Jafree Ozwald & Margot Zaher | July 13 2012
Have you ever looked at the stars at night and been utterly amazed by the infinite spaciousness of this Universe? Just as you notice the vast expansiveness of your outer world, this same spaciousness exists in your inner world. This inner spaciousness is where you can finally rest and find inner peace. You may have noticed that your mind is always thinking, thinking, thinking. It constantly lives in a narrow contracted state, always projecting, interpreting and holding onto a random selection of thoughts and ideas. To bring the mind into harmony you need something extremely spacious and infinitely peaceful to balance it out. This balancing agent is the experience of pure consciousness. Whenever you access a state of pure consciousness you begin to shift from living up in the constant thinking machine of the head, to resting in The Source of pure awareness in your Heart. By learning how to abide in the heart of Consciousness, you’ll tap into one of the most Divine, expansive, spacious, and precious experience a human being can have.
“When calm your mind and your senses, you become conscious of your always-present inner Self.” ~Remez Sasson
This vast spaciousness can be instantly found when you practice resting in the space between your thoughts. The more you can relax here, the easier it is to deal with everything life throws your way. When an emotional situation arises, you are able to sit back, give it some space to percolate, experience it, and then let it go! Everything you do throughout your day becomes easier when you live with a “spacious awareness”. This does not mean you’re becoming more of a “space cadet”, you are actually being MORE present to what is happening in the here and now. You are genuinely happy and can experience just about ANYTHING that is happening without getting upset or triggered. The spaciousness also allows you to feel a sensation of timelessness, so that you can relax when facing a deadline, and find peace no matter what pressure life’s agenda may have on you. With the gift of spaciousness, you’ll naturally become a more centered grounded human being who is able to observe your experience, rather than be desperately driven by the reactive ego-demanding personality.
“Even more impressive is the creation of an unlimited spaciousness within the meditator. This infinite spaciousness exceeds the concept of ‘self’—our normal limits. Thus, our abilities and wisdom also become limitless.” ~ Master Jinbodhi
Another beautiful gift you’ll find from cultivating this inner spaciousness is a healthy sense of detachment from the outer world. When the vast eternal presence that you are is found, you no longer become overly-attached with appearance of things (your car, house, body, clothes, money, etc..) of the outer world. Sure, you may intellectually know that you are much more than these things, yet when you live with this feeling of spaciousness within, you can access a happier healthier connection with your physical world. Spaciousness allows you to truly enjoy this world, because you can step back from it. It’s much easier to have compassion for others and be free from their opinions, when you can effortlessly access inner peace within yourself. You can remain curious about expectations and projected outcomes. You become the Divine watcher of every little event life offers, and can see the Bigger Picture of how it all fits together. It’s as if you are sitting in the backseat of the mind, watching your personality driving down the road, making left and right turns along the way, while trusting completely and truly enjoying the experience of it all.