Breathe & Let Go 4.14.2008 | 0 Comment(s)

The awakened mind is free flowing, natural, and well rounded. It's like Teflon - nothing sticks. On the other hand, the unawakened, ordinary mind is rigid, limited and sticky like flypaper; the ordinary mind has corners and sharp jagged edges on which ideas get caught, hanging us up...

...the unawakened mind tries to grasp and hold on to emotions and things, which by their very nature are fleeting; it's like trying to grasp water between your hands. If we understand that the cause of suffering and dissatisfaction is attachment, then it's obvious that the remedy is simply letting go. Awakening The Buddha Within - Lama Surya Das

My mind is so ordinary. The past few months have shown me just how commonplace my mind is. I've struggled to understand how to let go, how to let emotions happen, and then leave them lie, to turn my back on them when I've experienced them. To "let go". It sounds easy, but how many of us can truly let things be exactly the way they are?

I'm being challenged these days, being shaken out of the complacency I unwittingly found myself in for years. It's always easier to stay where you were, to stay within a self-made world that is safe and secure, but it's not very rewarding and it can be a lonely place.

The lessons of Buddhism aren't really all that complicated to understand; it's the practice that's the bitch...growth and understanding of yourself and the world is your reward.