This Mindful Practice Will Make You More Conscious than 95% of People
The Buddha does it 24/7
Do you know that feeling when you snap back from the world of thought and find yourself walking down the street with tension in your face?
Your squinting. Your jaw’s locked tight. And you have to roll your neck around a few times because it’s so stiff.
A moment ago, you were a ragdoll getting whipped around by an invisible force you were unaware of at that moment.
This invisible force is unconsciousness.
And those snap-back moments are flashes of consciousness urging you to enjoy the walk.
It may take you ten thousand snap-back moments to realize this.
And it might take ten thousand more to understand that there’s an alternative to constant snap-backs.
The alternative is simple.
It’s the half-smile.
With a half-smile on your face, you’ve transformed from a tense thinker into a curious witness.
Self-judgement is gone. Self-observation is here.
Take a break from your thoughts and tune into your movie script.
You’re the narrator and the main character. It’s crazy!
You may not know what to write, but neither do any of us.
We’re all winging it!
And that’s what makes this moment so amusing.
Anything could go down.
And all you can do is hold onto the half-smile.
The half-smile is your anchor to a joyful reality.
A constant half-smile is consciousness.
While the majority of those around you frown, eyes glazed over in distant thought, maintain the half-smile.
When you half-smile, know that the Buddha half-smiles with you.
With a playful curiosity that only glows from those free from thought’s constant tension.
Life is brighter with a half-smile.
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Much Love & Be Well!
Ben & Luz