Most people have come to prefer certain of life’s experiences and deny and reject others, unaware of the value of the hidden things that may come wrapped in plain and even ugly paper. In avoiding all pain and seeking comfort at all costs, we may be left without intimacy or compassion; in rejecting change and risk we often cheat ourselves of the quest; in denying our suffering we may never know our strength or our greatness. It is natural, even instinctive to prefer comfort to pain, the familiar to the unknown. But sometimes our instincts are not wise. Life usually offers us far more than our biases and preferences will allow us to have. Beyond comfort lie grace, mystery and adventure. We may need to let go of our beliefs and ideas about life in order to have life.
Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom
When we are not dwelling in the present moment and our mind is wandering around, we are not aware of what is happening in out body and in our mind. We are like sleep walkers. Waking up is another way of saying “enlightenment” or “awakening”. Waking up is the reminder for us to be awake in everything we do during the day, not just in the morning while we get up. It is awakening in each moment, while we are drinking tea, brushing our teeth, going for a walk. Waking up should be the essence of each moment
I have been driven by that sense of push my whole life, without even realizing it. But if life is indeed beginningless, this means that my past has, in fact, been infinite. The future will be too. So if there is no big rush to get somewhere. I am mistaken in my compulsion. I can take my time, and take more care, to make sure to go where I want to go. What a thrill! A bit of release, a taste of freedom, no more involuntary pressure — so this is beginningless.
