Seeing Perfection Instead Of Imperfections, Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia
Seeing Perfection Instead Of Imperfections, Jimbaran Beach, Bali, Indonesia
My life’s experiences have taught me that we must cherish our lives and look at our time here as a precious treasure.
Like many people, I have wasted so much of my life, living in discontent.
It is a misuse of our holy minds to be thinking about all the things we do not like, criticizing the people we meet or our family members, looking to constantly change things.
Even after you change things, new problems arise, because our minds have not been trained to merge into the Divine Mind.
Yes, we do live in an imperfect world, where people still kill and harm one another for many unfathomable “reasons,” where people steal and hate, where we make choices that degrade our planet and our habitat.
But the world will never be perfect, until we know how to look beyond it into the Divine.
Lao Tse wrote in the Tao Te Ching:
“Do you want to improve your world?
I don't think it can be done.
The world is already saved.
It can't be improved.
If you tamper with it, you'll ruin it.
If you treat it like an object, you will lose it.
There is a time for being ahead, a time for being behind.
A time for being in motion, a time for being at rest.
A time for being vigorous, a time for being exhausted.
A time for being safe, a time for being in danger.
The Master sees things as they are, without trying to control them, and resides at the center of the circle.”
Alongside all the imperfections in our world, there are so many things that are amazing.
Just look at the crafts and artistry here in Bali.
The beautiful stonework, stunning woodwork, great contemporary art from all over Asia, silky soft beautiful fabrics that are used for clothing, kind, soulful and helpful people, the abundance of fabulous nourishing fruits and foods, the beautiful fragrant flowers, the little children running on the beach, their little perfect bodies and their soft hair a reminder of our own sweetness and innate beauty….
I remembered a spiritual saying: “if you could see yourself as you really are, you would be immensely happy.”
You do not really look anything like who you see in the mirror.
You are NOT a body, with imperfect skin, overflowing waistline, bad teeth or thinning hair.
You are a multicolor glowing energy field, pulsating in perfect harmony that is musical and full of love.
It is only after you are liberated from your attachment to the world and to your body, that you will experience the perfection of the world and of your perfect Self.
Yes, I could look at the plastic trash on the beaches and feel sad, or…. I could see peace instead of this…
“I could see peace instead of this…”
As I was repeating this mantra to myself, taken from the Course In Miracles, I suddenly saw the two tone colored sand on the beach form beautiful patterns.
As the tide pulled back, the black sand and the beige colored sand created rivulets and patterns that resembled tree roots, rivers as seen from above and light feathery shapes.
Again, I remembered Lao Tse:
“The Master observes the world, but trusts her inner vision.
She allows things to come and go.
Her heart is as open as the sky…”
Thank you, Lao Tse, for your eternal wisdom, thank you world, for being my home for awhile….
Thank you everyone for being here…..
With love from Bali,
Tali
