Living genuinely


This morning I woke with the thought of what it means to live genuinely.
I immediately did a Google search to see if I could find some Buddhist teaching that applied to this, but to no avail.
So I had to look inward for an answer to this question of being genuine.
Does genuine mean being true to your nature? Does it mean being true to your religious beliefs?
Well I think that genuine goes beyond either one of those.
I think there is a greater wisdom of truth that lies within each of us, but fear is usually holding us back from living genuinely.

In the movie City Slickers, Jack Palance tells Billy Crystal that the meaning of life is all about “one thing”. And each of us has to figure out what that “one thing” is for ourselves.
But how many of us live every day merely existing as we always have without ever awakening to the truth? Without ever discovering the real essence of this life, or of any greater purpose we serve in being here on this earth.

Here is what I know: I am impermanent. My time in this body is limited. And wisdom is the engaged action of compassion towards all living beings.
For me, these are truths that are not only inescapable but also the path towards living genuinely.
I no longer accept a dullness of mind, or complacency towards this existence.
If I am to be fully present, then I must live with honesty and increased mindfulness.

I hope you will take a moment today to consider your “one thing”. Consider what is your truth, then live it genuinely and joyfully.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.