That time is here. The time is NOW!

I decided to give it a go at an Open Mic event in Long Beach, CA at the Cultural Alliance of Long Beach Center.  The week leading up to the open mic I was still a little unsure as to whether I was going to do it.  However, the morning of, I hopped out of bed with an inspirational spark, only 4 hours of sleep, and began seamlessly writing material for the evening!  A total of about 6 pages of material.  Only a small portion of which I actually used in my act, as I tossed my notes aside during the very loosely structured routine, and went off the cuff for about 65% of the performance.

Much of the purpose behind my inspirational stories & words is to inspire others to follow their heart, follow their bliss, excitement, and to go with the natural flow of life.  I hope that this video serves as inspiration for others to do the same.  I have no idea how successful I’ll be with comedy, and I’m not concerned with it.  I do however, know that there are infinite possibilities.  I also believe that you’ll see that I have a “natural” knack for it.  Something that may not have been evident had I tried to force the process, and not wait for the natural flow.

There is also a clear intention & purpose behind my comedy, which is to spread messages of love, spirit, and beauty through this medium.  Our work comes so much easier & more natural when there is purpose behind it.

I’m quite pleased with the results of this performance.  There were many factors that made it greatly challenging for me, and I welcomed the challenge.  First of all, I didn’t really know anybody at the open mic, only a few recent acquaintances.  Comedians typically always have support with them when they perform.  The crowd wasn’t a comedy crowd per say, as the flyers focused on spoken word poetry open mic.  Additionally, the sets were meant to be about 5 minutes, and I was being rushed a bit, but managed to claim 17 minutes of the audience’s attention!

It’s equal parts comedy & story telling, as I was performing as much for my online audience as I was for the audience that was in front of me. You’ll get the most out of it if you watch more than once.  The audio was not good, so I had to spend considerable time meticulously sub-titling the video to make it watchable & enjoyable. Once you get the gist of what I’m saying, it’s more enjoyable to watch, as you get more of the full “poetry in motion” experience of the performance.

It starts off a little slow as I’m warming up to the crowd, and having some fun banter with the host “Shy but Flyy” – but it does pick steam as I get more into a flow, and finishes with a bang!

Finally a couple of notes regarding the “act”. I don’t really curse quite that often, somehow it just comes out more when performing comedy. I suppose as a way to connect to the crowd.  Lastly, although I surely do enjoy the beautiful herbal treats provided by mother nature, and I’m not shy about it, that aspect of the act was exaggerated.  I hope you are somehow inspired by, and enjoy the stand-up comedy debut of Big Beautiful Buddha, aka Triple B!

by Burke “Buddha” Coleman

Faith tends to get a bit of a bad rep.  At least it has in my humble experience.  I don’t know about you, but when I was told to have faith in a book full of fables, such as men surviving being swallowed by a whale, a man rising from his grave, a man gathering two of every animal into an ark as the chosen one to survive 40 days of flooding, seas being parted, a virgin birth, a talking serpent, etc., I found this to be awfully hard to swallow.  Being told that something is “truth”, & that you need to have faith in said truth is not the answer, & not the type of faith being outlined here.  This is “blind faith”.  A desperation, a grasping.  I’m talking about the kind of faith that is a knowing, deep trust, at the central core of your being, based on experience.

Many have adopted the mindset of “I have to see it to believe it”, which is a fair expectation. However, at some point one must take a bit of a leap to find that there is indeed a safety net not only catching us, but lifting us up.  A bit of openness is required for the magical mysteries of our existence to reveal themselves.  Skepticism is indeed a valuable tool, but can be a great detriment to our evolution when relied on extensively, or rigidly.

When talking of faith, it’s hard to avoid viewing it from an angle of religion or spirituality, as they are intertwined.  However this piece is not about religion, belief, or even spirituality.  But there will be mention of spirit.  The undeniable human spirit, which we all can honor & recognize without divisive labels.  Although my path has been guided down a road of deepening faith & union with spirit, oneness, or what we may call “God”, one does not have to have declared a relationship with “God”, or even to acknowledge the existence of any higher governing force to tap into the almighty power of faith.  I will say that in my evaluation, the ride is provides much more peace of mind, purpose, fulfillment, and joy when you attune to the rhythm of our divinity, but that’s an entirely different topic, which of course I share freely about.

So what is Faith exactly?

When you boil it all down, strip away the conditioning, divisive labels, philosophies, & beliefs, faith is what is left standing as the mover of mountains for the human spirit.  Quite simply, faith is a universal language, an energy, that the universe has no choice but to respond to.  It’s a lightning rod, an antenna, that connects us to the magnificent, powerful, magical forces of nature, & our highest version of ourselves.

Faith can be applied to infinite aspects of our lives, and while not anchored in “beliefs”, it does require believing.  We can have faith, and believe in ourselves, in LOVE, a mentor, our country, career path, our weight loss program, job skills, talents, experiences, the star quarterback of our sports team, whatever it may be.  Faith is the mover of the human spirit.  The mover of the winds, & tides.  Without faith we are drifting aimlessly in a violent, unforgiving ocean, tossed around, victimized by the rhythm of the sea.

Faith is knowing, trust, clarity, vitality, peace of mind.  Lack of faith is doubt, fear, uncertainty, paralysis.  Faith brings our dreams into reality, removes obstacles, & puts wind in our sails.

OK, OK, enough romanticizing the idea of faith.  Admittedly, so far, this writing sounds like an infomercial for faith, but I’m not actually selling anything here.  The purpose here is to share my experiences & observations of the power of faith.  I hope this will awaken or deepen faith in your own life, wherever you may choose to place it.  These inspirational words are coming to me as a result of a particular challenge i’m facing.  A challenge which I have gratitude for, because the result is the clear realization, at 33 years of age, that faith is, and always has been the answer in my life (along with love).

Let’s take a closer look at this phenomena.  Most of us have heard the same timeless quotes from our great thinkers & leaders of men such as: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford … “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficult” – Winston Churchill … “Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.” – Mahatma Ghandi … “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything” – Malcolm X … and the Buddha is quoted as saying “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

The list goes on and on and on. Faith is precisely what they are all referring to. Your thoughts are your faith, or lack of. Your thoughts have unfathomable power to literally shape the world around you, and the reality we experience. This goes well beyond the simple mantra of “positive thoughts produce positive results”. On a quantum level the energy of our thoughts & our consciousness sculpts and shapes our existence. Thought produces a vibration, a frequency that effects the physical world around us. The material world is comprised of vibrating atoms, which never rest, and are in a constant state of change. Our thoughts interact with this web of energy, which is interconnected, and filled with the same sentient intelligent design that allows nature to operate perfectly, and effortlessly.

This information is becoming increasingly mainstream. They’ve been proving it in quantum physics experiments for more than half a century now, providing scientific evidence of what the spiritual masters have been telling us for thousands of years. This truth can be traced back to the Egyptian God Thoth, and the Greek God Hermes, in the hermetic teachings. Believed to date back as early as 10,000 BC in the time the Egyptian pyramids, a marvel & wonder of our world, were built. This is where all of the self-help experts draw their knowledge from. Abraham Hicks’ “Law of Attraction”, Wayne Dyer’s “The Power of Intention”, the overly commercialized “The Secret”, Napolean Hill’s “Think & Grow Rich”, and Tony Robbin’s “NLP”. They all understand the power of thought, language, and intention. The power of FAITH.

Although I have read about this phenomena in books, believe me when I tell you that I have seen this interconnected web of energy, and how each individual thought directly effects it with my very own eyes, & other senses.  This is what’s seen through your third eye, and it’s the experiencing of this deeper reality, beyond what our limited scope can perceive that led me down this path.

Applying Faith in our Lives

Now that we’re clear on faith being the ultimate mover of the human spirit, and that your thoughts are what drives your faith, what now? Do we simply think whatever we desire in our lives into existence? Does this mean I can think about a Lamborghini & it will magically appear in my driveway? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy. However, if a Lamborghini is what I truly desired, the right amount of faith & belief that I will acquire one, is precisely what it would take to do so.

People who achieve a high level of monetary success do so because they have faith that they can. It’s really that simple. They believe in themselves, in their chosen path, in capitalism, getting a degree, or not needing one, and they go out & do it. This brings us full circle to the fact that one doesn’t have to have any direct belief in a higher intelligent design to use the power of faith. As well, this is how those who are a cruel, evil, cancer on our world are able to attract massive monetary abundance. They have faith that they will, and that they deserve it, while the laws of karma are repaying them, and playing out on other levels. Not that I necessarily endorse this path as a means to fulfillment & purpose, as my piece on “Richness in spirit” will attest, but the point is that faith & believing will take you where you want to go; whether faith in yourself, love, a higher power, or whatever you choose. The faith, thoughts, & energy that you’re projecting into the universe will be responded to. There is no escaping it. You get what you put out.

When a major league pitcher faces a batter, he has faith that he’s going to strike him out. The hitter has faith that he’s going to crush the ball. If either falters in their faith, they lose the battle. A batter with no belief or trust that they’re going to hit the ball will strike out every single time. The same goes for the NBA star who sinks free throws automatically, with ease, during crunch time. The PGA tour pro who sinks putts effortlessly, and the olympic sprinter who comes out of the blocks with faith that they’re going to win the gold.

When you have faith, and intention, you are inviting the forces of the universe to collaborate with you. You’re opening yourself to a deeper intelligence, clarity & guidance. You’re infused with energy, ideas, and direction. When you lack faith, and are shrouded in doubt, fear, & uncertainty; you are inviting the forces of the universe to work against you. When Yoda says to “Use the Force”, this is what he’s referring to; having faith, & harnessing the Force.

Back to the topic of our connected web of vibrating energy. Our bodies are instruments of vibration. We are tuning forks, magnets, communicating with all that is around us. This is how we magnetize and attract people & circumstances into our lives. For those that are unfamiliar, this is why our chakras are important. It’s why sanskrit mantras produce specific vibrational frequencies. It’s why us wacky spiritual people may be heard producing the vibration of “Om”. It’s about attuning to the universe. I’ve learned through awareness & deep meditation that literally every thought that you have produces a sensation, a vibration in your body, and this is what is communicated to the universe whether you’re aware of it or not. It’s how I haven’t been sick for over 4 years: the positive messages my mind is communicating to my body. It’s why it’s not a good idea to judge others, and create that negative frequency internally.

Fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, uneasiness, uncertainty all produce constriction & disharmony within, closing you off from “The Force” and attracting, like a magnet, more negativity, loss & difficulty in your life. On the other hand, faith, trust, allowance, & harmony create expansion, and invite more of what you truly desire into your life. These attributes are a bridge which connects us to our source and opens the doors of infinite possibilities.

This is not to say that you will always achieve & acquire absolutely everything that you believe & desire. But, absolutely nothing is achieved without faith. There needs to be flexibility & adaptability with your faith. An openness to new ways & experiences, and to changing course midstream. For example, while younger you may put faith in your physical abilities, or your competitive nature. But as you grow older, you may find it more beneficial to have faith in your intuition, wisdom, & experience. Or one may shift from the personal will to the divine will.

You don’t have to know all of the secrets of the universe. You don’t actually have to know ANYTHING! You don’t have to be “right” with your beliefs, and defend them. You don’t have to be surrounded by large groups with the same beliefs. It’s just a matter of living with the energy of faith, the energy of the human spirit resonating from you. Perhaps most important is maintaining this level of faith when things aren’t going “our way”. Having faith in the face of adversity, when everything seems to be going completely wrong, is the ultimate challenge. This is when faith in spirit provides us the most tremendous benefits. Faith that all is happening in perfect divine order, as it should, for the highest good that we ultimately desire deep in our souls keeps us on track, and in tune with our big picture goals, purpose, and truest desire. Otherwise we could be swallowed up by the dark side of the force, and lost forever to pessimism, fear, doubt, bitterness, denial & blame.

Common Opportunities for Faith

Faith that there is light at the end of the tunnel: When we are in our darkest hours of despair, hopelessness, heartache & loss, it’s faith in the light at the end of the tunnel that brings us out of these situations. Without it, we would be swallowed in the darkness, and a lot of people do become consumed by it, and tragically some end their life. It’s our faith in the light that brings the light to us, brings change, provides the spark, and the breaks that we’ve been waiting for.

Faith that everything happens for a reason: This is a tricky one because it can cause delusion if taken too literally, and it also does require being open minded, a bit of letting go & surrendering our constrictive skepticism. However, when you allow yourself to be open minded to the idea that a higher intelligence is bringing situations & circumstances into your life for a reason, it gives the mind permission to start connecting the dots & signs, and to shed light on our life scenarios. Without this particular faith, we can become lost in delusion & confusion, finding no reason, purpose, or solace for life’s occurrences, leaving us devastated when things don’t go “our way”. On the other hand, in being open to this, answers will naturally come into our consciousness, and awareness & reveal themselves, and the pieces will start to fall into place. Once the mind collects sufficient evidence, the signs, synchronicity, and reasons behind our circumstances come clearly & easily. The blessings no longer appear disguised.

Some other examples of where to have faith would be in our chosen path, our marriage, in the people in our lives, and perhaps most importantly, in our selves.

Having “Rock Solid” Faith

The energy of faith, “the Force”, will move you in the direction that you truly want in your life. It is the wind in your sails that gets you there, and calls to the universe to collaborate with you. If you want your dreams to come true, your faith needs to be “rock solid”.

Look around you right now. Whatever you’re seeing in your experience is there because you believe it’s there. Are you seeing walls? trees? pictures hanging in a room? Because you see it, you know it to be real & true. You can reach out & touch it, & confirm it’s there. We have faith & conviction in our surroundings. When we walk on the ground, we know it’s solid, we know it’s a ground. We have trust & knowing that the ground will support our weight & will not collapse beneath us. We don’t doubt the existence of the ground. We don’t question if it’s going to support us.

This same faith & conviction can be applied to our daily lives & the outcomes that we desire. We are the architects of our future & our reality. Just as surely as we know that we have 10 fingers & toes, we can manifest that which we desire into our lives with the power of faith & intention. If you can conjure it in your mind, it can materialize in your experience. All that you see, touch, taste & hear around you is conjured in your mind. It’s easy to believe in a “rock solid” object in front of your very eyes, but what if you believed in future outcomes & results with just as much conviction?

If you have faith that you deserve to be loved, or that you’ll find a soulmate? That the job you’re looking for is already a done deal? That your work & efforts will pay off for you beyond a shadow of a doubt? Just as your belief in the objects before your eyes creates an experience of those objects, so does your believe in unseen events & outcomes. We can develop a faith that attracts exactly what we desire into our lives.

Experiences of Faith in my Life

I’d like to finish up by sharing some examples of how faith has shaped my life & experience. By far the most powerful experience of faith that I’ve had is faith in love, and it continues to not only be the very fabric at the core of my experience, but it continues to grow & expand. I just knew in my heart & had faith that I would find somebody that I could give all of my love to, who I would be excited to see every day, & would provide the same love in return. I never even dated in high school because I was too much of a chickenshit & afraid of rejection, but I always held this belief.

At the age of 18, in the most unexpected of ways, this true love was brought into my experience, when I wasn’t particularly looking for it. This isn’t your typical love story either. How we met is a whole other chapter in itself that I’ll share at another time. The number of obstacles, fears & judgement that we had to overcome was immense. It took great courage to follow that inner voice, follow our hearts, and what we knew was pure, true & sacred. She was 33, and I was 18. She was on the last straw of an empty, calloused marriage. Her two kids were 7 & 4, and bore the burden of an unhappy marriage. She had to be completely out of her mind to stake her life on some “kid” that lived 2,000 miles away. And this kid had to be completely out of his mind to move from Ohio to California to live his life with this woman.

Fifteen years later, and after 11 years of marriage, we’re completely out of our minds together, and inspiring many people to follow their hearts, and to believe in love, and soulmates. We’re really just getting started on our journey of living the life of our dreams, and inspiring others to do the same. We have an angelic beautiful bundle of joy daughter who is currently 9 years old, who turns heads and lights up rooms. She’s exactly as we envisioned her to be in every way.

Our story is one of a kind, and I look forward to sharing more, but this article is already pretty darn long!

Here is the video of our wedding should you care to see it: Burke & Shannon Coleman Wedding Ceremony

I have many stories of the power of faith in my life, with of course, my love story being the cornerstone. I suppose, in it’s right time, these stories will be shared individually. Here are a few more short examples:

- Walking out of a job I hated having nothing lined up but one interview the following day. Landing that interview, with exactly the pay I asked for (much higher than the original package), and being called back literally 5 minutes after I left the interview to be offered the job.

- Being in a sales job in a severely depressed market with a $10,000/mo profit quota, and the average order being about $500 to $1,000 profit. having no orders for the entire month, only to walk in on the final day of the month with over $10,000 of purchase orders waiting on the fax machine when I walked into the office.

- Moving into a new place to live with no job, and no significant income, not knowing how rent was going to be paid the 2nd month of being there. Finding the absolute perfect job within 48 hours of beginning my search, that literally met every parameter that I meditated on & asked the universe for. Exactly the hours, pay, freedom, I was looking for. An outside job where I logged my hours remotely and had nobody looking over my shoulder at the perfect time in my life when I wanted nothing more than to be outdoors & photograph our beautiful world. My camera never left my side. I was called within 10 minutes of emailing for the position, and offered the job over the phone in 3 minutes without being asked to meet in person.

- This story, when we were unexpectedly evicted for no fault of our own, and were provided literally all that was asked for overnight, and came to find out that there were even more, quite unexpected, blessings in disguise to be found from the experience: Synchronicity at it’s Finest

- Faith in following my passion, joy & bliss against all adversity & financial strain. This has evolved my writing, and photographic art. I am just entering the marketing phase of my artwork, so at the time of writing this I have no magical stories of financial abundance, but I assure you they are coming very soon. I believe the work speaks for itself Eye of Buddha Photographic Art

There are many more, but these are some of the more memorable stories off the top of my head. I trust & have faith that you will find this article & sharing of my journey to be worth the read, and that you will find more faith & magic in your own lives.

Namaste,

Burke “Buddha” Coleman

Because a friend is another spirit who speaks to and uplifts your spirit.  This is what happens when you connect with another on the same level, have the same tastes, opinions, style, even the same favorite sports team.  The part of you that wants to express itself, wants to be heard, and wants to connect makes these connections.  This is spirit working through us, weaving webs of connections in order to discover itself.  A friend is somebody who can lend an ear, and allow your spirit it’s self-expression, and to be recognized for what it is.  When you receive praise from friends for your talents, deeds, personality, etc. you’re receiving a recognition of your spirit, recognition of who you truly are.  Ultimately we’re all seeking to find out who we really are, and to be heard, seen, and recognized for this. What we all truly are is spirit.  This is why we seek the acceptance and the praise.  Our spirits are persistently looking to connect with other spirits, as the more we connect with other spirits, the more we awaken our own.  This is why sometimes when you meet a person there is an undeniable spark, and chemistry. The spark is spirit recognizing itself, and becoming alive as a result of the interaction.  You see this in another when their eyes light up & glow.  This is how you can meet a new friend, and suddenly be talking for hours upon hours sharing the same life experiences, and resonating with each other on many levels.

Although these social connections are ultimately spirit seeking spirit, and connecting with other spirits, there are massive layers of what I will term here: “conditioned human response” that operate the show.  This is an understatement.  Most are being led around by these automatic responses, without any recognition of spirit in others, seeing themselves as separate & conjuring up defenses in their mind as to how they’re superior to others.  To illustrate what I mean by this, let’s say that you make a determination, or a judgement if you will, towards another person, and you feel “I don’t like that person’s attitude”, or “I don’t like their opinions”, the way they dress, or any of the thousands of reasons our conditioned human response chooses to look down upon, close ourselves off from, or judge another person.  What exactly is it that you are not liking about this person?  Ultimately it’s their own human conditioning that your human conditioning has a problem with.  If you were to take any two individuals and completely strip them bare of ALL of the layers of conditioning and perspectives that have been attained over the year, you would find two spirits longing to connect to one another, without one reason to dislike or feel uncomfortable with each other.  They would recognize themselves in one another, with no barriers. Ask any person on this planet, including the most evil & corrupted souls in their most vulnerable state how they feel about love and acceptance.  It’s something that we all know, and crave, and strive for.  Because love is ultimately what we are.  Spirit is love, and we are all spirit.

Understanding Our Conditioning

The conditioned human response is like a fortress that gets built one brick at a time through our experiences from birth through adulthood.  When we are born, we are pure spirit.  We enter this world directly from the non-material world, directly from god.  As I state on a regular basis, babies are our best representation of god.  Pure spirit, full of joy, and love, and they know of nothing else.  Exactly why a baby’s smile is so touching, and we love them so much, because we are witnessing pure unadultered spirit, and our spirit connects with it.  As we construct our fortress, we put up walls & boundaries to keep others at bay.  We’re wounded, shameful, insecure, and broken. Our fortress is our way of protecting our wounded selves.  We pass judgement & condemnation on others because their fortress doesn’t agree with our fortress.  Because our fortress needs to full superior to another, or point out flaws in another to maintain an illusion of security.  But what’s behind the fortress always agrees.  What’s behind the fortress sees no need to argue or disagree.  What’s behind the fortress is pure spirit, and love.

When we come to realize that we are in fact spirit having a human experience, the fortress begins to crumble, and there is more room and opportunity to connect with other spirits.  You become filled with more self-love.  Others sense and feel your spirit, your “vibe” and are attracted to it.  So long as their fortress doesn’t find a reason to take issue with what’s left of yours.   Or as long as their fortress isn’t conditioned to reject spirit altogether.  You recognize that you were seeking others’ approval to feed the ego, while what you were ultimately longing for at your core, is to connect to other spirits.  When the ego dissipates, and you began operating from spirit, the fortress no longer is in effect.  So when someone doesn’t like you, or something about you, you do not take it personally. You simply recognize this as their fortress trying to attack you.  But spirit never feels attacked, only our fortress feels attacked.  The more you realize that you are spirit, the more the walls of your fotress disentegrate, the less personal you take these attacks.  Instead of being insulted, feeling the need to retaliate, you have peace of mind, and freedom from the conditioned human response.

What I’ve realized through my social interactions and connections is that I have fed myself on both levels.  On the human conditioned/fortress/egoic level, and on the spirit level, often times mistaking one for the other.  I’ve reached a point where there simply is no more need to connect with others on the egoic level, but only on the spirit level.  Sometimes it’s still fun to play around in the world of ego, as an impartial bystander, but there is no more need to feed that part of myself.  I only wish to feed my spirit, and grow & further evolve in spirit.  I’m shedding the old conditionings, the fortress, the old armor.  The social scene is truly a venue for this fortress to play and interact with other’s fortresses.  Periodically there is a spirit connection.  But as you fully recognize yourself as spirit and grow in this, you don’t need shallow social environments & “good times” to feed you any longer.  As spirit you are alive & full of energy & life without needing the recognition, praise, etc. from others.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s really nice to have, and it always provides a boost to your spirit when others recognize spirit.  And there are times that spirit is not so strong, and that another spirit can lift you back up and provide the spark that you need, but it’s not necessary to feed the spirit through this means.

Choosing To Go With The Flow

I went on an experiment basically into the social scene at 31 years old.  I had never really had much of a social life persay, being a family man from the age of 19, and generally isolating myself during my high school years.  Sure, I’ve always had a magnetic personality, and some level of self-confidence, but I had never had a social network of friends; only friends through work and various random encounters over the years.  Something deep in my soul compelled me to do this.  Despite my wife’s concerns, and fears about me being out and about and meeting lots of new people, especially the young attractive female variety, I was driven to do so.  Despite people’s perception of a married guy being out (more often than not) without his wife, I followed my intuition, went with the flow, and had faith in what I was guided to do.  This is an example of what I mean when I speak of going with the flow.

It’s all come full circle for me now after about a full year of being in the social scene.  I began to notice how people were drawn to me, and that there was just something about me that people were attracted to.  Having never had any desire to form a network of friends or be in the “scene” at all, this was a new experience.  I enjoyed going out and meeting new people, making lots of new connections, not to mention the synchronicity experienced.  People seemed magnetized to me, and my positive influence.  I thrived from the attention that I garnered, and in the beginning this really fed into my egoic self.

Eventually it all started to make sense to me why people were so drawn, and what my purpose was for doing this.  Why I was driven to do it to begin with.  Sure, Burke Coleman is an interesting guy.  I suppose I’m slightly better than average looking.  I consider myself charming, witty, funny, easy to get along with.  But what people were really attracted to was my spirit - whether they knew it or not. Spirit is very much alive in me, and others sense it and are attracted to it whether consciously or subconsciously.  The more connections I made, and the more people were drawn to me, the more I realized that this was why.  It was their spirits recognizing, and being drawn to my spirit.  Although there was plenty of attraction to the outer persona, the wittyness, charm, etc., ultimately spirit is what shone through, and I came to realize that all of my relationships have been built on this foundation.

To summarize, I don’t think I’m any more special than anybody else, but I will say that I do believe I have a very clear grasp on who I really am. I’ve discovered that who I AM is spirit; love.  By going with my flow, following my intuition, my inner guide, and doing what felt true & right at my core, I learned this about myself.  I did this in the face of fear, in the face of judgement, mis-perception, sometimes even persecution from others, and it has taught me to always trust this flow.  I also pushed my wife to face her deepest fears & insecurities, knowing in my heart, following my intuition, that this is what she needed as well.  As a result, she has transcended to higher levels of surpassing & leaving old fears behind.  We’re more in tune than we’ve ever been, and have been provided countless lessons about ourselves & the purpose of our marriage.  All of this, because I decided to go with the flow.

In your social interactions, if you’re able to recognize more spirit in others, and see through all of the layers of conditioning, the judgements, automatic responses, defenses, etc., others will begin to see more spirit in you.

Namaste,

Burke “Buddha” Coleman

Spirit is a Lost Treasure

Because material riches are tangible, seemingly attainable, and constantly thrown in our faces, they have become the entire focus of society. Every component & mechanism of our system is geared toward obtaining material riches.  We’re groomed to believe it’s the way to happiness. Richness in spirit, on the other hand, is rarely brought up as a topic of conversion, and has absolutely no emphasis in our education, or workplaces. What makes this all so difficult is the fact that our human nature craves & desires richness in spirit, while our senses, reality, and conditioning are bombarded & shaped with the material world. It becomes seemingly impossible to live a life of purpose, with richness in spirit, and still survive in the material world. As a result, many settle for a life of moderate material gain, and dismiss the idea of living a life rich in spirit, or go to a church on a regular basis to feel they’re getting the proper dose.

I spent the first 28 years or so of my life pursuing these material riches. Although I can’t say that I was ever “rich” in this sense, I always strived to achieve, and had some worthy accomplishments. Probably the best of which was supporting a family of five around the age of 24, and creating a lifestyle that allowed my wife to stay home & nurture our love child while I burdened the financial responsibilities. I’ve had paychecks as high as $25,000 – my wife still has a beautiful custom designed diamond ring that I paid $5,000 cash for, and we created the wedding of our dreams with $15,000 of our own money.

Like most Americans, my desires for material gain drove me to get caught up in the game of credit & borrowing. In other words, I enslaved myself. Played right into the hands of the elites who control the direction & reality of our society. For many years, money, debt, and ownership of property was my entire existence, and along the way, I completely lost touch with my spirit, and true nature. I was literally a slave, and on the deepest levels, my soul was crying out to me for freedom, and purpose.

Eventually I listened to, and honored the calling of my spirit, and my soul, which whispered: “follow your heart”.  This meant embracing & honoring my experience for exactly what it is.  Indulging my desires, following my impulses, and doing exactly what always felt right to my spirit & my soul, and never what I felt forced into.

Finding Freedom & Purpose

It’s been several years now that my focus has shifted from pursuing material riches, to fulfilling my spirit, and my internal world. There have been countless experiences on my path that have led me to a place of spiritual richness. I could spend days writing about these individual experiences, and eventually I may do so. But for the purpose of this article, to stay on point, I’ll sum it up in a few sentences. It’s been a process centered on evolution & creativity. A process of letting go, mostly of fears, going with the flow, cultivating deeper levels of self love. A process of having gratitude, faith & trust, of cherishing and appreciating the beauty of life, the blessings in disguise, from the simple to the magnificent. It’s de-conditioning, re-programming, meditating. A search for truth, beauty, love, and authenticity.

I can say now that I’m wealthy, that I’m rich, and it’s the only type of wealth that is true, and lasting. Material wealth is fleeting, dependent on others; employers, governments, external circumstances. It can be taken away at any moment, and depreciates over time. Spiritual wealth continues to grow, and blossom, and it’s rewards are greater over time. It’s a path of exploration, excitement, joy, enthusiasm, and inspiration. It’s waking up every day with gratitude, peace of mind, and excited to see what the day brings you. I used to wake up every day dreading the day, dreading my 9 to 5 job, fearful of losing it, stressed about achieving, how to climb the ladder, and play the corporate political game. Now, I wake up practically every day like a second grader on recess. This is extra fun when you have an 8 year old who thinks it’s always recess time.

I’m far from wealthy in the material sense. Matter of fact I’ve completely released all attachments to these status symbols. We live incredibly modestly, with little desire for material gain.  I joyfully flip a big fat middle finger at our credit industry.  My way of living has been completely de-constructed, and is being re-built from the ground up the way I want, with a foundation of richness in spirit. I’ve had to completely drop & dissolve the desire for material richness in order to fully expand into the spiritual riches awaiting me. Socrates sums this one up well: “He is richest, who is content with the least.”.  This has also been my experience.

I used to dread working, because it was for the wrong reasons. Now, when I work, it’s no longer a matter of working just to pay the bills, to survive, or to attain “things”. It’s a matter of working towards fulfilling our dreams & visions, with a purpose.  Working towards a life of truly never having to feel like you’re working a day in your life.  A life where daily you’re filled with peace of mind, inspiration, and abundance, regardless of outside circumstances.

Richness in spirit provides a life of freedom.  Freedom from the bondage of the material world.  Experience has shown me that we are the creators of our world, and with deepening faith & richness in spirit, you’re free to create the life you’ve always wanted, the way you want it. When you develop trust in the universe, you see no obstacles, experience no fear, but simply see all of it as opportunity, and blessings, knowing that each step is one step closer to fulfilling your ultimate purpose.

To Summarize, Follow Your Heart

My intuition tells me that one cannot achieve any level of real, true, or lasting wealth by pursuing the wealth of the material world. When these types of riches are the primary focus, one loses touch with their spiritual nature, and must sacrifice, on the deepest levels, who we truly are.  Each of our greatest prophets spoke of having no attachments to the material, Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi, and more.  On the other hand, when one dissolves, and drops the attachments to the material, you can not only be filled with the deep, everlasting treasures of spirit, but you can use these treasures as the foundation to build a life of fulfilling your dreams, including an abundance of external wealth to accompany the internal. A person who is rich in spirit, and obtains material wealth, naturally will want to spread & share this wealth with as many others as possible. Perhaps I just declared the answer to the world’s problems? or perhaps I just summed up what’s wrong with the right winged, conservative, elitist, anti-socialism attitude in our country?

In summary, I suppose you could say I’m on a pilgrimage to pursue & create this very reality that I’m speaking of. So far the universe has cooperated every step of the way, always provided exactly what’s needed at the right times, and always clearly showing the signs that we are not alone, on the right path, and leading the way with synchronicity. All of this started because I simply decided to listen to that inner voice, at all times, above all else.  What is your inner voice asking of you?

Namaste,

Burke “Buddha” Coleman

Reflecting on this conversation, some inspirational words have come my way, and I came to a startling realization: that I’m no longer in love with my soulmate.  Feelings have changed, actions have changed, reactions have changed.  Hold on.  Before you overreact to that statement, allow me to clarify.  I’m no longer IN LOVE, because I AM LOVE with my soul’s partner.

The ultimate realization, and purpose, in a deep soulful partnership, is to realize we are pure beings, pure love at our core.  That we are spiritual beings having a human experience, and that ultimately, we are the same spirit, discovering itself through each other.  Love is what we truly are, and it’s what we’re here to experience.  In realizing this, as we’re challenged to deepen our love, we’re presented with the opportunity to increasingly embody the spirit of love, and shift from being “in love”, to being love itself.

Sure, it’s easy, and it’s smooth sailing when you’re “in love”.  But at some point that euphoria passes, no matter how fateful or divinely inspired the relationship is.  What you’re left with when the feelings of being in love fade, is a flawed human being, who wants what every human soul in existence craves: to be whole, fulfilled, healed, to experience happiness, peace of mind, inspiration, and to be LOVED, completely & unconditionally.

The reality is that every one of us human beings is flawed, broken, and in need of healing.  Nobody is perfect, and this world sure is far from perfect.  Being human is a hell of a burden.  We fall in love because we see the light in another, and they recognize the light in us.  Light attracts light, and this light is spirit.  We see pure illuminated beauty, potential, radiance, the pinnacle of what we are as human beings.  We fall in love with all of these wonderful & beautiful aspects.  For the luckiest among us, these euphoric feelings of loving every little thing about our partner, of feeling that they can do no wrong lasts for years.

I lost track of how many years it was before we actually gave each other our first dirty look, were snippy, short, or inconsiderate with our speech.  It was literally years of bliss, sweetness, and tenderness.  This is no exaggeration.  At times people were disgusted with our PDA

Eventually it fades.  As human beings, inevitably, all of our darkest & deepest aspects will bubble to the surface.  When you’re in a deeply committed relationship, peeling layers & revealing deeper aspects of yourselves, it not only accelerates this surfacing, but puts them on a collision course.  And added to the mix, we have the challenges & demands of life & society, such as finances, and having to work to survive, that are forced upon us, tug at us, and pull each other further away.  It’s not a coincidence that the majority of marriages & relationships fail.

I’ll go as far as to say that it’s due to intelligent design that all relationships unfold in this precise & calculated manner.  But why is it designed this way? How is love ultimately about our spirituality?

It’s simple.  We’re pushed to grow and expand, and deepen our love.  To become love.  To become spirit. We’re asked to evolve, to experience more of our divinity. We all have undesirable traits, habits, conditioning, pain, sorrow, demons, and skeletons in our closets. It’s human nature. When we’re in love, these parts of ourselves are either overlooked by the other, or not at the surface. When they do begin surfacing in a relationship, this is when the true test begins, and where most partnerships or marriages will fail.

We’re not exactly able to be “in love” with another’s flaws, with their pain.  This is where we are tested to BE LOVE. What does it mean to be love? Being love means to be allowing. It means to be patient, accepting, open minded. Being love means having awareness, mindfulness, understanding, compassion, humility. It means recognizing that you are one heart, one spirit, discovering itself through each other. Being love means honoring, and having gratitude that you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to experience the highest states of bliss & ecstasy available in the human experience, with another soul, another spirit.

Above all else, it’s providing the opportunity, and allowing the space for your partner to grow & blossom into their highest potential. This is what true love is. True love is being able to see your partner for who they truly are. You’re able to see them for what we all truly are, which is love. You’re able to recognize & set aside your own personal limitations, your judgements & condemnations, and open up for them, allowing them to be who they are at their absolute darkest, and their absolute brightest. Being love means having the courage to grow with your partner, and to recognize the gifts, the blessings, and opportunities in the yin & yang, the dance of shadow & light.

True love is allowing them to be imperfect, to repeat the same destructive patterns, to fail, to be human, to experience what their soul needs to experience. In being love, you allow the space for the conditioned, personalized aspects of the self to play themselves out, and to eventually fade & dissolve. As the layers of our conditioning are peeled, our true spirit, the spirit of love begins to shine through. It doesn’t mean being perfect, but it does require a commitment, a sense of purpose, and having faith & trust in the process of love.

A commitment to growth, a commitment to honoring the sacred gift of love. A commitment to helping each other heal, and to co-pilot this journey of experiencing our highest & deepest states of bliss & fulfillment.

Namaste,

Burke “Buddha” Coleman

It seems I’ve settled on the writing/blogging aspect. So with that being said I was thinking about new year’s day a bit. Specifically what it used to mean for me, and what it is today.

What Happiness on New Year’s used to be.

In the past, New Year’s Day was strictly a day of College Football, and mindless over-indulgence. I am a reformed college football NUT. I can’t count how many years the entire day was dedicated to plopping my ass on my couch, drinking as many beers as my system could handle, and getting lost in the euphoria & excitement of an entire day full of intense games with crowds of 50k-100k people going nuts. Not to mention the anticipation of the later games in the evening, as they always saved the best for last. No doubt that football gets more exciting, the more alcohol you have in your system. I also had my lovely wife spoiling me all day with TLC and an assortment of sinful appetizers and treats for my taste buds.

Happiness – what it looked like

Well here I am today, and the TV has not been turned on. The likelihood of it being turned on at any point today is as likely as the teeth suddenly & inexplicably falling out of my mouth. Matter of fact, I couldn’t tell you who the #1 team is, or who is playing in what bowl. I couldn’t tell you who won the heisman trophy or is in the race for it. I couldn’t tell you anything about this cfb season. The only fact I know is that Michigan finally beat Ohio State for the first time in 6-7?! years. I caught a glimpse of this through facebook from my sister-in-law, as my brother is a diehard Michigan traitor, ahem, I mean fan. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known. I wouldn’t have even known what day the game was on.

So what’s changed? Undoubtedly something in me has changed. I’m a different person, on a different path & wavelength of consciousness than I was at that time.

What prompted this shift? 

The answer is corporations, and more importantly, PROFIT. Huh?! What do corporations have to do with New Year’s Day and college football? Well, everything, really. It all started to change for me when the corporations came in and completely ruined what used to be a sport full of spirit and tradition.

I have vivid, and pleasurable memories as a kid watching spirited battles, kids fighting for pride, honor, and glory in bowl games with super cool ass names that had purpose. The peach bowl, cotton bowl, orange bowl, rose bowl, sugar bowl, gator bowl, fiesta bowl, holiday bowl, and the list goes on. Let’s take the peach bowl for example. It’s called the peach bowl because it’s played in Georgia, the peach state. Started in 1968, and was the peach bowl for 30 years. In 1998, it became the chik-fil-a peach bowl. In 2006 Chik-fil-a paid $22 million dollars for naming rights, and stripped the term peach from the title. Now it’s just the chik-fil-a bowl. Seriously, the fucking chik-fil-a bowl?

It’s been stripped of any nostalgia, or any meaning it once had, in the name of consumerism and profit. I wonder how many families that $22 million would feed, or how many kids lives would be saved in third world countries. And I’m only talking about a buyout in one measly bowl game, in one measly sector of American industry. A drop in the ocean of the money that’s wasted in this society on things other than making this world a better place.

But I’m getting a bit off track. I went on a bit of a serious rant there. Let’s lighten it up a bit with some of the utterly ridiculous corporate sponsored names of bowl games for this year. I’ll try keep the list short, there’s too many to name, and they’re all completely absurd! .. Champs Sports Bowl, Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl (who here knows what the hell beef o’ brady is?), Maaco Bowl, GoDaddy.com Bowl, Ticketcity Bowl, and my personal favorite: The Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl. But wait, there is a glimmer of hope here, as the bowl bought out by Kraft is titled the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Hey, at least they tacked on an important social message that everybody will ignore.

Back to the main illustration of this writing. When corporations began taking over bowl games, it was unsettling to me. It just didn’t feel right. It felt like something was being taken away, being robbed from us in the name of greed. To say the least, it watered down the purpose & excitement of college football. The more I thought about the corporate influence on the game, the less interested I became. There are many other factors & reasons at work that have contributed to this shift, but witnessing it turn from a game of passion & tradition, into a corporate profit machine is the main factor.

With that being said, it ties into the bigger picture of how greed, profit, and corporations have undermined the spirit of our human nature, and stripped much of the purpose from our lives. Personally, I view sports in an entirely different way than I used to, and in saying that, I’m only scratching on the surface of how I feel about it’s overall role in our society. In a nutshell, I’ll just say that I see it now as a distraction from what I find to be truly important in this life.

Inspiration Replaces Indulgence

Inspiration

So here I am, no longer distracted, or feeding into a system that aims to keep us that way. I’m thoroughly enjoying a new year’s day filled with happiness, relaxation, peace of mind, inspiration, love & joy. Reflecting on who I am, what I used to be, or thought I was. I’m inspired to share my writings, art, and pieces of my journey with others. This year symbolizes a year of transformation, and growth, as I believe it does for all of us, whether consciously or unconsciously.

I don’t regret, or have any negative emotions attached to the person that I previously was on New Year’s Day. Just complete gratitude to be where I am, having experienced what I have, continually awakening to different aspects of our reality & consciousness, and sharing with the hope that somebody, on some level, is effected in a positive way.

Namaste,

Burke “Buddha” Coleman

The winner is all of us: the human species.  Every piece of our universe, particularly us human beings, is a creation, evolution, expression, and manifestation of the divine.  In my humble estimation, as well as wisdom of the sages passed down through millenia, each and every one of us is an extension of the divine. As there is no way to possibly be separate from that which gave us life.  The entire universe is an infinite chain, a web, of connectedness, and we’re all a part of this web.  Whenever it was, however it was, whatever it was that put us here, and allowed life to come into existence on this amazing planet, provided us with the gift of consciousness.  We are indeed connected to, and a part of this magnificent force.  Connected to this divine source, and connected to each other. Fruits, blossoming from the same divine tree.

Creation vs. Evolution

If you’re looking for a theological debate, you’ve come to the wrong place.  My intention rather, is to bridge that gap, and help us all realize our inherent divinity, and purpose through inspirational words.  Debating over how or why we’re here is a distraction of the mind, which truthfully moves us further away from actually realizing these answers through our own experiences.

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  The very first line of our world’s most widely read & accepted holy book shows us that creation is a divine act of god.  Pausing for just a moment to contemplate the beauty, complexity, and intelligence on the planet, and within our own bodies, shows us that evolution is a divine act of god.

Considering that we are all divine beings, it’s quite natural for us to create, and to evolve ourselves.  It’s human nature, our intelligent design.  If one was never to find a true meaning, or a true purpose in this life, one could rest a little easier knowing that through our own creations, and evolutions, we are at least carrying out divine will on some level.

CREATION IS ALL AROUND US

The simplest, and best example are children.  Always the best source to look to when contemplating our divinity.  So full of joy, and creativity.  It flows so naturally from children, as they are in a more connected, and pure state of being, more aligned with our true nature.  Unfettered from the restraints that are put upon us, and that we later put upon ourselves.

Creation is also abundant in our adult lives in so many forms: through art, music, media, entertainment.  Why is it that we marvel at such amazingly creative souls who bring us beautiful art, music, cinematography?  We can all appreciate these things, right?  Because again, this is our nature, our divine nature.  We see this all around, see others performing miracles of creation, and we are in awe.  Why are we so naturally drawn to this?  Because on a sub-conscious level we know where it is coming from, and we all long for & desire to align with, and tap into this creative, divine energy.

EVOLUTION IS ALL AROUND US

The easiest example here is to simply look at nature, and the animal kingdom.  Not much needs to be said about our incredible innate ability as a planet, and as a species to continually evolve.  Animals who have adapted in miraculous ways, camoflagued, armed with natural defense systems.  Gills for marine life to breathe underwater, lungs for humans to process oxygen, etc.

This of course, can also be seen very clearly in children.  Our inclination, and human nature from birth is to explore, learn, grow, be in amazement, and wonderment with all around us.  Yet this divine aspect is victim to the same restrictions, and confinements as creativity.  Somewhere along the way, for the vast majority of us, this too becomes stifled.

Just as with creation, there is an abundance of evolution in our adult lives as well.  Our desire to become smarter, stronger, faster, better.  Olympians are continually pushing the bar, breaking record after record.  Technology, science, medicine, continually pushing forward, and evolving.  We can’t all be olympians, or scientists, but we are embedded with this natural divine desire.  A crucial aspect to our intelligent design.  We go to college, to the gym, practice our crafts, pay to see motivational speakers, because on a sub-conscious level we’re all looking to carry out that which naturally is intended to occur within us.

Finding Purpose: What does this mean for us?

Purpose

So much that we do can be considered an act of creation, or evolution.  Because we’re not breaking records, or amazing huge audiences, doesn’t mean that we aren’t all divine, and capable of these divine acts.  What robs us of the joy, and meaningfulness behind that which we do create, and the evolutions that we carry out, is the fact that our minds are programmed to compare us to everyone else.  In a word: competition.  We believe we’re simply not good enough because we’re not creating as much, or evolving as much as the next person.  Conditioned to strive to be better than others, and when we feel that we’re not measuring up, we enter a slippery slope.  A nightmarish world of self-doubt, self-loathing, and just not feeling good enough.  We’re robbed of the joy which comes with these simple acts of just being, and doing what comes natural to us.

As the brilliant spiritual guru Adyashanti pointed out in a talk, something which profoundly effected me, and I’m paraphrasing: “Does an oak tree look to the tree next to it, and sabotage itself by thinking, ‘gee, that tree produced more oaks than I did this year’, or does a rose look to the rose next to it, and say, ‘wow, that rose blossomed sooner than me, and is a little bigger, i must be worthless’?”.  No, not at all, they simply exist, and carry out the beautifully divine blueprint of being an oak tree, and a rose.

You can create a smile, or a good feeling for another person.  You can create a happy memory, a fun time with friends.  You can create a feeling of security, and warmth by being there for another.  You can create trust among friends, and family through your actions.  Peace of mind for yourself, or others. Virtually everything that we do, is in some form, an act of creation.   In the simplest ways, we’re always creating.  If we can see these simple acts of creation for what they are, and realize that we are carrying out our divine blueprint in doing so, we can begin to open ourselves up to the bigger & more profound creations that we’re all truly capable of.

You can evolve by looking in the mirror, and practicing self love, thinking loving thoughts about yourself.  You can evolve by practicing more mindfulness, being a bit more aware of your words, and your actions, and how they effect others.  You can evolve by choosing a new, better way to handle a situation, that is more in accordance with love and harmony.  You can evolve by slowing down, and breathing, and appreciating the fact that you’re alive in that very moment, when stressed or challenged.  You can evolve by showing a bit more gratitude, and apprecation for the simple beauties in this life.  You can choose to go with the flow of life, instead of resisting & creating more turmoil.  Through these subtle and simple acts of evolution, much like our simple acts of creating, we can open ourselves up to more profound types of evolutions of concsciousness, and spirit.

In other words, by recognizing our inherent divinity, and how these simple acts of creation & evolution align with our divine purpose, we’re able to move closer to a personal experience of, and union with our divinity.  Once open to this reality, our spirituality takes hold.  The connection will naturally deepen, and as a result, the creations and evolutions become proportionately more profound.  If you’ve read this far, I invite you to make a conscious effort to tap into these inherently divine aspects of our human nature.  Become more aware of the subtle creations & evolutions.  Start simple, with gratitude or kind words, for example.  Realize that these aspects are a key component to our divine purpose, and begin focusing on what we truly are, instead of what we aren’t.  Eventually, you may find yourself amazed at what you’re able to create and evolve into.

Namaste,
Burke “Buddha” Coleman

This is not about creationism, or how we got here, but intelligent design.  When using this term, I’m referring to the vast, infinite, undeniable divine intelligence which exists on Earth, and within our human forms.  A little communion with nature, or even a documentary makes the abundance of this intelligence crystal clear.

Gaia by the incredible Alex Grey

Nature operates in absolute perfect order.  Every piece of the puzzle knows exactly what is needed to survive.  Millions of species, surviving off of each other.  Trees know how to grow.  Equipped with an amazingly complex roots system, that absorb & store water & nutrients.  Flowers bloom naturally, with no effort whatsoever.  Embedded with the intelligent design needed to bloom from only water & sunlight.  Fully blossoming into their highest intended form, incredibly magnificent & beautiful.

One of my favorite quotes by the Buddha: “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change”.  The incredible variety, and endless beauty they provide us inspires awe.  Their blossoming happens effortlessly, every time.  There is so much beauty, and intelligence around us, if we just pause and take a look.    Bees pollinate flowers to keep them surviving.  With brains the size of a pinhead, they intuitively perform this job.   I could point to 1,000 examples to prove this point about nature.  Need I continue?

Let’s contemplate our human brains, and body.  The circuitry, incredible design & functions of the human body, mind & nervous systems.  The brain is estimated to have over 100 billion neurons.  Hearts beat effortlessly, lungs processing the oxygen you need.  Organs functioning exactly as intended, sustaining life.  Wounds healing quickly & naturally with no effort on our part.

Alex Grey Chakra Painting

We naturally trust this intelligent design that sustains our life.  Going to sleep at night, knowing that our divinely designed human bodies will continue to function, and we will wake up the next day.  How much time is spent considering this, showing gratitude for the miracle of our existence?  Not only is it taken for granted, but we even curse it at times when life doesn’t go “our way”!

Allow me to ask this?  When contemplating these miracles, and the pure intelligence woven into every cell & every atom in the universe, how could one ever possibly doubt that any given experience that’s happening, isn’t happening based on this intelligent design?  In other words, why do we not trust that the universe is providing us exactly whats needed, in all moments, so that we may grow & blossom to our fullest, highest, self expression of humanity, which we could describe as LOVE, pure spirit, or perhaps transcendent consciousness.

Universal Intention wants this for flowers, and provides what’s needed: they blossom. The trees grow magnificently upwards, and birds sing their beautiful songs.  Why would god not want this for us humans?  Being the most complex & highly evolved form of intelligence on Earth, why would the universe not want us all to experience our highest self expression, purpose, and highest potential?

The Heart takes a Backseat to the Mind

The only thing separating us from the rest of existence, and the perfect operating order of nature, is our human minds.  The mind wants to control every outcome, and re-shape reality to fit into it’s will.  The immense power of our minds actually works against us, by questioning, dividing, and attempting to formulate it’s desired outcome.

When anything happens that goes against the mind’s desires, there is turmoil, resistence, dis-ease.  Society, and the current state of humanity shapes us to pursue the desires of the mind: money, fame, possessions, security, career, power, control, domination, achievement, success.  We sacrifice our spirituality in pursuit of these illusory keys to happiness, because it’s all we know, and it’s what we’ve been conditioned into.

When stressed about being 5 mins late somewhere, when fretting over a stain on our carpet, a rainy day ruining our perfect plans, somebody else’s crappy attitude, or hell bent on revenge, where is this turmoil coming from?

From the mind of course.  We’re literally prisoners of our own minds.  Although, it’s not something that can magically happen overnight, a simple path towards more happiness and fulfillment is to make a conscious effort to operate more from the heart. When practiced, you’ll begin to recognize the layers of conditioning in the mind; how we automatically attach to negative thoughts about a situation, or about others, that brings pain & suffering upon ourselves.

The heart on the other hand, emanates love, compassion, forgiveness, and understanding. By connecting with the heart, you attune to these qualities. More often than not, for the vast majority, and for some of us, always; the mind overshadows the heart, dominating our actions & reactions. But when you slow down, and really take time to feel from the heart, and see a situation from the heart’s perspective, you begin to notice the polarities between the mind’s desires, and the heart’s desires. The more you become aware, the easier & more natural the choice becomes to listen to your heart.

Follow Your Heart, Let Love Lead the Way

The heart doesn’t worry about these trivial matters.  Your heart only feels pain & is broken when it realizes it’s not discovering itself, or we’re not living from the heart.  Feeling sad or “heartbroken” is our heart calling to us, to follow your heart.  It’s our innate human nature & desire to connect with the ultimate, that resides within each and every one us, that tugs at the heart.

The heart knows but one thing, which is LOVE, and that is all the heart desires.  Why is it that every human being in existence shares this craving?  Why are we all looking for love?  It’s human nature.  Everybody wants to love, and be loved.  Simple.   Because your heart is the vessel, which communicates with our divine source.  It’s our intelligent design: the universe’s intention.  Through love, and through the heart, we can truly get to know ourselves, and to know “god”, our divinity, in it’s purest form.

We simply can’t achieve this with the mind.  None of the desires of the mind are natural.  Precisely why we are all so unhappy, because we are chasing desires of the mind, and it goes against our nature.   Our hearts desire to love other human beings in order to experience god, and divinity through them.  That’s why our spirits attract to one another.  We were given the gift of love, and the opportunity to experience it, so that we can begin to experience what was intended for us. This is the very reason why love exists, and why every single human being on this planet has an intense innate desire to experience it. When you unravel all of the layers, the conditioning, and the perceptions, at the core of everything is Love. It’s what we are.

Love is pure, and love wants to experience itself.  Love is what created us.   Love truly is the answer, and love is the way to understanding the miracle of our existence.   Even when two spirits, or hearts are attracted to each other, the mind typically finds a way to tear it apart. Only those who are truly connected through the heart can survive the mind’s assault.   This is because they are connected in spirit, the purest connection available to us as humans.

Follow Your Heart

Listen to your heart, to your spirit.  Follow your heart.   Allow this part of you that was intended, and designed to reach it’s highest expression of itself, to blossom.

If you can learn to trust this intelligence that allowed us humans to evolve into the magnificent beings that we are; if you’re able to tap into, become one with it, allow it to flow into, and through you, then you will have the opportunity to blossom into the most beautiful, joyous, transparent, highest expression of the human spirit.

Remember, the universe wants your spirit to blossom, and to grow, providing exactly what you need, always, in every moment to move towards this, whether we see it or not.  The next time something doesn’t go your way, remember this.   Didn’t get the job promotion?  Your love interest isn’t acting according to your hopes & expectations?  There is an incredibly vast divine intelligence at work at all times, and when people say that everything happens for a reason, it’s this intelligent design that’s being referred to.  I’m not speaking of blind faith, but rather of experiencing and living it.   God wants us to know what we truly are.   When one begins to follow your heart, live in gratitude, and look for the blessings in disguise in all things, the blessings become more apparent, and frequent.  The disguise itself melts away.

But the mind, due to millenia of conditioning, shaped by greed, power, brutality, division, and competition, has other plans. The mind wants to fight & resist what’s occuring naturally around us, and this is where our pain comes from.    Not only do we experience physical & emotional pain in both the mind and the body, but we create more boundaries, and obstacles by blocking the natural flow that was intended for us.  Put simply: GO with the FLOW

Live from the heart, and allow life to flow, and you will truly experience life, as intended, by our divine intelligence.

Namaste,
Burke “Buddha” Coleman

Thank you sincerely for stopping by.  Development of the site is in the early stages, and the purpose of this article is to outline the intention of BigBeautifulBuddha.com.

Although in the infant stages, the intention has been set, and is very clear!

If you’re taking the time to read this, I appreciate you, and your willingness to be open minded to my inspirational words.  Ultimately, if given the chance, I’d like to think you may be able to open your heart as well, and help spread the love. After all, the heart is what bridges us individually, and collectively.

I’ve always been a man with a lot of passion, and I’m not afraid to admit that often times it was misdirected. One passion that has remained as a constant, however, through the obstacles, distractions, and temptations of life, is that of LOVE. The very object, state, concept that we all naturally desire. Love truly is the answer, and ultimately what has propelled this site into existence.

The last several years have been quite transformational on many levels: internally, externally, spiritually, and on many more sub-levels within each.  An intention was set to grow, and cultivate more of what was truly wanted out of life.  Mainly in the areas of spirituality, consciousness, mindfulness, peace of mind, compassion, personal freedom, and self-love.

Through this transformational period, a new passion, joy, and excitement for life has spawned. I can honestly say that I love my life, and the intention is to share this love through inspirational stories, and inspirational words.

Go with the flow

An important component of this transformation has been honoring my innate desire to “go with the flow”.  The flow being that which moves, inspires, and guides us. Learning to deeply trust, attune to, and go with the flow is exactly what has brought this site into existence.  My ultimate hope, purpose, & intention of this creation is to effect others positively, on one level or another, no matter how profound, or how subtle.  Deeply moving experiences, insights, synchronicity, and intuition have directed me to this, and I’m grateful for this direction.

The site is in it’s very infant stages.  But please rest assured that as inspiration continues to flow through, you will find many evolutions in design & content.  I will be updating as often as inspiration allows, which I have a feeling will be quite often.  This is precisely what is referred to when stating that the intention is to go with the flow.  Doing so has served me very well, and brought me to this point, why stop now?  At times, I’m sure I’ll be cranking out lots of new inspirational stories.   There may also be some lulls along the way, as the flow guides me in other directions.

You’ll find a wide range of topics likely to include, but not limited to: love, true love, marriage, soulmates, parenting, communication, spirituality, follow your heart, society, fame, success, intelligent design, compassion, consciousness, unity, art, music, peace of mind, divinity, synchronicity, maybe even some politics (yikes!).

Please bare in mind that while the design is simple, and the content is minimal, at the time of this writing, there are plenty of articles, as well as design changes to come!!  My hope is that there will be a little something that everybody can benefit from.

Meanwhile feel free to check me out on facebook: Burke Budha Coleman where I’m constantly sharing, on a more personal, daily level, my experiences of love, life, family, and distinct observations & musings, for better or worse.  Please subscribe so that you can be notified of new content, check back often, or get in touch through facebook., and you’ll one day say that you knew this crazy, oversized, quasi hippy who is known as Buddha, before the rest of the world caught on.