9/13/2023 0 Comments No escape synonymWe deserve our birthright, which is the middle way, an open state of mind that can relax with paradox and ambiguity. We don’t deserve resolution we deserve something better than that. However, not only do we not deserve resolution, we suffer from resolution. Our Birthright: The Middle WayĪs human beings, not only do we seek resolution, but we also feel that we deserve resolution. This pattern keeps us dissatisfied and causes us a lot of suffering. We can have whiter teeth, a weed-free lawn, a strife-free life, a world without embarrassment. It’s the human pattern: we project onto the world a zillion possibilities of attaining resolution. We are undoing a pattern that is not just our pattern. The process of becoming unstuck requires tremendous bravery, because basically we are completely changing our way of perceiving reality, like changing our DNA. But we don’t hear much about how painful it is to go from being completely stuck to becoming unstuck. We hear a lot about the pain of samsara, and we also hear about liberation. We keep moving around seeking pleasure, seeking comfort, and the satisfaction that we get is very short-lived. And then we feel, “Phew! What a relief!” But two and a half minutes later, we want to move them again. Our legs hurt from sitting cross-legged, so we move them. It’s like changing the position of our legs in meditation. Scrambling for security has never brought anything but momentary joy. However, years and years of going to the left or right, going to yes or no, going to right or wrong has never really changed anything. We’re alone, cold turkey with all the edginess that we’ve been trying to avoid by going left or right. If I can’t go left or right, I will die! When we don’t go left or right, we feel like we are in a detox center. How could we possibly have no reference point? To have no reference point would be to change a deep-seated habitual response to the world: wanting to make it work out one way or the other. The mind with no reference point does not resolve itself, does not fixate or grasp. In the middle way, there is no reference point.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |