Site of the Buddha”s Final Enlightenment at Kushinagar, India
Do you know that phrase old phrase, “keepin’ it real?” Did anyone ever know what it meant? You’d ask someone, how’s it going? Or what’s up? And he’d say, “keepin’ it real.” You didn’t get an answer to your question but your friend sounded cool.
The urbandictionary.com says it “originally meant being true to oneself and representing oneself in an authentic manner.” Ok. That’s a starting point but what’s being true to oneself and what is authentic?
Here’s the Buddha’s take on realness. Keepin’ it real means understanding the true nature of all mental and physical phenomena through the application of the four foundations of mindfulness. In short it means you know what you’re doing. Here are some examples. When you walk you know you’re walking, when you feel good you know it feels good; when you’re thinking you know that you’re thinking or when you hear a sound you know you’re hearing it.
What’s the result of keepin’ it real? The result is that the mind spends more time in the present moment instead of lamenting the past or fearing the future which leaves more space for happiness to come in. The result is authentic, that is, it doesn’t depend on getting something or getting rid of something. You’re true to yourself because you don’t need outside validation of your happiness; it comes from the inside.
And that’s for real.