A state of flow is thought of as hard to come by. Perhaps that is because we picture ourselves as autonomous and independent, and as entities. We assume our survival and our happiness depends on that. We cannot function without the distinction between inner and outer, between self and other. A little bit of reflection reveals that the forms we label and grasp are really movements, arising, changing and ceasing. The happening that we know as existence is actually perpetual motion. Our thoughts shift and move, as do feelings and sensations and yet we persist in harbouring the notion that our experiences are somehow concrete and defined. We might think that the structures that we see and inhabit have defined nature and form even though these very structures change every moment. Reality however is movement and motion. Even apparently stable structures such as objects like trees and mountains and walls are ceaselessly changing. Our senses and our faculties are incapable of discerning this flux and we confer form where there is actually none!
A state of flow becomes easier to access when we see that all of existence is a flowing. Whether we identify it or not, our minds are flowing, as are our bodies, our circumstances and our environment. It is in reality a universe of flowing, of movement and not a world of forms. Any form that we apprehend is a skewed view of what is incessant motion. And this applies to all elements of our experience, from pain to possessions. This skewing occurs because we are incapable of perceiving the magnitude of the totality we are a part of. In the face of billions and billions of years that are themselves a mere fraction of possible totality, even the sun is a mere flicker of motion! So it is a matter of magnitude. We can choose to limit our view to apparent form that is a source of gratification and profit or we can look at possible totality and flow with the movement of existence, knowing that everything that we can experience is a movement and in that way, part of totality, that very same movement. There is great joy in seeing things this way, rather than tunneling every aspect of what we go through.
We come to see therefore that a state of flow is our reality too. All we need to do is to allow our experiences to arise, abide and cease. Not grasping, nor rejecting what is merely apparent, be that thought, our bodies, minds or our situations. Because all these are in reality, simply movement. Our minds tunnel and skew reality so that we might perceive structure and certainty where there is really none. When we see that motion and flow are all there is, we stop clinging, resisting or avoiding. It then is possible to be in flow even when things are difficult and our experience and our mind and senses seem to tell us that what is merely apparent is real and solid.
All this doesn’t really require extensive training and practice. The conviction that we are a part of the movement of totality isn’t about belief. It can come with just a little bit of reflection and some patience. With this realization it becomes easier to let go of apparent form, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant and we can be secure in the knowledge that irrespective of what our senses and minds tell us, what seems solid is really incessant flow and change. This applies to everything, our money, our possessions, our activities and our environment. There is a great deal of freedom in seeing this, and as our state of flow increases, we begin to see existence, our bodies, minds and experiences as a movement, as perpetual motion and change.
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