Routine: The Coma of Non-Living
By Ron Morris
Definition of Coma: a state of deep unconsciousness (sound familiar?) caused by disease, injury, or poison. Com.a.tose - as in... Most Americans are comatose in the inaction of their very existence (again, the big ZEN "Why?").
Definition of Routine: of, relating to, or being in accordance with established procedures. Routine, every day normal, standard, usual, ordinary, regular. You! Somebody take a photocopy of your life?
And here's where I'd like to start the routine of your life. Not the big and easy definition of routine, like how you don't acknowledge your dog wants out to pee every morning at the same time. Let the friggin' dog out will ya! But we're going to look at the smaller routines that make up your comatose condition, and by starting small, we'll enable you to start feeling your big toe of consciousness. From there, you ought to start taking your life back. Too metaphysical? So what! Write your own book, pal.
Look, let's begin like this: It's freakin' important you know you're alive. From what I witness through my students and my own day-to-day battle with being awake, this coma thing is running rampant through society at large. The routine that we create in our life is directly responsible for our pudding-like vision of what our lives are supposed to be; or CAN and SHOULD be. But because of the Ego and it's Mussolini-like hold over your true sense of "awakeness to life"" it traps us like some sausage making European country and holds us hostage, keeping the True Self from being allowed to thrive.
I mean, all this from not letting the dog out to pee? Yeah, actually. Think of how sinister this routine thing can be: How about routinely avoiding talking to the kids? (that's one). Then by routinely avoiding talking to your kids, your wife takes on extra duty. But her Ego likes the idea of control, so now she controls (she thinks) her children. But because of her one-sided egoic view of herself and by the way she's always the one that has to deal with the kids' problems, that wretch of a husband of hers is working late again. Why? Because his Ego is out of bounds - his wife's Ego keeps shifting further to her Ego identity and the more comfort of that coma-like routine the better as far as the Ego identity is concerned. That's just one example of hundreds of small routines we adhere to daily, piled on one after another. That's how the poison of routine takes a hold... imperceptible by imperceptible inch... until you actually think you've got your life running like a well-oiled machine. But remember, all the while you're basking in the glow of routine that has the appearance of smooth operation and seamless, forward momentum. You are oblivious to the fact that your son or daughter has taken up with the group PETA (people against something or other), protest people who don't eat fur without lemon sauce (not to mention the dog now requires a doggy diaper because your routine works so damn well - the dog can't hold out to pee, so since he's a dog...)
Okay! So you get the idea of what we're sayin' here. That's the disease. Now how about a cure? You bet. One prescription for consciousness coming right up... The ease with which you can turn this around is almost comical. It at first will seem to simplistic, but my students and I are living proof of its impact and almost immediate transition to your general awareness of the True Self. You know, like you actually start to see who you are... sort of... kind of...
As you practice this technique on a daily basis, like, oh I don't know, like a routine if you will, it's positive impact accumulates just like the negative did before. If you can see where the negative effect came from and how it got there, you enable yourself to understand the positive effect is just as real and just as available, if not more so.
The very first thing has already started you on your path. You're reading this and thinking about the intent of this chapter or maybe you're still worried about the dog. I really can't tell from here. But that's really it! The first major step to rehabilitation. That's what it's like coming out of a coma to who you are and what your life can be. You just wake up. You realize you are asleep at the wheel, and then you wake up. From there it really is about one foot in front of the other. Step by step. Small steps will in fact lead to running again. But first things first: Every day you are going to embrace your new routine of consciousness just as diligently as you have embraced that coma your Ego loved so much. From there, you pick one small thing to question. Question in the sense of "Why the hell won't I let the damn dog out to pee?"
This routine involves sitting down and really asking about your motivation, or things like why you don't just stand up and open the door for the dog. Be mindful at this point not to judge your actions, just look at the motivation behind them. If the answer comes back to be something like "Well, I never let the dog out", ask yourself "WhatÕs the big deal?" Is there more behind your motivation? There probably is not - other than that's just how the routine in the morning has always gone. But that's not who you are! That's Ego covered nonsense and I mean non sense.
Every day, pick one small thing to dissect, and don't get all dysfunctional about it. Just slowly and methodically start dropping away your bad routine, habitual actions and then become alert to the ripple effect it has on your surroundings. We do know the dog is gonna be a lot happier! So will other things and people in your life. BUT... The most important thing will be that you are rehabbing out of your coma and soon, step by step, you'll be walking the dog! Okay, okay, maybe you'll just take him to the park and watch him run around but hey, it's a step. That's all you need - to desire and expect forward momentum. Oh yeah! Your bill, sir. And by the way, the whole staff here at Unconscious Central is real proud of you. Now if we could just get your credit card number...
The REMOTE CONTROL that is your life, the high definition Hanzo is all about really being able to let go of the seeming control you think you have over your life - learning in a simplistic matter-of-fact kind of way that the more you really practice letting go of any kind of control, in fact, you gain true access to living freely and peacefully. So how does that work, Smart Guy?
What is a Workout?
What constitutes a workout and will work (under the assumption that a workout is something that is designed to create physical fitness, a sense of well-being and extremely good health)? Well, this is what does NOT go into a workout: Ego, control, predetermined outcomes. Physical fitness is being fit enough to feel good about being able and having the desire to experience your won desire to try things that are not in the realm of being in touch with the True Self or out of touch as in the case of the couch potato or computer addict.
What IS needed is twofold: an understanding of how important the physical is in your day-to-day (being, walking, squatting down, pushing your car that is out of gas...you get the idea), and an egoless desire to be in shape - fit for experiencing your life. Feel like you want to do that spur-of-the-moment hike or need to run to catch a bus or a cab? Your "workout" should create the ability for you to do all these things with ease. Having the ability to just actually live is being squashed by all the amusements and distractions we have created for ourselves: food, computers, movies, iphones, cable TV... Who reads books? Who takes walks? Workout is the domain of Ego freaks who think that any specific physical trait creates real fitness and they use this as power over others around them. This is the problem: your Ego fails. Hanzo is all about deflating these egomaniacs without any need to acknowledge them. Just learn to live in your realm and stay conscious of what you want. The egomaniac then truly disappears from your radar.