During
one of my classes we talked about how to love. I used a Dharma talk from the
Vietnamese Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. It brought a lot of insight and wonderful
understanding about the many influences (on self-love and love) we have because
of the different kinds of foods we consume every day.
Ever
thought about the idea, without even being aware, we consume four kinds of food
every day. And these sources can make (or keep) us healthy or can toxify us.
This four
kinds of food we feed ourselves are:
- Eatable food (that what we put in our mouths to nurture our bodies)
- Sensory food (what we smell, taste, hear, feel and touch)
- Volition / Desire (the motivation and intention that fuels us)
- Consciousness (this includes our individual consciousness and our environment).
Our body
is the temporary temple of the soul. How do you treat your temple (body, mind)
and your soul?
Nearby
the place I live we have a huge, luxury, treatment center for people who are addicted
to alcohol and drugs. And as everybody knows there are many, many addictions.
Smoking, eating too much or too fat, an overload of coffee, and the last couple
of years internet and our addiction to our tablets and I-phones.
Maybe it’s
strange to say and many therapist will tell me I am wrong. But can it be
addictions have everything to do with how you manage (or actually are not able
or willing to manage) your own life? Are you in charge of your own life? So who
is the boss of living your life?
And this
four kinds of food have everything to do with this.
If we eat
with moderation, eating only the foods that help our bodies to be strong and
healthy, then we’re showing love and respect for our own bodies and for the
Earth. This does not say you need to be a vegan or vegetarian or what else. It
also does not say once in a while you cannot eat French fries with a hamburger.
It’s just a matter of being more aware, more conscious of what you are eating
and why.
We consume
sensory impressions with our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. When we
read a magazine we consume. When we watch a television program we consume.
Being the whole day on Facebook, Weibo, or whatever other means on the
internet, we consume.
Whatever
we consume affects our body and mind. If we consume toxic magazine articles,
movies, video games, etc., they will feed our craving, our anger, and our fear.
If we set
aside time each day to be in a peaceful environment, to walk in nature, or even
just to smell and look at a flower or the sky, then that beauty will penetrate
us and feed our love and our joy.
The
energy that keeps you alive is your desire, your hope, your aspiration. You
want to be someone. You want to do something with your life (I guess). If you
are motivated by compassion and love, your volition will give you the energy
and direction to grow and become even more loving and compassionate.
If your
desire is to possess or to win at all costs, this kind of volition is toxic for
you (and your environment). It’s a matter of trying to know and to understand
yourself on a deeper level.
The
fourth source of nourishment is collective consciousness and individual
consciousness. Our individual consciousness is influenced by the collective
consciousness of our environment. Is your environment, the place where you
live, the workplace, the right one for you to flourish?
We absorb
and reflect what is around us. If we live in a place where people are angry and
violent, ten eventually we’ll become like them. Many stories I remember from a Dutch
television program “The traveling judge” of neighbors who could not stand each
other any longer because of all kind of things that worked out to be irritating.
For Dutch audience watching this programs it was adorable (nothing better to do
maybe).
If we
live in a family or community where there’s a culture of being understanding
and compassionate with each other, we’ll naturally be more peaceful and loving.
Children growing up in such an environment will learn to be caring and kind.
Be aware
of your daily consumption and become or remain healthy.
Frans Captijn
Captijn Insight. Catalyst in developing tranquility & in-sight to get in a sustainable way real connection, purpose, pleasure and flow in life, love, family, business, career and work again.
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