The Warrior Mind

Last Friday night, yeah, we danced on tabletops, and we took too many shots, think we kissed but I forgot… Na, just kidding.

Actually, last Friday night I had dinner with a friend at Tarbouch Lebanese Grill and Hookah in Austin.  It’s a cozy, friendly, little place hidden off of Oltorf.  Great food!  The Lebanese coffee is an acquired taste–very strong, clove aftertaste, but I’d likely order it again.

Then we went to the Austin Shambhala Meditation Center to hear Shastri Jeffrey Stevens talk on The Benevolent Weapon: Unfolding the Strength of the Warrior Mind.  Okay, you may be thinking that’s a little out there or maybe that sounds like a snooze fest for a Friday night, right?  My friend, Kamishia, and I thought it looked interesting and for some time I’ve thought of beginning a daily meditation practice but haven’t successfully implemented one.  I am not a follower of Shambhala Buddhism and neither is my friend; however, both of us do feel drawn to aspects of Buddhist teachings in general.  The speaker was funny and warm and the talk really helped me to better understand the need for a proper meditation practice with the simple goal of learning to live more in the present, not in the past or dreaming of the future like I’ve been doing.

A number of attendees at the talk who have developed a daily meditation practice spoke on how it has helped them in their daily lives.  Most stated that it helped bring clarity, peace of mind, eased suffering and judgment of one’s self and others, helped open the mind to new perspectives, helped those embody a more authentic life, assisted with developing strong self-discipline, and allowed many to see how fluid thoughts are.  How they can move through you yet remain separate from your identity.  I’m hoping cultivating a daily meditation practice will do the same for me.

I also recently realized that I haven’t been very good at living by my own, inner compass.  I’ve allowed my outer environment, experiences and encounters with others to shape me into a person I don’t recognize.  I have visions of the untarnished, healthy, confident, attractive, fit, pretty, sweet, sexy, caring, articulate, creative, happy, vibrant, ever-present, adventure-seeking, strong-willed and free-spirited me–The best expression of me.  This is the person I need to discover.

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