Never Disappointed
Eknath Easwaran, in one of his books, made a very lofty claim: "I never get disappointed."
What an amazing - albeit seemingly difficult - way to approach living. What if we were so accepting of "What Is" that we welcome all circumstances and situations with equal tranquility? What if we were to say "YES!" to life in whatever forms it presents itself?
Let's say I'm driving to work and suddenly my car overheats ("Damn water pump!"). Naturally I begin to get frusterated (a form of disappointment) because this is not the way I thought my day should go (as if any of us can really see the BIG picture enough to know what is best). So I stew, cuss, and feel sorry for myself and while calling for help on the cellphone, I run mental movies about what I "could have done" in the past to prevent this.
But there I am. My car has overheated. It's not what I thought I had planned for the day, but that makes no matter. I have to accept that as my current situation, be fully present, enjoy the moment, try to learn something from it, and be confident that what has just happened is a part of Divine Order. No stewing. No feeling sorry for myself. No disppointment. It's just... THIS.
This is freedom. This is the only sane way to live.
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7 comments:
my thursday this week was just such a day. what i discovered was twofold: first, i was finding EVERYTHING that happened to be calming, peaceful. there was nothing that was not able to be handled or dealt with; thus, no worry could associate itself with an experience. for instance, typically i get very sad while driving, because i see so much hurry, angst, and impatience in people in their driving actions. yesterday, there was no response, no vigilante decisions on my part. i simply "was" and had peace flowing through me and out to them, praying for each person i saw. so much release.
second, i'm a relatively spontaneous person, and thursday was a spontaneous day to be sure. i flowed, moving from one experience to the next with no qualms, but remembering that i was not in the next situation until the current one had passed. in the moment, in the NOW, this physical existence coupled with an eternal soul's direction, wow.
yeah man, this is freedom. this is the only sane way to live.
by the way, that blurb was not to point out how great my day was. it's an example of how the decision and desire to be peaceful not only makes a difference in one's own life, but all those with whom one comes in contact.
a sufi expression a friend emailed me once during a rough time goes something as follows: there are two rules for the spiritual path - begin and continue.
Ahhh, if only I could view life with such optimism maybe my blood pressure would lower. I pray that when situations arise that do not go "my way" I can put forth mentally the calm and cool attitude to accept the moment for what it is and make the best of it. Pray for patience.
Some days I can actually manage that "ok, this is what's happening now, let's just go with it" and it's nice. You're right, it is a kind of freedom...
Exactly!
Trev, you're really growing. When you know the world isn't out to get you when you're car overheats, you're not far from Buddhahood!
Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!
Nisargadatta Maharaj said, "In my world, nothing ever goes wrong."
The quote from Easwaran reminds me of Maharaj's words.
It is such a hard thing to do- this easiest of all things- letting go of what we think and being with what is happening. What happens- is, and we think everthing else into it....the good, the bad of the event.
It is the only sane way to live!
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