Though the wind blows, the bamboo bends but does not break. No matter what you see, hear or experience it is fine to accept something is hard, but you are in control of how you respond. Are you free to choose to remain stable, or are you a slave to your emotions and respond to every little thing the world throws at you?
True, life is a river we cannot control, but we can steer our way through it. But we often continue to force against the current, suffering because life is always different than what we have in our mind. The internal dialogue is what grounds people in the daily world. The world is such and such or so and so, only because we talk to ourselves about its being such and such and so and so. The way to balance in your life comes when you learn to shut off this internal dialogue. Stop mistaking what is, with what you perceive.
The most inspiring person I know at once survived cancer, infidelity, abuse, abandonment, shunning, financial turmoil and the basic human fear of impermanence and loneliness. Yet no matter how hard it seemed this person never accepted they were a victim. Learning to use whatever life presented, as a means to understand past choices that have brought this individual to these experiences, they followed life's flow and did not resist. This person became a peaceful warrior. The basic difference between an ordinary person and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary person takes everything as a blessing or a curse.
Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever must be learned must be learned the hard way. This inspiring human discovered multidimensional healing. So many know of the story yet continue harboring old, cold truths and solidifying habitual routines with minimal results. As the body became cured, so did the mind that governs it and the emotions that arise from the outcropping of the individuals experiences. Happiness is like breathing, happiness is like the beat of the heart- happiness is being, it is not something that happens to you. As long as you desire happiness, you will never be able to see and exploit the potential before you. So many wish and hope and pray for change, yet follow the same road day in and day out. What change do you expect while investing in none? Surely this could lead to madness. When we do what we have always done, we should only expect what we always get.
Just be still, with no desire for anything more or better, because once you get rid of the illusion of a better you will not suffer your life. Be absolutely hopeless, because hope is nothing but a new name for desire. Hope is a beautiful name for desire, dressed up and appealing to us. It is a fantasy that lacks accountability. There is no future, so drop all ambition, only this moment exists.
"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same.”
No matter what we face the task at hand will simply be a task, details are what we make of them. Whatever the task, it remains a challenge as long as you find identity from it instead of understanding that challenge reveals a weakness you possess which can be strengthened over time. The weakness is in consciousness, it is how you see yourself. There is nothing that says what you encounter is good or bad, especially since all events in your life are connected not independent of each other. You will suffer however, when you believe in your disposition and victimize yourself. When you cry out to the world for respect, appreciation and recognition; you are poor in mind and spirit- begging to be validated and secretly longing for a change. But nothing will change because change comes through awareness and choice. And if you cannot learn from the hard challenges in your life, they will repeat until you do. Your struggle comes from the illusion you give yourself of struggle.
But there is no need to search..achievement leads nowhere. It makes no difference at all. Just be happy now, release your struggle, let go of your mind, throw away your concerns and relax into the world. Open your eyes and see you are more than you think and are already free. So be free, don't restrict or control emotions, let them pass but do not respond to them. Adapt to your circumstances appropriately; there is a time to be rigid and tough, and a time to be flexible and soft. It doesn’t matter how you are brought up, what determines the way one does anything is personal power. And power is cultivated by acting, not thinking and speaking. Do not waste your energy trying to be seen as a martyr, maintain your integrity and embrace your challenges. Your challenges are not your punishment, they are your training.
