it is when nothing and everything are happening, each and every moment becomes an eternity in its own. The essence of a life well lived lies in fully living the multitude of this timeless Here and Now — what there is and all there is. Becoming completely engaged in whatever we are doing in the moment is the secret to a quintessential existence.

Zen emphasises a direct insight into one’s own true nature, along with the personal expression of such insight in daily life for the benefit of others — all sentient beings as well as nature.

It likewise emphasises the apprehension of the true nature of reality, Satori [ 悟り ]: A Japanese Buddhist term for the experience of awakening — enlightenment, illumination; also comprehension, understanding. Through self-actualisation, one cultivates the ability to allow everything to be as it is without resisting or imposing, to purely observe, including our own thoughts and emotions.

A zen life is not much about meaning; it is more about being — fully mindful of the present Here and Now.