at the state of perfect freedom
through right understanding
are unperturbed
in body, speech or mind.
They remain unshaken
by life's vicissitudes.
Dhammapada v. 96
The very best way to accommodate uncertainty is through right understanding, or right view. It would be naive to expect to always be at ease with uncertainty. But we shouldn’t assume we must be defined by it. Life and change and all the rest of it might appear to be ‘too much’, but life itself is never too much; it is always ‘just so’. If life was really too much, the Buddha could never have realized freedom while still alive. The view we hold is what makes the difference.
Taking ourselves too seriously and the situation can seem intolerable; we become tense, limiting possibilities for insight and sensitivity.
Relaxing our view, we could try imagining an unconditioned reality in which all the changing conditions appear to arise and cease. Wise letting go leads to an expanded awareness and a fresh perspective on what it was we were doing that made it look like we had a problem.
With Metta,
Bhikkhu Munindo
No comments:
Post a Comment