Whatever you encounter, may that be part of the path. by Tara Brach

Whatever you encounter, may that be part of the path.

Tara Brach

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Categorized in : May Path Encounters

We are uncomfortable because everything in our life keeps changing -- our inner moods, our bodies, our work, the people we love, the world we live in. We can't hold on to anything -- a beautiful sunset, a sweet taste, an intimate moment with a lover, our very existence as the body/mind we call self -- because all things come and go. Lacking any permanent satisfaction, we continuously need another injection of fuel, stimulation, reassurance from loved ones, medicine, exercise, and meditation. We are continually driven to become something more, to experience something else.

sunset beautiful sweet

By regarding ourselves with kindness, we begin to dissolve the identity of an isolated, deficient self. This creates the grounds for including others in an unconditionally loving heart.

self kindness heart

Clearly recognizing what is happening inside us, and regarding what we see with an open, kind and loving heart, is what I call Radical Acceptance. If we are holding back from any part of our experience, if our heart shuts out any part of who we are and what we feel, we are fueling the fears and feelings of separation that sustain the trance of unworthiness. Radical Acceptance directly dismantles the very foundations of this trance.

acceptance feelings heart

The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.

healing kindness heart

We can find true refuge within our own hearts and minds-right here, right now, in the midst of our moment-to-momen t lives.

moments mind heart

Each time you meet an old emotional pattern with presence, your awakening to truth can deepen. There’s less identification with the self in the story and more ability to rest in the awareness that is witnessing what’s happening. You become more able to abide in compassion, to remember and trust your true home. Rather than cycling repetitively through old conditioning, you are actually spiraling toward freedom.

emotional compassion home

The renowned seventh-century Zen master Seng-tsan taught that true freedom is being "without anxiety about imperfection.

imperfection taught anxiety

Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns...We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.

voice people years

When we put down ideas of what life should be like, we are free to wholeheartedly say yes to our life as it is.

should life ideas

Our attitude in the face of life's challenges determines our suff... by Tara Brach

Our attitude in the face of life's challenges determines our suffering or our freedom.

wisdom challenges attitude

When someone says to us, as Thich Nhat Hanh suggests, "Darling, I care about your suffering," a deep healing begins.

pain grief healing

Nothing is wrong - whatever is happening is just "real life." by Tara Brach

Nothing is wrong - whatever is happening is just "real life."

radical-acceptance real-life real

The great gift of a spiritual path is coming to trust that you can find a way to true refuge. You realize that you can start right where you are, in the midst of your life, and find peace in any circumstance. Even at those moments when the ground shakes terribly beneath you—when there’s a loss that will alter your life forever—you can still trust that you will find your way home. This is possible because you’ve touched the timeless love and awareness that are intrinsic to who you are.

spiritual loss home

Suffering is our call to attention, our call to investigate the t... by Tara Brach

Suffering is our call to attention, our call to investigate the truth of our beliefs.

belief suffering attention

With an undefended heart, we can fall in love with life over and over every day. We can become children of wonder, grateful to be walking on earth, grateful to belong with each other and to all of creation. We can find our true refuge in every moment, in every breath.

falling-in-love grateful children

If our hearts are ready for anything, we are touched by the beauty and poetry and mystery that fill our world.

mystery our-world heart

The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor. In fact, the very notion of a self who is trying to free her/ himself is a delusion. We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize our interconnectedness.

self spiritual trying

On this sacred path of Radical Acceptance, rather than striving for perfection, we discover how to love ourselves into wholeness.

sacred acceptance perfection

Awakening self-compassion is often the greatest challenge people... by Tara Brach

Awakening self-compassion is often the greatest challenge people face on the spiritual path.

compassion self spiritual

Fear of being a flawed person lay at the root of my trance, and I had sacrificed many moments over the years in trying to prove my worth. Like the tiger Mohini, I inhabited a self-made prison that stopped me from living fully.

self roots years