Sanity – Heartfelt Ease

An excerpt from a blog post by Doug Kraft, on easingawake.com:

On a grey, chilly afternoon the park along the American River was empty except for me and the crinkle of autumn leaves blowing across the field. Then a shift in the wind brought an animated conversation. Entering a grove I saw a man engrossed in a lively talk with the tree canopy. His only visible company was an old bicycle with a few lumpy packs.

“Schizophrenic,” I thought. “And probably homeless.”

As I walked closer I noticed a white wire connecting his ear to a gadget in his hand. “Not schizophrenic,” I thought. “And probably not homeless if he can afford that kind of cell phone.” Twenty years ago talking to a tree with a wire in your ear would have been a sure sign of delusion. Today it’s a sign of normalcy…

So how do I measure my own sanity?

The Buddha might say the best measure is deep and genuine ease. When the mind is tight, we’re more likely to get stuck in our ideas, opinions, political perspectives, and personal points of view: we mistake our thoughts for reality. When the mind-heart is present and at ease, we take our opinions lightly, have a healthy sense of humor about ourselves, and are more present with what’s around us.

And from the book The Teachings of Don Juan, by Carlos Castenada:

Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.

So, the Buddha, and others, suggest that our spiritual path be centered on a heart-felt awareness of the present moment, in a relaxed way.