Treasure

Good Morning,

In yesterdays post I spoke of equanimity. This state of mind relies
on our ability to open continuously to the truth of our actual
experience, not cutting off the painful parts and not trying to
pretend things are other than they are. Equanimity can't thrive in an
environment that is bound to one's desires or to getting our
expectations met. In this context pleasure is something to be enjoyed
and let go, not clung to or desperately held onto because we do not
want it to end. Pain in this context is not a trick or life's cruel
joke, it is part of the reality of human experience, an opportunity
for us to practice maintaining our authentic presence.

An old teaching sums the concept up:
There once was a man so displeased by the sight of his own shadow and
his own footprints that he determined to get rid of both. After some
thought he decided the best way to eliminate them was to run away
from them. So he got up and ran, but every time he put his foot down,
there was another step. His shadow of course kept up without
difficulty. He attributed his failure to the fact that he was not
running fast enough, so he ran faster and faster until he met his
death. What he failed to realize is that if he had merely stepped
into the shade, his shadow would vanish, and if he sat down and
stayed still, there would be no more footsteps.

When we make the courageous choice to be still rather than run away,
we give ourselves an opportunity to have a relationship with the very
things we think we need to escape. We give ourselves a chance at
understanding, a chance at growth and we discover a treasure we never
knew we possessed.

Have a great day and carry this thought; The greatest treasures are
those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.

Peace and Love, Jim