Brightest Blessings

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The notion of “brightest blessings” is an age-old aspect of the traditions that I teach, coach and humbly endeavor to follow, e.g., Ming Chia (the Bright Beautiful School of Thought, a facet of the broader Tao-Chan, better known as Zen).

It is common to wish “brightest blessings” to others, much like wishing someone good tidings or a good day. It is meant to be a serious wishing of the most splendid of blessings, in a genuinely heartfelt fashion.

On a deeper level in that tradition, the notion of bright or brightest blessings can go further in its appreciation, outlook and application. The truly brightest of blessings are consistent with our deepest true appreciation of blessings, blessings which are manifest in measure beyond what we so often appreciate or choose to wrap our heads around. The notion is that such true appreciation is consistent with one’s truest joyful nature. This so genuinely healthful outlook may lead you to sweet and innocent, mindful, meditative, sparkling, spine-tingling/shivering levels of appreciation — healthful beyond what words can describe. Such can only be witnessed, not figured or construed in thought.

Allowing yourself such a level of true appreciation is likely to be among the most difficult of things in life — learning to better appreciate the boundless blessings in our lives. This is where the notion comes even more specifically into focus: That which is genuinely witnessed as a blessing — really truly appreciated, and not just for a fleeting moment — is in a deeper sense a bright or brightest blessing.

Such a level of true appreciation makes it easier to connect our appreciation to more of the boundless blessings in our lives. In this tradition, it is viewed as a true responsibility, a facet of the broader notion of true health and our responsibility of making the world a better place. It is true health through true responsibility.

In our daily lives we are often so hurried, harried, and distracted that it is quite normal to take things for granted and not appreciate the blessings in our lives. It isn’t even socially or culturally normal to be very aware of the notion, the truth of being so blessed, or to take the time to appreciate said blessings. It can be quite difficult to even seriously consider.

Things like the air that we breathe or the natural world that makes life even possible may not even seem like blessings, being that these things — and such blessings in our lives go on and on and on….

It is quite a simple matter to get lost in our priorities, even what are often unhealthful and misguided priorities. We live as if we know a lot, when in fact, we are living lives that aren’t full of significant appreciation. On many levels, it is a lie. What could be more important than feeling deep and abiding appreciation for the most fundamental of blessings…even life itself. It is SO easy, yet SO wrong to not appreciate things as such.

Each moment is a blessing…a miracle unto itself. At the deepest levels, we can only feel such amounts of appreciation, witness it, and not rationalize or construe. What could be more important? Is it likely that it would be much more difficult to be upset, anxious, worried, depressed, sad, angry or frustrated if we were just appreciating? Would it be consistent with true honesty, and the promotion of true happiness and true freedom, with nothing to hide behind? Would it be consistent with learning to genuinely realign ourselves with our most splendid and abiding joyful natures — an amount of lightness that brings us sparkling, spine-tingling/shivering glimpses of Heaven?!

There is less and less to hide behind.

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Dr. Glen Hepker
Dr. Glen Hepker is an author (A Glimpse of Heaven: The Philosophy of True Health), a blogger, a part-time counselor, wellness coach, life coach, and a master instructor of tai chi chuan, chi kung, kung fu, refined meditation/guided imagery, and associated health/wellness arts (which are intrinsically inclusive of the quite broad and ages-old benevolent, altruistic, and empathetic health/wellness philosophy set forth in his book - along with acupuncture/pressure, nutritional arts, herbal arts, tui na, stretching arts (though he does not practice acupuncture or nutrition as a living), at Mason City Tai Chi~Chi Kung~Kung Fu & Wellness Center LLC, Mason City, IA USA http://masoncitytaichi.com

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