Welcome to the extended commentaries on insights from my recently published book ~ ZEN Shredding: Insights, Question and Confessions of a Meditator and Novice Snowboarder on the pursuit of dreams, inspiration, passion and change [ May 2008]
In this section of my blog you will get a touch, taste and smell of my book ZEN Shredding and the first few insights taken from the book. As an “added” benefit I will also provide extended commentaries in this blog that you won’t find in the book. Check out my regular blog page for future, weekly updates…
If you would like to order the ZEN Shredding book please visit my publisher’s site:
http://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000161942
Since this is not a conventional book, let me make a few suggestions that could enhance your experience and understanding of this work. While you could choose to read the book or these insights from cover to cover, my suggestion is that you don’t! Perhaps after reading the introduction you might progressively make your way through each insight, one at a time. As an approach you might simply read the insight and stay with it for a day and note what it brings up for you. Perhaps the next day you would read the explanation and commentary I have written and again, see where it takes you. Finally, you might ask yourself the question to anchor it into the everyday reality of your life. Whether you choose to stay with the experience of one insight a day or week, feel comfortable with your own rhythm, get to know your own rhythm. Using this somewhat unconventional approach, I think you will find a deeper appreciation for the value and impact the insights and book can have on your life by intentionally making it a process rather than a read. Journaling all of these steps will also deepen and enliven your experience. I continue to work with most of these insights as they have served me well in my life. I trust that some may serve or even inspire you in your own journey of transformation and change while on the path of discovery to the one divinity and humanity that lies within us all…
Please visit this section for a regular, free sneak preview of my book which has now been released…
For more information please visit my main website for Zen Shredding:
or my personal website:
ZEN Shredding ~ The First Insight…
In the course of your life you will ask
yourself many questions. To know where you are
heading you just need to listen to the questions you are asking yourself in every moment.
Sometimes when you ask questions you will
receive a response to every situation as it occurs and other times you might need to sit with those questions, to accept the unresolved questions of your life unconditionally as part of the mystery of your life experience.
Most of us spend our lives looking for
answers and happiness outside ourselves and are never really satisfied. Many of us also ask questions that dwell only on the practical necessities of life and as a result live lives of mediocrity. As you practice asking questions you will learn to navigate not only the mystery of your Soul but also the journey of your life. Knowing which questions to ask is part of the mystery and creative challenge of being. Some of the most important questions you can ask are:
Who am I?
What do I want?
Why am I here?
These three questions will eventually merge to
become one;
What am I doing for others and how can I
contribute more to the planet I live on?
Extended commentary….
While I was formerly introduced to the articulation of the first three questions when I began my study and work with the Chopra Centre in 2001, in truth I had been living them experientially all my life.
A lot can be said about this first insight, but what I would like to say now is how the dimension of change relates to these questions. I think we can comfortably say that there is no right or wrong answers to any of the questions/commentaries that will be explored in this blog section or my book ZEN Shredding. It is the application of the questions to your own life that is important. What does it bring up for you? How do the commentaries and insights impact your life? Can they provide the preamble for effortless change as you engage them actively in your life.
It’s also important to recognize that as we move through our life experience our awareness gradually deepens and expands and, as a result, the nature of our response to these questions will also change too the ebb and flow of our experience. While you might have a particular response to a particular question ~ yesterday, what will come up for you today might be radically different than what will come up for you tomorrow.
I believe our whole life is a natural progression towards the awakening of our intelligence and inner wisdom within. No step or stage can be minimized in the contribution it has to the evolution of our awareness that is occurring in the present moment.
Our addiction, allegiance and misunderstanding of the concept of realization or enlightenment only furthur perpetuates the personal dismisal many have towards the beauty and brilliance of present moment awareness. As we dance mindfully in the questions Who am I? What do I want? and Why am I here? We will naturally and inevatably realize through our own experience the impact our expression has on others and our extended body; the planet Earth. And, if we are truly willing to be honest we will eventually accept that the only change ever needed was in fact within…
(c) Copyright – Michael Sean Symonds. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
ZEN Shredding ~ Insight #2…
You are never too old or too young to pursue a dream.
A fulfilled life is the continued realization of dreams and the pursuit of passions. Your intentions and desires, however wild and exotic, are there to inspire you. They are the keys to personal and global transformation.
Extended Commentary:
One intention I had when writing ZEN Shredding was to use words and stories to inspire those reading them. I have been fortunate in my life to have recognized and experienced the value of inspiration. I also know well the impact of how personal suffering distracts, derails and destroys the the potential for and pursuit of inspiration in our moment to moment existence.
We need to be inspired! We need to surround ourselves with people who inspire us. We need to immerse ourselves in inspiration on a daily basis in order for us to navigate the day to day experience we call “my life”.
Dreams are the language of your Soul, the necessary choices, routes and ways to activate and lead you to deeper levels and experiences of inspiration, meaning and fulfillment in life. When you listen to and pay attention to your dreams, intentions, and desires, you have access to the inner an inner conversation and wisdom that can lead you in the most approprate direction, at that time.
As you pursue and succed in the expression of those dreams, intentions and desires you begin to experience and express more of your authentic Self, a Self that transforms not only your own life but the world that you live in. Then “inner” merges with the “outer” and a seamless transformation occurs. What more do you need to ask for?
What do you dream of being, doing or having, what aspirations do you have for your life?
(c) Copyright – Michael Sean Symonds. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
ZEN Shredding ~ Insight #3…
Great dreams have an incubation period.
Sometimes your most important dreams and desires will take time to manifest. To let those dreams and desires unfold naturally and spontaneously, you need to be completely detached from the who, what, where, when, how and why of life.
Extended commentary:
Most people in new age/spiritual circles have a very skued perspective on the true nature of the creative process and our perceived role within it. Many have been taught to believe that a few affirmations will set in motion some law of attraction that will make every dream and desire they have come true.
While there are circumstances and situations where a shift in attention can sometimes trigger a somewhat dramatic and “magical” result, if you actually take the time to have conversations with those who are pursuing, living and experiencing the innocent expression of their most meaningful dreams, you will find that those dreams more often or not unfolded over a period of time; that the dream itself went through periods of incubation and transformation before the dream manifested in the world of form and phenomena.
It is common during this incubation period that the dream itself is cultivated and clarified; where a mix of events and experiences that involve people, places, situations and circumstances appear to further the dream along as an integral part of the experience of the dreamer and their dream. Often the strength of the dream is challenged or refined during this incubation period, often transforming itself again and again prior to its new, unanticipated expression.
As an artist I have always been amazed as I watch the creative process unfold in my own life, how simple mistakes, learned skills, new resources, tools or external information and experiences will often impact the timing, quality and result of a project I am working on in dramatic ways.
One aspect I have come to appreciate is the ability to practice detachment with regard to the expectations I have around the results of a particular project or dream. I have learned the immense value and benefit of allowing the ebb and flow of an idea it’s necessary germination period, prior to its physical conception in the outer world. The more detached I can be around my intended outcome, the more space is created in the environment of incubation; for something even better to influence, contribute or actualize the realization of the dream.
I have also as of late; become very clear that my role is not one where I participate as the creator of my objective reality; even the word co-creation asserts and usurps a level of volition that is in itself cognitively premature. I feel more juiced, more alive, more in touch with the impulses of creative forces by instead, redefining “ my abilities” to be still and quiet, so that I might become a better listener to the life throb of eternity, that dwells within and through me. My intention is to be more attentive so that I might notice and allow the subtle currants of ideas, people, circumstances and situations spontaneously and synchronistically to appear in the ebb and flow of a practiced detachment…
Are you willing to let go of the who, what, where, when, how and why of your life?
ZEN Shredding ~ Insight #4…
Take action on your dreams.
There is no magic genie to fulfill every wish, want, need or desire you have. However, by taking small, simple steps towards your imagined future in the present moment, you engage the creative process at its deepest level. As you take action by stepping into the unknown, you engage the flow of potential in your life and in this flow you gain access to infinite possibilities.
Extended commentary:
I don’t think there is anyone in life who does not have some sort of dream, desire or wish for their life or for the lives of others. Human beings underestimate the impact the expression dreams can have n the lives we live. We minimize, deny and dismiss the power that lies in the pursuit of those dreams, choosing instead to live our lives according to someone else’s plan or idea of how our life should be. We forget that we have dreams, we push them to the back of our minds and we lose touch with the whispers of our Soul.
The impulse that lies at the source of every dream is the same impulse that creates a universe, a galaxy of stars and a new born baby. To acknowledge those dreams is to acknowledge, listen too, and fulfill the promise of a new tomorrow, one that could change your life and the world forever.
Action on your dreams could begin by simply becoming clear of it, by stilling your mind and quieting your body, by journaling, researching, reflecting, deciding or choosing. The action could be to develop a specific skill or talent that could lead you towards the realization of it. Your action could be the decision to build relationships with those people, places and experiences that could potentially provide you with the necessary information to incubate and evolve your dream, taking it from the level of an idea into the world of form and phenomena. To take action is to open the doorway of possibility. It’s the choice to say YES to your dream and the life you have always desired.
There can be no wrong in spending your life pursuing the innocence that lies at the heart of every dream ~ to express Who You Are ~ as love in action. Being IS the basis of inspired thinking, and inspired thinking is the basis of spontaneous doing. When the mind is quiet and the body is still, there are no distinctions between the being, the thinking and the action of doing…
What small action step do you need to take towards the realization of your fondest dreams?
(c) Copyright – Michael Sean Symonds. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
ZEN Shredding ~ Insight #5…
It doesn’t really
matter what you believe.
While circumstance, situation, skill and talent can shape the perception of your process and outcome, there can be no causal connection between your practice, belief and outcome. It is only the perceived obstacles of your life that are deeply affected by your practice and belief.
Extended commentary:
There was a time in history, when most of the people on this planet thought the earth was flat, this did not change the fact that it was not. It took time, heroic courage, and the wisdom of experience to break away from this belief and paradigm. A speaker once said, “the limits of your belief define the limits of your reality.”
The barrier of a belief creates the subjective experience of pain and suffering in our lives, it becomes the foundation of all our patterns of ineffectiveness. We all have beliefs that affect the subjective perception we have of ourselves and the world we live in. We could say belief is 99% perception and 1% truth when it comes down to the impact it has on our life; it does not matter whether a belief is true or not, because if you perceive it to be true and then act upon that belief as though it was true; that belief might as well be true as a result of how it is impacting and affecting your life.
When it comes down to the most important areas of our life and who we imagine ourselves to be, we spend most of our life adopting self engendered ideas and beliefs that perpetuate our own innate misconceptions of not only who we are but also reality itself. We wonder why our world appears to be so crazy; why our lives seem to be filled with such pain and suffering. We walk around focused on, maintaining and defending those limited and conditioned core beliefs, perceptions and notions of who we think we are and how we think life should be lived, missing the 1% of the truth that could provide us the leverage and freedom to break the bondage of our own thinking.
While the limits of your belief may define the limits of your own personal, subjective experience of reality, in itself, a prevailing belief does not change the fact of reality itself. You might imagine that you are this or that; you may imagine yourself to be lost (or found) to the story of who you think you are; you might believe you need to do this or that in order to gain, fix, change and improve who you think yourself to be, but ultimately reality will continue to exist prior too and after all knowledge and belief you may have about yourSelf and the world you live in. At the end of the day or your lifetime, is it more important to know the truth of who you really are, or to invest in a lifetime of accumulated, irrelevant, premature cognitive commitments?
What perceived obstacles do you have in your life that prevent you from experiencing a deeper level of success or the pursuit of your dreams?
(c) Copyright – Michael Sean Symonds. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
ZEN Shredding ~ Insight #6…
Your dreams are the way.
It’s so easy to defer to external sources for solutions to quell the hunger and passion that screams inside. While prophets, sages and seers may provide needed or necessary information, pursuing a dream ~ any dream, is the first step in orchestrating a life of deeper fulfillment and meaning.
Extended commentary:
Deep down many people would love to have instant access to messages and messengers of guidance and support from some great teacher; many would love to have our very own personal “conversation with God”. I believe the essence of our dreams are the necessary guidance and support we traditionally, so often seek outside ourselves. I believe our dreams are the language of our Soul as it whispers to us gently taking the form of our intentions, desires, aspirations and dreams.
When we become a knower of reality, by cultivating and discovering Who We Are, we have the ability to engage our own inner wisdom in infinite, unbounded ways. Our dreams are the impressions and impulses of the Universe as it presents to us hints that arise in the form of ideas and opportunities to be harnessed as stepping stones towards creating the kind of life we have dreamed of living.
When the mind is quiet we are able to navigate the distracting nonsense of conditioning that often minimizes or overwhelms the importance of pursuing the dream. In silence, we are able to elevate our choices and decision making process to a level of clarity that can contribute the greatest potential benefit for ourselves and others.
If you could imagine for a second, “your perfect world”; one in which your well being and the well being of others can be seen and realized. Your inherent dreams are the foundation and cornerstones of this perfect world! When your dreams are inclusive, integrated, and pursued, they become the necessary elements of change; a vast formulae that becomes a vehicle of transition and transformation to not only creating “Our Perfect World”, but also, the dawn of a new humanity…
Do you trust the still, small voice within you?
To order a copy of ZEN Shredding please visit:
http://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000161942
(c) Copyright – Michael Sean Symonds. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
ZEN Shredding ~ Insight #7…
Pursuing dreams is
not just about achieving something.
It’s also about “letting go”. Pursuing a dream often generates change and transformation that nudges your life in quantum leaps. Stepping into the unknown is less threatening when you detach from expectations and old ways of being that no longer serve you.
Extended commentary:
In the pursuit of my dreams I have noticed that what I imagined (the expectation or intention) and what happens (the result) are often very different. Whether in observation of the moment or hindsight, I am often pleasantly surprised in how the “happening” unfolds in the pursuit and realization of my dreams, of how those intended desires and dreams can differ, change or surpass previously imagined levels of fulfillment.
With continued practice or exercise in engaging dreams, a time comes where you begin to realize the importance of staying focused on the intent of your dream, rather than an obsession to “make that dream happen in some particular time or way”. The space created by including an awareness of the ever present Self, while pursuing the dream often provides a buffer to the distraction and drama that might float through the day to day ebb and flow of the dream as it manifests in the world of form and phenomena.
Intention begs an ever increasing degree of detachment to the many expected outcomes the mind and conditioning place on our dreams; it creates the space for amazing elements of synchronicity to occur that often provide an elevated enhancement to the realization of the intention that could never have been imagined.
In the past, dreams were often pursued by focusing purely on the objective, outer realm of the physical, Newtonian world, which suggested things needed to be controlled, manipulated, fixed or replaced. The subjective inner realm of wisdom and Being was ignored, the interconnectedness of life was denied. Aadaptability, surrender and detachment were substituted by methods, formulas and plans that became more and more restrictive as the obsession to the foreground of an imagined reality became managed by a self or “I” mind that wrongly took authorship and ownership over the dream.
As long as the dream (desire) remains innocent; we have the ability to navigate the confusion of an ever change world, we move to the ebb, flow and rhythm of the dream. As long as we remain grounded in Who We Are, we are free to observe, understand and then let go of conditioned ways of being that have never supported the effortless expression, evolution and innocence that lay at the heart of every dream…
What behaviors or beliefs do you need to let go to pursue your dreams?
To order a copy of ZEN Shredding please visit:
http://www.trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000161942
(c) Copyright – Michael Sean Symonds. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
