I am wildly enthusiastic about this year’s practice theme, “Training to live in thisherenow.” Of course practice is always the same. We are always paying close attention in order to see, and see through, what we’re clinging to and what we’re pushing away, recognizing what ego is telling us we must hold on to or avoid, and then choosing that which leads away from suffering while choosing that which leads to freedom and joy. While it’s true that awareness practice never changes, seeing our lives, and karmic conditioning, through a new lens can often be illuminating and helpful.
I remember many years ago a young, born-again Christian man approaching me to encourage me to come to his church. I was 19 at the time and extremely certain about right and wrong, good and bad, spiritual and not spiritual. And so I told him I wasn’t interested in organized religion, it was too full of hypocrites and hypocrisy. He looked at me with a very kind expression, smiled at me and said, “Well, if a hypocrite comes between you and God, that hypocrite is closer to God than you are.” Good point.
This year we are going to have another opportunity to take a look at what ego works hard to keep between us and “God.” Or, as we like to say, between us and thisherenow. What unexamined opinions, beliefs, and assumptions is egocentric karmic conditioning/self-hate keeping between you and unconditional love? We don’t want ego to be closer to thisherenow that we are!
In gassho,
Cheri