Delusion

File:Broken umbrella after Sandy.JPG What creates the sense of suffering for me…is the feeling that my mind cannot relax and accommodate the truth of my experience unless it is what I wanted. Perhaps the most painful habit I have is that of delusion, of imagining that somehow I am in charge of how everything turns out. My wishes and my actions have something to do with what happens to me. Ultimately, however I am not in charge. I keep learning this lesson over and over again, both by paying attention in meditation and by paying attention in my life, but when my mind is startled or overwhelmed by stress, I forget

Sylvia Boorstein, in A Year of Living Mindfully

photo ashokajegroo

 

2 thoughts on “Delusion

  1. Thank you for this thought-provoking quote. I think we all, at time, cling to the delusion of control in our lives. Somehow we think that it is comforting. I think that true freedom and resolution comes in the letting go. Letting go of a sense of control does not bring chaos and confusion, as we often fear, but an intrinsic sense of calm.

  2. Oh, so true. I constantly battle wanting my experiences to coming out the way I expect them to……….even in the area of spirituality.

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