"Pay Attention!" Sounds like something our kindergarten teacher said to the class, usually out of frustration. In the Fourfold Way, however, "pay attention" is an invitation to be present to the moment, to the situation, the the environment, to the relationship you are in - NOW - this present moment.
We know that there is no other moment than this present moment. But we seldom live in the present moment. Our bodies may be here, now, but our minds may be in the past, ruminating over some grievance, or even remembering a happy time. Our bodies may be here, now, but our minds may be thinking about what we have to do next, who we have to call, what we have left undone today. "Pay attention" invites us, instead, to be present in our fullness: body, mind, spirit, attention. "Pay attention" invites us to be aware of ourselves and our surroundings.
Practice for a moment now. Take your eyes off the computer screen and place your hands in your lap. Breathe. Notice your breathe, moving in and out, without any action on your part, in your body. Feel your bottom sitting on the chair. Sense yourself as a whole person. Breathe.
When you are with someone else and you "pay attention" to them, to the present moment, to what is happening now, you are offering a great gift. When you "pay attention," you can listen to what is being said and you can take the time to respond, instead of react. When you "pay attention," you can notice the tone of voice - hear the tremble, hear the anger, hear the fear - instead of noticing only the words being spoken. When you "pay attention," you may get a sense of what is really happening, beyond your notions of what "should" be happening or what "could" be happening.
Show up. Pay attention.
Warmly,
meb
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