RSS
Home
It is as it should be
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Clarity in the Haze
It is not as important to have all of the answers as it is to be present for the entire journey. Perhaps it is the pursuit of the answers that take us so very far from the present moment that we find ourselves feeling a deep sense of emptiness. We are unhappy at our cores only because we have disconnected from the truth of it. We have allowed the circumstances of our lives to distract us from what we know to be true—life is complete with rises and falls. Life is an event of multiple events experienced and explored by those choosing to sign up for the ride. Yet at some point we forget that we have a choice even when the only choice is choosing the way in which we perceive ourselves and our lives. We are not victims. No. We are active players either gearing up for the game or sitting on the sidelines of life; either way, we are active players. It’s just that some activity lead us in directions undesired, like the direction of a cluttered mind, dysfunctional relationships, or living without meaning or purpose. In other words, suffering. Buddha taught that suffering is the result of an unsettled or untrained mind, a mind that is rooted in thoughts that do not serve us; the negativity of the world, and that if we are to end suffering—our own and others—that we have to cultivate that which is positive; the good that exists. It is the moment or moments leading to our disconnection of self that creates our suffering. We forget who and where we are in the world.
It is not our responsibility to have all of the answers, but it is our responsibility to notice that we are a part of the answer. We are the feet standing in the shoes of our reality. Where we walk depends on the very state of our mind. Where are we in our thoughts? Are we consumed by disappointments, fears, and limitation, or are we tapping into the freedom that is the truth? It takes a certain amount of discipline and dedication to the practice if we are to live our freedom. It is not something that is cultivated overnight, even the word “cultivation” speaks to time and energy, not the blink of an eye. When we cultivate the practice of our very own expansion we take the time to undo the harm, heal what is empty and lacking, and trust that the path is as it should be in each moment, even as the moment changes and the path appears differently. It is as it should be. We have to trust that the time, challenges, misdirection, direction found, tears, inner wrestling’s, and tragic doubts were all necessary parts of the journey, as long as you come out of the hell that has become you and arrived to such awareness and clarity that you see the journey for what it is: your own creation in order to cross this off your spirit’s to-do list, also known as healing.
Tragedy can lead to healing if we allow it. Death can lead to the life that was always desired: freedom. The circumstances that appear to be one’s rock bottom are full of purpose. When we can see clearly that we have hit our rock bottom—substance abuse, depression, fear, creative stagnation, or loss—we are immediately given a glimpse of the outlet, that which will carry us through…the empty nest, broken heart, feelings of failure and inadequacy, and the economic hardship. We are not those things unless we are. There is always choice, even when it is but our perception. Some things we can in fact control and others not so much. This is perhaps the lesson in non-attachment that Buddha whispered in our ears, or even the non-attachment that Christ so selflessly demonstrated when he gave his life for the life of the world. Resurrection is not physical, but rather mental, and each and everyday we can choose our own resurrection in the same way that Christ chose his. We can awaken anew, like Buddha. We, too, can taste enlightenment.
When you take the time to find yourself, sin fades. Sin fades because we realize that at our center is all that is and has ever been whole, and that not being “right” or good enough becomes the illusion. It isn’t real. Judgment, too, fades, along with self condemnation and the battle with trying to fit into a box that is smaller than your true, vast self. What happens if we choose not to be small? What happens if we choose to no longer shrink ourselves in order to fit? What happens if we decide to change our spiritual address so that we can no longer be found by darkness, letting our light shine from within…within our own view? If we cannot see the light of self then there is no person existing on the outside that can see it. We can only show others who we know ourselves to be. Life is not a guessing game, nor the fatal thrill of Russian roulette. We cannot afford to seek to have all of the answers and skip the moment where the knowing can be found. There is no desire for answers when you already know…truth.
Related Articles:
Comments
.JPG)
