Inspiration | Walking No Line

“Buddhism, or any non-harming activity, can be just as Wrong as any other, depending on the motivation.” (The quote is a link to its source)

This statement brings me back to “Creative power, in the absence of enlightenment, becomes destructive.” Right motivation is essential, in my view. Without it, my ‘creative’ activities can be harmful. It’s why I place a great deal of emphasis on having no Self. In the absence of a Self, there is no selfish motivation, no greed, no ambition, no subjective values of right and wrong, good or bad- no motivation that could make my ‘well-intentioned’ activity harmful.

In the absence of the Self, in my humble opinion, there is only the One (all Life, as a whole). In the absence of selfishness, there is oneness. Self and selfishness are contrivance and dysfunction that I must shed or let go of. In the absence of these self-motivators, there is ‘One-motivation’- the drive to serve all life.

I glean so many gems from Buddhist thinkers/writers I come across. The ‘Gravitation’ I have mentioned, a few different times, at work, perhaps? I am being sucked in… and simultaneously journeying towards, at the moment… dancing all the while, reveling in the beauty I am finding…

I was walking on a pedestrian bridge, passing under another pedestrian bridge and I looked up and saw this:

It reads “Every day is a gift.” Someone had reached down through the railings and left these words for anyone who might happen to look up. I was having a bad day, that day- until I saw this inspiring message. It inspired new thoughts about the truthfulness of that statement in my life. These new thoughts changed my mood dramatically and this simple, anonymous, message has stuck with me to this day.

Another time, I was riding the public transit, and I looked out the window and noticed this on the frame just below the glass:

It reads “Smile. You are beautiful. you are loved.” I smiled, and I kept on smiling the rest of my day. I was inspired by the act of leaving something somewhere that could inspire new thoughts, or summon positive feelings, in a total stranger.

It was a happiness landmine. These are brighten-your-day boobytraps.

I have started blogging again recently (on this blog). It was a way for me to refine my thoughts as I write them, and also an exercise in having the courage to share and open myself up. The benefit I am getting from it, however, and the enjoyment I am getting out of it, are so much more than that.

I have been inspired again.

One aspect of blogging on WordPress is people reading and ‘liking’, or even ‘following’, my blog. Initially, I would visit the sites of those who visited mine out of courtesy. Then I realized the people who ‘liked’ my stuff had similar interests and often had interesting things to say on their own blogs. Now, I visit their blogs, because I am finding inspiration- SO MUCH INSPIRATION.

The word inspire comes from the Latin inspirare, which means ‘to breathe into’. The blogs that I have started following and reading have certainly breathed new thoughts into me, new feelings, and a new sense of community and comradeship. My mind is refreshed by the new ideas to process, my mood is elevated by the feeling of exploration, and I feel connected on some level to these bloggers through the exchange of ideas (as opposed to status updates and invitations to play Farmville).

Inspiration from the OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. Reaching out to the global community. Meaningful messages flying back and forth across CONTINENTS, exchanging views and ideas and feelings….

It’s like I can’t help but trip over countless happiness landmines and brighten-your-day boobytraps on all your blogs, triggering exchanges of ICBMs (Intercontinental Blogs and Messages) of inspiration. I can’t express enough how much your words can mean- even when you may doubt their worth.

I have learned the same recently. My blog is primarily about a very specific, and very personal, set of ideas and values. Despite that, and despite the unorganized structure of the information on my blog, some people have liked my ideas. Some people are even following my blog, to see what I’ll write next. Some people have even found my ideas inspiring. Inspiring! Wow.

I want to keep putting myself out there and keep taking all of your ideas in.

I’ve been nominated for the inspiring blogger award. I didn’t seek it, would have never thought I’d end up nominated. It may not be a big deal to some, but for this novice, timid writer, it is huge! I printed it off and stuck it on my wall in case I ever pull back from the experience of writing and sharing.

I won’t post the award here yet. I need to come up with my answers to the questions that come with the award and put together my own nominations. For now though, I want to point to a blogger whose writing opened my eyes to all the inspiration I can find out there:

http://imnotdepressed.wordpress.com/