existing right here and now.
I dedicate the merit of this practice
to all sentient beings.
Together we realize liberation.
It was just another day working in the maternity ward, while completing my midwife internship at a major German hospital, but I would walk away from that shift with a story that would leave a powerful impression.
Some stories and their storytellers, carry this inherent power.
I’m sure you can recall a few such stories that opened your heart and left you pondering life – how to somehow make a positive difference and leave the world a better place.
My morning shift had just started and I was informed that the woman handed over into my care had a history of miscarriages. I made my way to the exam room to introduce myself to the couple. The woman was hooked up to the CTG (a device that documents the baby’s heartbeat), and her partner was sitting on a chair beside her.
The baby’s healthy heartbeat filled the small room with its message of life, and yet an aura of sadness and worry permeated the air.
Their body language was guarded, withdrawn, and at the same time vulnerable – a perfect reflection of the traumatic story to follow.
As I began to engage with the couple they revealed how they were hopeful that this baby would come to term alive and well, and that they felt incredibly grateful to have been granted asylum in a safe country. They shared the events of the last traumatic birth that ended in the death of their child and near death of the mother.
Heartbroken to have lost another child, and afraid of facing the death of both mother and child if they risked another pregnancy, they continued their story by revealing their deep yearning to have children and their decision to flee from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
“Women in Afghanistan aren’t allowed see doctors,” they told me.
I pondered a life where gender determined whether or not you could see a doctor.
At the time I was intrigued with the idea of travelling to India after reading Paramahansa Yogananda’s book “Autobiography of a Yogi” and hearing stories of a time when hippies drove their VW buses from Northern Europe to Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan on route to India.
It was during this time I first read of the plight of Afghanistan being not only one of the most impoverished countries in the world, but also one of the most war-torn and ravaged.
I also read about the extreme terrorism towards women in particular, and the systemic destruction of Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage.
It’s one thing to read about or see the impact of growing up in a war-torn and terrorized country in the media, it takes on an entirely different dimension in moments of shared human vulnerability and openheartedness.
Feeling helpless about the very real suffering that beings around the world experience in any given moment I asked myself,
“How can I contribute somehow in my own unique way to alleviate the suffering of the world? What small contribution can I make to leave the world a better place?”
It’s a natural expression of our lived and shared humanity to want to ease suffering.
The greatest gift we can offer ourselves, our loved ones, the world, and future generations, is awakening from the dream state of separation and our identification with personhood.
As we awaken to our true nature and recognize the Absolute in all the manifestations of life, there’s a natural flow and outpouring of vast love and compassion that expresses itself as seva.
Seva can be translated from Sanskrit meaning “selfless service”, and on a deeper level can be defined as service that is infused with gratitude, respect, compassion, kindness, and reverence.
When approached as a living spiritual practice, seva carries the potential to deepen the intimacy and reverence for all of life, and profoundly change our lives and those we serve.
Never underestimate the significance of your existence and the ripple effect of your actions – you hold the power to create monumental change in your self and the world.
Exercise 1:
Play with this exercise the next time you watch TV or in the midst of life when meeting suffering.
Relinquishing control, take a moment to settle into the body and allow the breath to become fluid and rhythmic
Notice any emotions that arise and where they live in the body.
Placing your hand on the area where you feel the emotion most strongly, say to yourself:
“I am…..”
“I…. am….”
You’ll notice that dropping “I am” into the vast ocean of awareness, is like watching the ripples on a lake calm down and clear the way for spacious stillness.
Gazing at the images on the TV screen or the screen of life, look with the eyes of spacious awareness, allowing everything to be as it is, without trying to control the image or get pulled into the story of it.
Thoughts and sensations might arise – notice them without controlling them or wishing them away
Know that you are not the thoughts and sensations that come and go.
Notice that the vast ocean of stillness remains untouched by the comings and goings of the mind
You are what pre-cedes thoughts and sensations – you’re not what comes and goes
Notice that what doesn’t come and go, pervades not only your body, but also the space around your body,
Sense the alive, awake presence that pervades all of life, even the suffering
The waves of suffering arise from and dissipate into the infinite ocean of awareness and aren’t separate from it.
As you go about your day and play with this exercise, be open and curious, noticing how stillness guides you.
Exercise 2:
Take a moment to settle into the body and breath.
Recall an event that was difficult for you to witness. It may have been a story in the news or the suffering of a loved one.
Notice where this experience lives in the body and become aware of any underlying story that may be tied to this emotion.
Now see if you can let the story go and just be in intimate communion with the emotion itself, taking note of it’s texture, size, and temperature.
Turning towards it with gentle curiosity and loving compassion, allowing it to be exactly as it is, without trying to change or control it.
Notice how in meeting suffering fully, in the light of awareness, it begins to soften and dissolve.
Now notice that which precedes awareness, the ground of being from which all experience arises and recedes.
Cultivate this intimate relationship with presence by sitting in the sacred space of being for a few moments before going about your day.
The next time you meet suffering, see if you can receive the experience fully while it unfolds, remembering that the emotion wants to be healed in the light of your awareness so it can be freed and open you to a more intimate way of being with life.
You can access guided meditations to support your unfolding in the Resources Library. or if you’re already a member you can access the meditations here.
