Still, what I want in my life
is to be willing
to be dazzled –
to cast aside the weight of facts
and maybe even
to float a little
above this difficult world.
I want to believe I am looking
into the white fire of a great mystery.
I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing —
that the light is everything – that it is more than the sum of each flawed blossom rising and fading. And I do.
Mary Oliver, The Ponds
This quote from the great Lama Gendun Rinpoche, reminds us to hold lightly experiences we have had and not allow our identity be defined by some of the events in our history. The practice of meditation is really one of trying to let go and then trust that life will unfold in a bigger picture – which is often not visible as we go through individual events. We sometimes need to let go of a memory – an idea of how things were or should be – in order to be fully present for what is here and now. We continue walking in the present until the mystery becomes clear.
Happiness cannot be found through great effort and willpower, but is already present, in open relaxation and letting go. Don’t strain yourself, there is nothing to do or undo. Whatever momentarily arises in the body-mind has no real importance at all, has little reality whatsoever. Why identify with, and become attached to it, passing judgment upon it and ourselves?
It is absolutely fundamental that we learn, that when difficult situations and feelings arise, they are not obstacles to be avoided, but rather these very difficulties are, in fact, the path itself
Ezra Bayda
If there was to be a useful inscription to put on a medallion around your neck, it would be: ‘This is the way it is’.
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
We have to cultivate contentment with what we have. We really don’t need much. When you know this, the mind settles down. Cultivate generosity. Delight in giving. Learn to live lightly. In this way, we can begin to transform what is negative into what is positive. This is how we start to grow up.
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, No Excuses
