Read time 5 minutes. Abundance is a stand alone article in our Blocked Energy series.
Some weeks press harder than others. Noise in the world multiplies, and our minds run with it. Today let’s expand the meaning and definition of blocked energy. There is something we often overlook, though it never stops offering itself: abundance.
Life, meaning, and abundance
A big-picture question,: What is the definition of life? More specifically, what is the definition of your life? Is it your job? Your possessions? Your politics? Your family and loved ones?
Those things shape our days, of course. But I’m not asking what gives life meaning. I’m asking about the qualities of life itself.
Imagine asking a plant to define life. It wouldn’t mention jobs, possessions, or ideologies. A talking plant with political views? Hardly. If honest, it would point to the ecosystem that sustains it—sun, water, soil. Nourishment, not narrative.
Ego: Little world, little me
In one sense, we are less fortunate than our foliaged little friends, because we’ve been given the blessing and the curse of thought. As I noted when discussing the Zen ego: we spend disproportionate time trying to satisfy the ego’s imagined needs, often giving less to what actually sustains existence.
In the information age, the ego grows even more ambitious. We extend our worry far beyond our own ecosystem, scanning the state of the world. We believe all this input benefits us. But is it really useful if our own backyard is untended?
We spend energy on what we cannot control, while paying lip service to the abundance already here. Meanwhile, the things that can truly transform us receive only passing attention.
If you go looking for disturbance
Does this mean we should bury our heads in the sand and avoid discomfort? No. Recall our lesson on mindful listening: we practice allowing disturbances to pass through us, not seeking them out. Life supplies enough practice without us scavenging for more.
Yet often we do just that. We chase down arguments, scroll through outrage, feed the loop of “what are they saying now?” The ego thrives on disturbance. It feels alive when angry or offended, and so it justifies itself by multiplying grievances.
If you want peace, deserve it
We’ve said it many times: if you want peace, you must be willing to choose it. You must be willing to place it above preferences and grievances. When things look bleak, the temptation is to wander outward—to check what everyone else is saying and doing. But does that ever bring ease? More likely it confirms unrest.
It’s time to try something different. Begin by recognizing, appreciating, and even basking in abundance first.
This doesn’t mean ignoring life. But if you always look outward, where do you stop? The nation? The world? The cosmos? The universe is vast beyond comprehension. Trying to make sense of it all is futile, and attempting to do so only fuels despair.
The abundance of Tao
Beneath all our experiences lies something deeper: Tao. Not belief, but source. Unbiased, undisturbed by opinions, lacking nothing. Tao is abundance without limit. It is the first cause of everything we encounter—including meaning itself.
“Abundance is present in the moment, yet we must see with a mind clear of delusion to recognize it.”
—Zen master Dōgen
What are the politics of abundance? There are none. The sun shines on everyone. Rain falls for all. An ecosystem offers what life requires. Yes, there are hardships, but even those often serve other forms of life. Balance holds it all.
Does the plant accept those hardships? Not exactly. More simply, it exists alongside them—without prejudice or preference—and continues to grow.
Abundance is life
So again: what is the definition of life?
In Ted Lasso, Dani Rojas declares, “Fútbol is life.” Football is joy and challenge, ups and downs, but his energy returns quickly, undiminished. Dani is fictional, but the point carries.
Likewise, you are not a talking plant. But it is worth remembering: you are not your anger, grievance, or hurt either. You are the awareness in which those things appear.
Take a moment to stop identifying as them. Allow yourself to rest in awareness instead. Immerse, even briefly, in the unconditional abundance of Tao. Feel what it is like, if only for a passing second, to lay down illusions of control and despair.
Take that moment to become life itself.
Explore more:
Remember, there is a difference between acceptance and resignation. Resignation is only the ego’s version of a pretend acceptance. Genuine acceptance will open the door for true change and transformation.
Consider these words from this article on Mindful Purpose: “So ‘accepting what is’ is not about passivity at all. It’s about clear seeing, and the ‘wisdom to know the difference.’ Paradoxically, it’s when we take responsibility for our own failings and difficulties, or those of the world around us, that the real process of change can begin to take place.” If we are going to have any chance of affecting real change, either in our personal lives or in the world around us, we must come from a place of acceptance, love and an understanding of unity.
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