One of my favorite spiritual exercises is to cruise around and practice mindful awareness. To do this I simply observe my surroundings without any judgments. When I look at a tree, I do not say, “That is a tree, look at those green leaves, look at the trunk. I wonder why the branches look like that?” I cease all internal thinking about the subject matter. I silence the mind and just look.

When I accomplish this successfully, it is quite a powerful experience. The world around me becomes fresh and new. There is a contrast to everything, and clarity of sight. I go in and out of this state of course. When the silence is interrupted with thoughts and judgments, I try and just notice it and go back to the silence. Sometimes the thoughts become too loud and I must observe them without judgment as well.

Here in my most recent video I attempt to capture some of my silent observations…