Life is full of experiences that have the power to upset us, things that push our buttons. Our reaction can be anything from a whine or mild anger to a full-blown tantrum. The strength of our reaction is a function of how central the feelings evoked by the experience are to our self-esteem, to childhood trauma.
If we are walking the spiritual path, these occurrences interrupt our progress. If the reaction is mild, the effect is not great. But if the reaction is a full-blown tantrum, a melt-down, the reaction can result in a significant if temporary setback of your progress, with your questioning everything from where God is to confusion over what you are doing or anger at what the world is doing to you.
If your reaction is anything close to a melt-down, you have harmed yourself, shaken yourself, by allowing this reaction to occur. I use the word “allowing” because whenever we experience anything, regardless how bad or potentially devastating, we have a choice. We can react through our conditioning, our ego-mind and suffer or we can react through our heart and maintain our peace and happiness.
Assuming that you don’t want to suffer—that is why you’re walking the path—there are steps you can, no must, take to help insure that you never react in a way that causes you to suffer. The purpose of these steps is to maintain your contact with your true Buddha nature/the divinity within you/the child of the universe within you at all times.
Central to experiencing life while maintaining peace and happiness is faith and humility. An ancient Chinese poem says, “When faith and mind are not separate, and not separate mind and faith, this is beyond all words and thought.” It's all about faith and humility. Each of the following steps embodies this teaching.
* Ask your higher power to support your intent to experience all things with dispassion, free of emotion and fear. To support your intent to be free of cravings and attachments. (See my post, “Dispassion - Unlocking the Doors.”)
* Turn your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature/the child of the universe within you. Invite it into your subconscious, ask it to be your subconscious so that you are filled with abundance and light, faith and strength, freedom from fear and humility, and joy, so that you radiate joy and are a light unto yourself and others. (See my post, “Seeking the Guidance from the Buddha/God/the Universe.”)
* Know that things are the way they are because it’s just the way it is; it’s meant to be and it’s all ok. (See my post, “It's Just the Way It Is and It's All OK.”) Helpful to understanding this truth is to focus on eternity, not the here and now, Focus on maintaining your peace, not getting what you want now. (See my post, “Peace - What It Is and How to Achieve It.”)
* Open up your heart to embrace all aspects of your experience—past, present, and future. Then nothing offends and all internal and external struggle ceases. You know you have everything inside yourself to be at peace and happy and will allow nothing to disturb your heart's peace and happiness. (See my post, “The Heart’s Embrace.”)
At all times be grateful and be happy. Be filled with wonder and be happy. Forgive yourself and be happy. Have faith and humility and be happy.
If we are walking the spiritual path, these occurrences interrupt our progress. If the reaction is mild, the effect is not great. But if the reaction is a full-blown tantrum, a melt-down, the reaction can result in a significant if temporary setback of your progress, with your questioning everything from where God is to confusion over what you are doing or anger at what the world is doing to you.
If your reaction is anything close to a melt-down, you have harmed yourself, shaken yourself, by allowing this reaction to occur. I use the word “allowing” because whenever we experience anything, regardless how bad or potentially devastating, we have a choice. We can react through our conditioning, our ego-mind and suffer or we can react through our heart and maintain our peace and happiness.
Assuming that you don’t want to suffer—that is why you’re walking the path—there are steps you can, no must, take to help insure that you never react in a way that causes you to suffer. The purpose of these steps is to maintain your contact with your true Buddha nature/the divinity within you/the child of the universe within you at all times.
Central to experiencing life while maintaining peace and happiness is faith and humility. An ancient Chinese poem says, “When faith and mind are not separate, and not separate mind and faith, this is beyond all words and thought.” It's all about faith and humility. Each of the following steps embodies this teaching.
* Ask your higher power to support your intent to experience all things with dispassion, free of emotion and fear. To support your intent to be free of cravings and attachments. (See my post, “Dispassion - Unlocking the Doors.”)
* Turn your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature/the child of the universe within you. Invite it into your subconscious, ask it to be your subconscious so that you are filled with abundance and light, faith and strength, freedom from fear and humility, and joy, so that you radiate joy and are a light unto yourself and others. (See my post, “Seeking the Guidance from the Buddha/God/the Universe.”)
* Know that things are the way they are because it’s just the way it is; it’s meant to be and it’s all ok. (See my post, “It's Just the Way It Is and It's All OK.”) Helpful to understanding this truth is to focus on eternity, not the here and now, Focus on maintaining your peace, not getting what you want now. (See my post, “Peace - What It Is and How to Achieve It.”)
* Open up your heart to embrace all aspects of your experience—past, present, and future. Then nothing offends and all internal and external struggle ceases. You know you have everything inside yourself to be at peace and happy and will allow nothing to disturb your heart's peace and happiness. (See my post, “The Heart’s Embrace.”)
At all times be grateful and be happy. Be filled with wonder and be happy. Forgive yourself and be happy. Have faith and humility and be happy.
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