the power of practice

From one point of view we can say that we have human bodies and are practicing the Buddha’s teachings and are thus much better than insects. But we can also say that insects are innocent and free from guile, where as we often lie and misrepresent ourselves in devious ways in order to achieve our ends or better ourselves. From this perspective, we are much worse than insects. In Buddhism, both learning and practice are extremely important, and they must go hand in hand. Without knowledge, just to rely on faith, faith, and more faith is good but not sufficient. So the intellectual part must definitely be present. At the same time, strictly intellectual development without faith and practice, is also of no use. It is necessary to combine knowledge born from study with sincere practice in our daily lives. These two must go together….. Dalai Lama

i was reminded yesterday about one fo the first lessons my sponsor shared with me- the development of spiritual practices. i did this my first month as i readied to work the steps with him. he explained that these practices were a direct line to sanity which in the addict’s world is a life line. crazy can (and does) whoosh in like a breeze from the north at any time in early sobriety. if we are not prepared.

he further illuminated that the spiritual practices we develop are to be used daily at different times during the day. we practice them daily as a sort of insurance policy. if we fall into crazy we have a direct and tethered connection to spirit via these practices. the routines i have developed have come in handy over the years. the specific practices i roll with have grown and changed over the years just like my sobriety.

this blog is a specific and direct spiritual practice that somehow connects me to peace of mind. as i enter my 10th year as a blogger, the purpose and the content of this practice has evolved. its specific purpose has remained the same. i still utilize a direct route to my concept of spirit and higher power. a key thing i have learned throughout this sober journey is that some days the only person who can keep me sane is the one i see when i look in the mirror. this fact alone is reason enough to connect to a higher power- cuz somedays i am crazy.. bat sheet crazy. luckily we are not all crazy on the same day.

at the center of my sanity is music. always music. it soothes, it swirls, it redirects, it channels, it softens. life without music would not be fair..

<ol> <li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/03-marrakesh.m4a'>03 Marrakesh</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/12-dont-tell-me.m4a'>12 Don't Tell Me</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/10cc-im-not-in-love-1975-disco-p.mp3'>10cc ~ I'm Not in Love 1975 Disco P</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/shirley-bassey-easy-thing-to-do-n.mp3'>Shirley Bassey - Easy Thing to Do (N</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/07-never-goin-down-ben-chapman-rem.m4a'>07 Never Goin' Down (Ben Chapman Rem</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/09-solo-flying-mystery-man.m4a'>09 Solo Flying Mystery Man</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/2-10-goin-back.m4a'>2-10 Goin' Back</a></li><li><a href='https://afterthepop.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/02-creep.m4a'>02 Creep</a></li> </ol>

#spiritualpractices #music #12steps #emotionalsobriety #buddhism