I love the reflections on breath from this book written by Prem Rawat.
When first sober and very defiant in my agnosticism, I was able to find a way of relating to a Power greater than myself as breath. I knew my breath was absolutely essential to my life yet something I was being given each moment of every day unceasingly …without my willing it to happen. There was something gifting me with breath and thus life in this unconditional way moment by moment. I could conceive of this Power as with me wherever I go, life giving, without any judgment or condemnation … and I could also find a way to call this Power good.
I believe I have a thirst for the Infinite that cannot be satisfied by the finite. This thirst for more of the finite doesn’t satisfy my thirst for the Infinite. Thus, I find myself imprisoned by my addiction; a ‘bondage of self’. (Big Book p. 63). My addiction to ‘more’ can never satisfy my thirst for what is Eternal and Ever Present.
I love the way this chapter entitled ‘Finite & Infinite’ suggests we have an ‘unsuspected inner resource’ (BB p.567) that can supply us with what we seek in the simplicity and ceaseless reliability of our breath. I hope you enjoy this short reflection extracted from this longer chapter. You may also enjoy the poem ‘Tis The Set Of The Sail’ if you find this reflection valuable. – Bruce M.
Everything changes. If you think things are good, wait a while. It will all change. If you think things are bad, wait a while. It will all change. You change. The mind changes. Thoughts change. Ideas change. The world changes. Everything changes, changes, changes.
One thing does not change: the coming and going of this breath. It comes and it goes, it comes and it goes. And when it changes, then all the changes stop. For you, all the changes stop.
Find your friend within. Find your comfort in this blessing. Find your joy in this reality. Find your shelter in this beautiful place. Feel that joy. Feel that beauty. It’s for you, so you can be content.
There are times when problems become so insurmountable that all the strength you thought you had vanishes. The waves get huge. The boat is small. What do you do? It is not a joyride. If you go forward or back, the waves are the same.
Where is the boat of your life anchored? What precautions have you taken? That’s the question. The size of the waves is not under your control, but taking precautions is under your control. When you have found a way to anchor yourself in that ocean, in this breath, then you have taken proper and correct precautions. In this breath you find your home. In this breath, you find your anchor. In this breath, you find your reality.
Will storms come in your life? Yes. Absolutely. Will confusion knock at your door? Absolutely. Will you be in dramatic situations that are out of your control? Absolutely.
But just remember that even when the wildest storm engulfs you, when chaos is afoot, when the night is as dark as it gets, there is still a lamp that is lit within you. Even when all seems to be as bad as it gets—and I will not underestimate how bad it can be. As long as this breath is coming in and out of you, you still have the companionship of the divine. When storms make you feel weak, know that the greatest strength lies within you.
Be thankful for each breath. Tie your boat to the timeless. Your boat will be secure. If you tie your boat to the changeable, the boat will be smashed. When the heart is full, it’s a wonderful life. To the heart, a day got saved, a lifetime mended.
Your potential is the potential of understanding. Understand the timeless. Understand this life. Understand the joy. Understand what it is to be human. And every day awaken to the possibility of your heart being full.
Know how to relate to that perfection that dances inside of you. That is when you begin to understand the timeless breath.
One moment would be enough. You have been given a lifetime to experience it—to know it, to see it, to enjoy it, to feel it.
As long as this breath is coming into you, you are being kissed by the infinite.