Courage

During the retreat at Garrison (picture on the left) that I spoke of in my previous post, I was blown away by many things. One of them was the courage displayed by Chodo, one of the Buddhist priests. He shared quite a few experiences of his life, before becoming a priest, that were shocking. I told him I was impressed with his courage...the ability to sit in front of all of us and tell his story. He spared us the gruesome details but we got the picture: He was a complete wreck. He said that by being completely honest about his past, with himself and us, it allowed him to be free of the demons..the memories..and this is where healing and strength come in. When we try to face our fears, our pain, our secrets...we expose them and bring them out into the light and give them a good look. We resist the urge to bury, push away or pretend the fear and/or pain isn't there. This isn't easy work but it is worth the effort.

During my previous post I commented on our sometimes humorous practice of trying to look younger. Don't misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with painting your hair or changing your fashion preference. It's the attachment and clinging that cause the suffering. It has to do with awareness: "Why am I suffering? What am I clinging to?"

The next time you find yourself upset or suffering, ask yourself those two questions.

Drag the issue out into the light and take a good look...then let it go. Have courage.