Our spiritual practice is like a blooming flower.
Often as practitioners we want to quickly have spiritual experiences because we think that that is the real key to it all. But if we have this kind of attitude when we practice, we are in a hurry. And by being in a hurry, we can miss the whole point; we are so busy rushing to reach our “destination” that we do not see the scenery at all.
This kind of hurry is like trying to open a flower forcefully with our hands. If we do this, if we try to force or to rush the natural course of events, the petals might break. So, through our impatience, we damage the flower.
Real practice is about having patience and perseverance. Imagine that we stick a bulb in the ground, ensure that it’s in a place where the sun can shine on it, water it, keep the weeds away, and let it grow all in its own accord. If we look after the bulb with the clarity of noticing when to water it, a little more or less depending on sunshine or shade, and when to weed around it, the bulb will blossom into a beautiful flower in its time. This kind of attending to our flower – with clarity and patience rather than fussing and poking at it all the time – is thus filled with compassion. We do not judge the flower if it is not open yet or if it grows too slowly. We just let it grow and open on its own accord when the flower is ready to bloom.
This is the same with our practice; just practice! No need to open anything, because if we want to open it and our mind, body, or energy is not ready we might damage it, just like trying to open the petals of the flower with our hands.
Just sit and practice the meditation practice the teacher has given you without intellectualizing it, without hurry, without any need for a spiritual experience to happen. Just practice. Just be where you are, without judging. By practicing in this way, we are like a blooming flower which will open up and blossom all by itself when it is ready.
Based in Holland, Frans Stiene teaches in North America, Europe, UK, Australia and Asia.
Frans is also the author of Reiki Insights, it is the continuation of his previous book The Inner Heart of Reiki, taking your personal practice and understanding of the system of Reiki yet another step deeper.