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a cup of buddha, buddhist, dalai lama, inspiration, is that so, life, love, meditation, obstacle is the path, tao te ching, thomas d craig, travel, Zen, Zen quotes
We fight.
We fight against change, resisting the flow of life to stay in our status quo, our cocoon filled with illusions of security and happiness. We live in a world of ‘if then’. If I only had more money then I would be happy. If I had the right job then life would be good. If only I was loved then life would be meaningful.
We fight to hold onto the past, to hold onto only the positive moments in our lives. We build this illusion that our lives would be different, and happy if we only it were different, or like it used to be.
Yet, life flows. Pain and death are inevitable just as the seasons change.
We suffer in missing this flow of life. We suffer trying to hold onto the attachment of an ‘if then’ world. A world of yesterdays and should have beens. We suffer in resisting change.
Yet, what we do not realize in our suffering is that the obstacle is the path.
This is our journey.
How can we know light if we do not also know darkness? How can we know love if we do not also know hate? Joy without sadness?
There is no destination on our journey. There is no end point. Our path is not straight it has ups and downs, birth and death, pain and happiness, joy and sadness. When we fight the flow of life we try to change nature and the universe itself.
Life happens. Pain is inevitable, we cannot change this no more than stopping time itself. The Dalai Lama stated “True change is within, leave the outside as it is.”
The obstacle is the path. Embrace it, don’t fight it. Give gratitude for these moments, these moments are what make you. There is beauty in every step along the journey, gratitude in our experiences. Give thanks and gratitude for the ability to experience these moments no matter how painful they may be.
This is growth. This expands our circle of compassion and our connection to all living beings. This is putting our heart out, fully open and vulnerable.
This is life, beautiful with all of its warts and changes. When we remove the cocoon of illusion life transforms, and we are free to fly in all its beauty, the concept of good or bad dissipates and we are simply left with this present moment.
Let it rain, feel it, embrace it, and dance.
Call to Action:
- Stop resisting, let life flow.
- If you feel yourself resisting, find gratitude in the moment no matter how difficult this may be.
- Be Love.
Thomas D. Craig
Author of A Cup of Buddha and Is that so? A Modern Fable of Awakening
writer. seeker. Zen warrior
