The Sun Is Always Shining

"So how was the trip?" a Rama student asked a pregnant woman who had been away from meditation class for a bit.

"It was great," smiled the woman. "And thanks for the suggestion to take some of the Zazen music along for meditating on the plane. I wouldn't have thought about that, to try meditating on the plane with my CD player and earphones."

"Rama explained that to us, how up in a plane you are away from all the human aura on the earth, and it can be easier to meditate. Glad you tried it out for yourself," said the Rama student.

"What was really neat was it was overcast when we took off and then when the plane climbed up, we did get above the clouds, and it was just like Master Fwap says, the sun was shining!" said the pregnant woman.

Before she had left on her trip, the class had talked a bit about a passage in "Surfing the Himalayas." Master Fwap is trying to explain to the young snowboarder how in the world of meditation, happiness is always present. He suggests to the snowboarder, to consider that "Above the clouds, the sun is always shining." He explains while it could be a cloudy day, "If you and I were to get into a jet plane and fly high above the clouds, there would only be sunshine. It is always sunny above the clouds." (p. 101)

Fwap is making the point "when you draw your happiness each day from the endless awareness of nirvana" that "you are no longer a slave to fortune." (p. 100) Happiness is present in the worlds of light just as the sun is always shining above the clouds. And just as one sees the sunshine if one climbs up in a plane, someone who meditates and touches the planes of light is connecting with a source of happiness that is just as constant as the sun.

"It was a dramatic image to experience," said the pregnant woman, "because the sun was really unaffected by the overcast clouds down below."

"Yes, Rama used to tell us our ability to access happiness should be just as steady if we were meditating every day. He said real happiness comes from touching the worlds of light inside and that we should feel about happiness the way we do about going to the refrigerator to find food. If you've done the shopping and so forth, when you open the refrigerator door, you expect to see food. If you've been meditating every day and practicing mindfulness, when you go into your heart, you should find happiness just as confidently as you find food behind that refrigerator door," said the Rama student.

"Well, I don't really understand the mechanics of how this works, but I do know since I started meditating, I feel more even, more balanced, and things that used to really bug me don't throw me off like they used to. It has definitely improved my outlook." Said the pregnant woman.

"You can repeat that phrase inwardly 'Above the clouds, the sun is always shining' as a reminder during the day that the planes of light are real, to remember to go into your heart to find happiness. Glad you're back. Let's meditate!" said the Rama student, and the class settled in for a heart chakra meditation.

     

Surfing the Himalayas

Surfing The Himalayas by Rama Dr Frederick Lenz

For more information:
Rama Meditation Society

 

   
   


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