"Deception is not a sign that we have karmic difficulties. Rather, it indicates a lack of honesty and insight. Constantly seeking a high in a desperate search for love or some fantastic new experience; we lack bravery regarding our lives. Trying to avoid boredom, pain, hard work, aging, and other traits of samsara and impermanence, we lack bravery regarding the reality of the world. Tricking ourselves into thinking we are having various meditation experiences because we are unable to sit with the simplicity of our mind, we lack bravery regarding the fathomlessness of our own being." - Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Sometimes, it is hard to believe that day to day life--so-called "mundane" life--is where bravery truly resides...
It is where the rubber meets the road. It's far too easy being Zen in the monastery or Advaita in the ashram.
"In reality, life is perpetual motion. We cannot apply the slow-motion feature, or push the “Save” button and deal with it later. Life is always coming at us, or more accurately, we are always heading into life. Being hesitant, not approaching life engaged in forwardness, has a ripple effect. Life buckles behind us and builds up pressure, forcing us to move forward." - Bravery Without Deception essay, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Using any techniques we've already described, or anything you've invented on the spot--describe something ordinary and brave you did today... preferably using sensory, concrete details rather than abstracts.
p.s. I had not heard of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche until very recently. His father was well-known Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. (I really loved Trugpa's book, "True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art" ), so I watched his video bio to get more backstory: "He is the ruler of Shambhala, a borderless kingdom of meditation practictioners committed to realizing enlightenment and social harmony through daily life." Yep, that spaceless space of Shambhala is ordinary, natural.
ART CREDITS: One in the exquisite collection PaPaYa! cards.
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