Little but FIERCE (Little's Thread #4)

[Little]

I just want to journal a little about my Buddhist journey and how this is really helping me detach and find an inner peace.

I grew up with parents that were very open minded and of the opinion that all religions are to be respected and valued. By and large my only true "religious" experiences centered around Christianity, but I found as I explored my spiritual side that I was suspicious of a lot of organized religion's motivations (truly, all organized religion -- not one in particular), especially from a historical perspective.

Long have I considered myself a woman who believes in a higher power I'm comfortable calling God and a believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ as a being of love and enlightenment, but also someone who believes no one can truly know for certain what's out there beyond the fact the universe connects us all together. God is God in every religion on the planet.

Buddhism, however, has no emphasis on that, but encourages a conscious mind understanding that emotional attachment to anything brings about an awful lot to lose. That's the root of suffering.

I like that Buddhism encourages one to be fully accountable to the self, and in turn others. It's exactly what I've been saying -- love yourself and love those around you enough to have integrity, honesty, and grace.

I'm learning that I can let go of negative emotions because they hold me back. They stop me from becoming a better person, which prevents me from doing right by others, and, more importantly, myself.

I meditated quietly for about 10 minutes tonight without interruption, my mind clear and free of any kind of stress or anxiety, focusing only on the words of a chant I'd pulled up on Youtube.

For someone as usually distracted, emotional, hotheaded and constantly "too fast" in everything I do, this brought me profound peace.

This is definitely where I need to be right now.