Looking over Lake Kawaguchi towards Mount Fuji I recall the ancient Tao insight on how to experience life:
Only when you stop liking and disliking
Will all be clearly understood.
When I suspend judgement of good versus bad in whatever happens to me or around me, suddenly I perceive the world through fresh eyes.
Which is much easier said than done.
How many judgements have you made today since you got up?
Think back.
What was your very first thought on waking?
A smile of acceptance or an expression of distaste?
What were the first words out of your mouth this morning?
Thank you, or…?
How did you greet today’s weather?
With equilibrium or an expletive?
What feelings did you show towards the first person you encountered?
An open joy or a scowl of annoyance?
How did you react to your first food or drink of the day?
With satisfaction or a critical grunt?
In what attitude did you begin your work?
Inspirational motivation or disillusionment?
How did you complete your work?
In grateful accomplishment or disappointed complaint?
When you judge the world in terms of dualities your expectations define your response.
And your judgmental response creates your experience.
You like something so you feel good.
You dislike something so you feel bad.
But why the need to judge at all?
Step for a moment into the reality of nature.
The sun does not rise because you desire light.
The moon shines whether or not the water catches its reflection.
The seasons refresh their cycles because they are seasons.
A tree is a tree, a bird a bird, your spouse your spouse.
From my vantage point above Lake Kawaguchi, the view of Mount Fuji reminds me:
The blue mountains are of themselves blue mountains;
The white clouds are of themselves white clouds.
By observing without judgement I can see things simply as they are.
By relinquishing expectations I can accept what unfolds.
Perhaps I can even experience my true nature as I am of myself I.
Whole, yet a part of all I see, and feel, and know.
And all of it, a part of me.
How did judging your day create your experience today?
Subscribe to our free e-newsletter, Natural Energy Wisdom
If you quote this article in part or whole, please provide a link back to the author at www.energydoorways.com
Great post as always. It was interesting to look back on my day and take note of all the different judgments I made. I will take this post as guidance and do better tomorrow:) I am inspired by your words: “By observing without judgment I can see things simply as they are. By relinquishing expectations I can accept what unfolds.” This is what it is all about. Thanks for the post and putting this at the top of my mind.
Sibyl, thanks again for your vital presence and insight. It is interesting for me, too, to look back on my day -one judgement after another. By the way, can you tell me about the currently accepted spelling of judgement/judgment in the US? I think I am using the UK spelling, but actually I no longer know which to use. English spelling can be such a nightmare – as Japanese people often complain to me. A wonderfully rich language, however, English. Thank you for taking the time to comment on my post.
Hi Catrien!
Your writing is poetic. Your words alone bring me peace.
Judgment brings a lot of pain in this world, to both the judge and the one judged.
Why we do this I do not know. But thank you for reminding me not to.
All the best,
Hugh
Hugh, thank you for visiting again from the passionate warrior and for expressing your appreciation. I think I have set myself my own daily exercise in not judging, and it is not so easy. Clearly something I need to be reminded of, too.
hi catrien,
how are you?
thanks for stopping by my blog
this post gave me food for thought. i thought i was doing okay till i read how did you greet todays weather laugh!!! (and you dont want to know lol!!)
I have taken a lot from this and will definitely be visiting your blog more often.
You take care.
Ayo, welcome to energydoorways and thank you for commenting about your experience. When you start paying attention it is quite revealing to find how words, usually judgments, just pop out of our mouths, all day long. Self-awareness means being constantly connected, constantly in the present. It’s quite an effort in our outward-pulling world. Please do visit my blog often. I look forward to seeing you here. You take care in the British weather.
Catrien,
It’s always pleasing to read your posts. I love your style of writing. It’s calms me .
Our thoughts are so powerful. How we view our life determines what happens and how we feel about it.
Faizal, thank you so much for visiting again and for your important reminder about the power of our thoughts. As you say, our view of life truly does make all the difference – both in the way our journey unfolds and in how we respond to what happens. All the best to you in your new journey.
Very nice. Just read it out loud to my husband. We’re both pleased to notice that so far today (at 9:00 am) we have met the day with love and appreciation. (Considering that as it is a Sunday, and Valentine’s Day to boot, one would hope that this day, at the very least, would be governed by peaceful loving thoughts.) It is a worthy goal to set the tone of every day with non-judgement.
Janie, welcome to my blog and thank you for your appreciative comments. Your hope of Valentine’s Day being governed by peaceful, loving thoughts adds an encouraging new dimension. Now, if I can look back at 9 pm, sure that I met the entire day with love and appreciation …. Thank you, Janie – a wonderful every day to you and your husband!
And the truly amazing part, Catrien, is how LONG each of these days is. Do you ever feel as if you might be living dog years? I do, and unlike you, don’t even have dogs. 😉
Even when I mess up with that not-judging part, one more second goes by (human or dog) and there’s a brand new opportunity to be once again.
Living at Earth School, it is just THE BEST, isn’t it?
Rose, thanks so much for visiting again. Your comment adds a really interesting perspective. The actual length of each of our days and then the awareness that with each second we can restart and renew. How does your day go when you feel as if you are living dog years? Thank you for the reminder about Earth School. Great days, every day.
Judgment has been very much in my own thoughts – ego judgment more than cosmic judgment, which (in the Tarot at least) is about the balance that the cosmos naturally maintains between inner and outer reality.
I have been aware of my ego judgments very much of late, as they are the source of guilt feelings. If I am judged (by myself or others) I may be found wanting, and I may feel guilt about my behaviors. I have been trying to get in touch with my guilt feelings but unable to until I started with being aware of my judgments.
In fact, I woke up the other morning with the insight that if I trace my judgments through my consciousness, I will have access to my guilt feelings so that I can dissolve them – my latest project.
If I hold my mind empty upon awakening, the result is often that the voice of wisdom comes through with a message like that. Well worth it.
Thanks Catrien for posting and for being in touch (and for the picture of the blue mountain),
Terry
Terry, welcome to my blog and thank you for presenting a way for us to become more deeply aware of of what is happening when we judge. Your insight about holding the mind empty upon awakening is very helpful. I would love to hear more about your latest project – for instance: What do you do in particular to become more aware of your judgements, and how do you dissolve your guilt feelings once you have opened access to them? I very much appreciate your addition to my post – you have started an intriguing thread. Any readers out there with additional comments or insights on this? The blue mountain is Mount Fuji, which is completely white this month, so I will try to post another image as it is now, covered with snow.
This post was an eye-opener, for me, Catrien.
I consider myself to be an up-beat guy with a generally positive outlook on life, but as I read this post I recognized some of the judgments that you’ve listed. In particular, I’m guilty of uttering weather related expletives and the critical grunt upon first sipping the office coffee.
I’m always mindful of how perceptions affect the interactions between people, but I’ve not placed the same mindfulness in relation to the judgments I make about other things. This is an interesting idea to consider.
Although new to your blog, I sense a serenity in your writing that is quite pleasant. I look forward to reading future posts. Ray
Ray, wonderful to see your smiling gravatar here, and thank you for your thoughtful comment. I appreciate your consideration of “mindfulness in relation to the judgments I make about other things.” It is indeed an interesting idea that can radically transform how we move through our day. Thank you for enjoying my writing – please do visit here often – I welcome your participation.