Importance of Awareness

Awareness seems to be a very deceptive concept. We can be aware of all our actions in the present moment, but does that really make us aware? We have five senses and at each moment every one of them is interacting with the environment; ears hear sounds, body feels sensations, nose smells scents, and so on. But because it is hard to be aware of everything, often it is simply forgotten.

Take breathing as an example. We are breathing at every moment of our life but we are hardly aware of it. Furthermore, if we try to sit down and simply observe our breath for just ten minutes, more often than not, it will turn out to be a daunting task. Our minds will start drifting into thoughts and awareness of the respiration will be long forgotten. We may accept this as a certain weakness but it has to be very alarming; just imagine our bodies being half as unresponsive to our will as our minds are -- we would never get across the streets alive!

If we can't even be aware of our breath, how can we possibly enjoy the flowers on a bush, or the trees on a mountain, or the clouds in the sky? Sure, we notice them and have certain impressions of them but an untamed mind will definitely taint the experience. Without awareness, we miss the complete experience of life. When we meditate, we, initially, recognize this problem. As we continue to work patiently and persistently, we start to break out of the prison of our mind and in living life as such, we appreciate all beings with a unique sense of joy, contentment, and satisfaction.