The Path
Good Morning,
As we live we may have a feeling we are making some kind of journey and that it has shape and direction. We are going from here to there, with some specific idea of where we have been and where we are going. The issue is that this approach is based on and idealized version of our experience. In reality, our journey is unfolding as we go along.
Learning to bring full attention to that journey is what some call the "path." As countless people (Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi to name a few) have pointed out before us "the path is the goal." This means that what we experience as "obstacles" along the way is usually just a sense of "OUR OWN EXPECTATIONS FALLING APART." These same obstacles can be viewed differently, as the basis for re-engaging our attention and working through whatever arises.
A revolutionary approach for me personally is to see that the OBSTACLES CAN ACTUALLY BECOME THE STEPPING STONES OF MY PATH. That my irritations, boredom, emotional upheavals, and wandering mind are the basis of the path itself, they are in effect the foundation of what we have to work with! Without obstacles would there really be a path at all?
By touching in on these difficult aspects of our experience - really tasting them (compared to running from them) and then allowing them to exist without judgement or manipulation - we are tuning into a new kind of spaciousness that is refreshing and creative.
Have a beautiful day and carry this thought: The path of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.
Peace and Love, Jim
As we live we may have a feeling we are making some kind of journey and that it has shape and direction. We are going from here to there, with some specific idea of where we have been and where we are going. The issue is that this approach is based on and idealized version of our experience. In reality, our journey is unfolding as we go along.
Learning to bring full attention to that journey is what some call the "path." As countless people (Jesus, Buddha, Ghandi to name a few) have pointed out before us "the path is the goal." This means that what we experience as "obstacles" along the way is usually just a sense of "OUR OWN EXPECTATIONS FALLING APART." These same obstacles can be viewed differently, as the basis for re-engaging our attention and working through whatever arises.
A revolutionary approach for me personally is to see that the OBSTACLES CAN ACTUALLY BECOME THE STEPPING STONES OF MY PATH. That my irritations, boredom, emotional upheavals, and wandering mind are the basis of the path itself, they are in effect the foundation of what we have to work with! Without obstacles would there really be a path at all?
By touching in on these difficult aspects of our experience - really tasting them (compared to running from them) and then allowing them to exist without judgement or manipulation - we are tuning into a new kind of spaciousness that is refreshing and creative.
Have a beautiful day and carry this thought: The path of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.
Peace and Love, Jim
posted by The Daily Buddha at 7:46 AM
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