When I read this statement in a Pema Chodron book recently, it resonated very strongly. Of course, accepting life as being the way it is is a central Buddhist tenet. But the way Pema Chodron phrases it makes the point powerfully and self-evident, and so I wanted to pass this on to you.
But the point that needs to be made clear here, just as with the more usual language of acceptance, is that this statement does not mean that one should or needs to let life roll over one. Not at all. The point is about how one addresses concerns that you seek to change. Such effort needs to be taken without emotion, without attachment … not with a fighting spirit but from a place of equanimity. The goal is to become one with the flow of life.
It’s the lesson of the difference between skillful and unskillful desires (see my post, “How to Desire Yet Not Crave?”). If one addresses a desire with emotion and attachment, then even if that desire is in and of itself a skillful desire, consistent with the Five Precepts, that desire will become a craving and you will suffer … you will be in a self-created hell.
As you will know from my other postings, the fact that something resonates or seems clear or even self-evident does not mean that it will be easy to accomplish. Hardly. The tenets of Buddhism require much work, discipline, and practice to incorporate fully into one’s life.
You should never view it as a failing when you are aware that despite your best efforts you are frequently unaware, unmindful, and so still in the control of your ego-mind. The main thing is that you have the proper intent and continue to try each day to progress on the path. The path is never-ending. Not just for you but for all, even monks and holy ones.
But the point that needs to be made clear here, just as with the more usual language of acceptance, is that this statement does not mean that one should or needs to let life roll over one. Not at all. The point is about how one addresses concerns that you seek to change. Such effort needs to be taken without emotion, without attachment … not with a fighting spirit but from a place of equanimity. The goal is to become one with the flow of life.
It’s the lesson of the difference between skillful and unskillful desires (see my post, “How to Desire Yet Not Crave?”). If one addresses a desire with emotion and attachment, then even if that desire is in and of itself a skillful desire, consistent with the Five Precepts, that desire will become a craving and you will suffer … you will be in a self-created hell.
As you will know from my other postings, the fact that something resonates or seems clear or even self-evident does not mean that it will be easy to accomplish. Hardly. The tenets of Buddhism require much work, discipline, and practice to incorporate fully into one’s life.
You should never view it as a failing when you are aware that despite your best efforts you are frequently unaware, unmindful, and so still in the control of your ego-mind. The main thing is that you have the proper intent and continue to try each day to progress on the path. The path is never-ending. Not just for you but for all, even monks and holy ones.
RSS Feed
