Nice Article by Jeff Foster
The unexpected end of a long-term relationship. A broken-open heart. A body that's falling to pieces. Wealth or livelihood that vanishes overnight. A loved one in terrible pain. Not knowing what to do or say. Feeling helpless in the midst of the madness.
Life presents us with a series of challenges, sometimes intense and seemingly insurmountable challenges! And in the midst of the falling-apart of dreams, we are called to stay present, and remain open for the appearance of intelligent and compassionate solutions. And if no solutions come, we are called to stay present anyway. To be here, now, no matter what. To dignify the ground upon which we stand, and therefore to dignify the entire Universe by remembering ourselves.
It IS possible to live a life without problems, no matter what they say. Challenging situations will always come, of course! Let's not deny the realities of the relative world. Situations will sometimes seem unfair or unwanted, of course. Our happy dreams of 'what was meant to happen' will often explode on the bonfire of life, of course.
But do not despair! There are always seeds of grace within the rubble, if we have eyes to see them. Forms can disintegrate, yes, but Love, the Love that gives birth to the stars, cannot die. Some plants need to burn to complete their life cycle.
It is thought (sometimes called "mind") that turns situations (happenings) into problems (unwanted or negative happenings). Thought resists the natural flow of life, says NO to what is, tries to turn against the way things are, and truly believes that resistance will eventually lead to inner and outer peace.
Thought tries to press 'REWIND' or 'FAST-FORWARD' on the movie of life. It tries to get back to a previous scene (the past, when things were better), or skip to the next scene (the future, when things will be better). But life is here, now: the present scene! Life is happening, before thought judges it as a 'good' or 'bad' happening.
This moment is life in its fullness.
The mind will try to find every justification for unhappiness, of course. It will always blame external circumstances, people, objects, substances or the absence of them, and feel 'right' and 'confident' in its justifications. But what if our happiness is never actually dependent upon external things? What if our happiness is rooted in inner silence and deep presence? What if every apparent 'problem' is really a giant invitation to stop, come out of the drama of past and future and the forever-incomplete-story of 'me', stop rewinding and fast-forwarding, and begin to fall in love with where we are, with the life we have been given, even if we imagine it's not the life we wanted?
Be here now. It's a teaching that never ages:
Taking her last breath, a woman feels the peace of an entire universe at rest. Having lost all of his money, a man discovers the joy of giving without fear or expectation. In the midst of a broken-open heart, someone learns to open their heart even wider, so wide the entire universe can pour in. In the rubble of an exploded building, an unexpected connection is made, a kindness happens that breaks thousands of years of karma and reverberates for more than seven generations in every direction.
Finding the wanted in the midst of the unwanted, discovering love in the seemingly unlovable; this is the path of grace!
Jeff Foster
