Trying to fathom this quote by Pema Chodron - it seems fully in line with the guidance David wrote in his Feeling Buddha book:
"Instead of asking ourselves, “How can I find security and happiness?” we could ask ourselves, “Can I touch the center of my pain? Can I sit with suffering, both yours and mine, without trying to make it go away? Can I stay present to the ache of loss or disgrace - disappointment in all it many forms - and let it open me?” This is the trick.
"Instead of asking ourselves, “How can I find security and happiness?” we could ask ourselves, “Can I touch the center of my pain? Can I sit with suffering, both yours and mine, without trying to make it go away? Can I stay present to the ache of loss or disgrace - disappointment in all it many forms - and let it open me?” This is the trick.
Comments
There are times when it is rewarding to examine one's travail with as much objectivity as one can muster and as little moral judgement as possible. One may learn important things. There are other times when analysis is fruitless and patience and acceptance must be paramount. There are other times again when it is better to set the whole thing aside and engage in something different and productive, like weeding the garden. None of these is directly motivated by a wish to find security and happiness for oneself, which is a fantasy. They are, rather, ways of living the reality of life as it unfolds.