Buddha Died a Few Years Ago

Home is where you're heart is, and I can totally agree on this one, after living in quite many cities, in Europe and in my homeland as well I can say that I lived that quote on my own. Yes, the birth place has some strings tied to you, and you always have that feeling when you get there, or when you recall on your childhood. Heck, you can even get nostalgic by looking at old pics of that tinny town that held you in the palm of its hands for many years.

However, are we at home even when we found that place in the world that our heart belongs to? Not entirely I would say and here's my narrative for my answer. I'll take this home game to some more refined level, leaving the magnetic ground behind, and will talk a bit about awareness. Yes, I know, there's tons of youtube videos on that, books, seminaries and so on, so what can I bring new to all of that? Well, my version of the topic, and my understanding of course.

Hence I will come with another quote, that is actually my own and not of a sacred guru, and it sounds like this: never fully present, never at home. What do you mean by that you lunatic, spiritual junky? I mean living with your eyes, heart and mind, wide open. Being aware of the life surrounding and the life inside of you.

Being pretty much like our grandparents were. Looking back to these old folks I tend to believe that Buddha died with them. It's because nowadays we are rarely fully connected with what we do, with whom we talk to, and with the environment that is actually pumping with life. Grandma wasn't checking on instagram every ten minutes and wasn't looking at TV while eating. Nope, when she worked the garden she was fully there and when she was eating, it was actually a feeding process and not just the process of filling a stomach.

We have plenty of thieves in our pockets and in the environment around us, that seem to feed themselves with our energy, awareness and time. Greedy f#*kers I would say. Won't blame though, as they are kind of necessary though, not all of them of course, and here's where the necessary ones play fair. If you would have left grandma in the middle of Bucharest forty years ago, she would probably need about two days to get back home. Leave me there, and I'm back home in less than 6 hours. I have google maps, high speed internet and a smartphone to get me out of trouble.

That smartphone though is playing a double role, and it's a damn thief as well. It's not the only one, as we all know that, so let's not make it a pocket devil too soon, but it's part of the gang and when you add and subtract, at the end of the day, having a conscious math session, you will realize that you kind of lived just an hour or two the whole day. For the sake of this math class let's say that scrolling feeds in the subway or texting while driving doesn't add to spending time aware.

It's not the end of the world and you don't need to pay therapists and travel around the world to find the perfect guru to make you human again...or a Buddha. It's a DIY job and you got all the tools at hand. First that needs to be taken out of the toolbox is awareness. Catch yourself cheating on life and do something about that. Don't hate the game, play it right. Next time you get that 6" screen out of your pocket remember for what you've done that and put it back after you finished it.

If you fail, and keep the screen on for at least five more seconds after answering a message or checking the weather, be sure you'll gonna spend five more minutes...minimum, on three or more other apps, just living by default. Hence you don't need to throw it away or get back to Nokia 3310. It's the 21st century and tech is here to help. When we abuse it is when we actually abuse on us and cheat on us, unconsciously.

This waste of awareness goes far beyond smartphones, and waiting cookies in a fridge that can steal you away from enjoying a great sunset. Taking work homes does it as well, making too much plans and searching for reasons to change your car or your wardrobe too ofetn, when you actually don't need a new one has the same effects and, take that TV out of the dinning room, it really doesn't fit there.

I am amazed to see how many Romanians hold TVs almost everywhere. One in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. Why do you think it's called the television program? Because they're programming us through a damn TV, that we pay tons of money for it. Mine is resting in the living room ever since my parents moved. If I'll be the only customer left, the cable company will go bankrupt. Does that make me a Buddha? No, but I've become aware of these thieves for quite a while and that's the first step to get them to jail. Now it's time to chase more sunsets than replies and bell notifications.

It might sound weird but the worst place to be right now, is definitely not and here not now, for the majority of us. It's always there, then, after that, and never an actual destination. Anything is possible and everyone is a liable candidate to become the next Buddha, or even better. It starts with awareness. Once you notice your dirty shoes you know it's time to clean them. Have fun cleaning and have a great weekend!

Thanks for attention,
Adrian