I have written in many posts about the necessity of freeing yourself from the control of your mind and seeing yourself as something other than the mind. What resonated with me was that my true self is my heart, my true Buddha nature. I have also written recently about the importance of taking on a new name to go with the new identity. As well as compassionately burying your old self with its trauma.
This post shows how this brings you full circle. We start walking the path because we want to end our suffering. We want to change this aspect of our life. And we learn the steps necessary in order to achieve that. The path is in one sense straight-forward and yet it is extremely challenging requiring great discipline and patience because the power that the mind has over us.
When it's all said and done, what we have done through this practice is give ourselves a choice as to how we decide to respond to life events, rather than have our habitual energy control how we react to events, and thus the events really control us. And so we end our suffering.
For example, something happens that would normally push your buttons; you would get very upset, agitated, and it would ruin your day. Now, however, you have the power to say you don't want to feel that way, it hurts you. This is just the way it is today and you focus your energy instead on something that nourishes you. You not only rest undisturbed, but you strengthen yourself by doing something that is good for you.
This is the implementation of the Serenity Prayer, "Lord, give the the serenity to accept the things I cannot change – which are the way things are right now at this moment – and the courage to change the things I can, which are the thoughts I think, the words I speak, and the actions I take."
By giving yourself the opportunity to choose how to respond to events, rather than react habitually, you are changing the things you can. And you have found the key to freeing yourself from suffering.
This post shows how this brings you full circle. We start walking the path because we want to end our suffering. We want to change this aspect of our life. And we learn the steps necessary in order to achieve that. The path is in one sense straight-forward and yet it is extremely challenging requiring great discipline and patience because the power that the mind has over us.
When it's all said and done, what we have done through this practice is give ourselves a choice as to how we decide to respond to life events, rather than have our habitual energy control how we react to events, and thus the events really control us. And so we end our suffering.
For example, something happens that would normally push your buttons; you would get very upset, agitated, and it would ruin your day. Now, however, you have the power to say you don't want to feel that way, it hurts you. This is just the way it is today and you focus your energy instead on something that nourishes you. You not only rest undisturbed, but you strengthen yourself by doing something that is good for you.
This is the implementation of the Serenity Prayer, "Lord, give the the serenity to accept the things I cannot change – which are the way things are right now at this moment – and the courage to change the things I can, which are the thoughts I think, the words I speak, and the actions I take."
By giving yourself the opportunity to choose how to respond to events, rather than react habitually, you are changing the things you can. And you have found the key to freeing yourself from suffering.
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