One of the most common pitfalls that arise while on a Spiritual Path is when we think we ‘know’ something. There are two concerns within this statement: ‘we think’ and ‘we know’. It is tempting, especially when we have a juicy spiritual awakening (experience), to immortalize the ‘truth’ we have discovered; tagging it as something that we ‘know’. Often we fail to realize that as soon as an experience occurs, the ego-mind quickly scrambles to make it tangible, something it can hold onto – a feeble attempt to recreate the experience or transmit it as ‘fact’ in its effort to regain control.
Most of our conversations with each other drop into a habitual loop. In an effort to communicate our thoughts/ideas we easily become preoccupied with anticipating what the other person might be thinking or how they will respond to what we say. Rather than touching in on our inner truth (awareness), our internal conversation is muddied and preoccupied with refuting or explaining the particular nuance we want to convey.
Keeping it Green is akin to Beginner’s Mind in Buddhism. The practice of approaching each situation, each conversation or exchange from a place of “I’ve not been here before.” This demands great internal discipline and integrity – to not give into the impulse to be understood, or to be acknowledged, appreciated, or even affirmed. Instead, Keeping it Green means that our sole commitment is to ourselves – to convey our truth in this moment, not some ‘enlightened’ position or realization (no matter how grand or profound), to speak from our Heart about what is REAL to us.
Such devotion inevitably allows us to be a channel of love, peace, and presence, touching the heart of those around us.