Theresa and I were on a call recently, and a possibility presented itself for one of the girls to go to boarding school. At that time, the young girl was not in school, and I watched myself have this incredible urgency take over. “We must figure this out now! We have to move quickly.”
I’ve noticed in practice that urgency is almost never helpful. In fact, I have yet to find a situation where urgency (outside of a life-threatening injury!) has helped. I recently was a Visiting Monk and would see how every time I felt the need to rush somewhere, I missed something. In one situation, it was exchanging my indoor slippers for my outdoor slippers. In another, it was removing an apron when I left the dining hall. In looking at the process of urgency, it seems to be completely based on a conversation in the head of what I must do, where I need to be, how fast I need to get there…or else. It prevents any of the benefits of sitting still, seeing what drops in, and being with life as it unfolds.
In Kantolomba, the team checked in a week after the private school possibility presented itself, and Theresa shared that it seemed best to have this particular girl come back to the Living Compassion site and be in Charles’ class. The Living Compassion team and the girls program seemed like it could provide a stronger and more supportive environment to foster the girl’s growth and education. Now, with the lens of awareness practice, we get to watch how it all unfolds. With no urgency required – but rather lovingkindness, constant devotion, and the spirit of inquiry!
Gassho,
Sreedevi