What If You Are Far More OK Than You Have Ever Given Yourself Credit For?

So often when we attempt to deal with our struggles we approach it with the expectation of getting rid of an unpleasant experience, feeling, thought.

This “getting rid of” mind set is at the very core of what prolongs our suffering. It sets up the duality of a “me” against an “it.” With the associated attachment that there should be no suffering in the first place. Hmmmm.

Let’s soften our relating to our suffering. Embrace a wiser presence with our imperfections.

A genuine and compassionate acceptance.

What if we learn to sit in the presence of our being? Our entire being. Not just the parts we like. To sit with great patience openness and compassion to our complete being.

Rejecting nothing. No medicating, no running away, no self-condemning. To have the courage to rest in the presence of even those parts we have come to push away and reject. Courage with great love.

Compassionate acceptance invites us to recognize, accept and hold those very parts of our being that our resistance has been the fuel for our suffering.

What if, in fact, you are far more OK than you have ever given yourself credit for? What then? How would that change things? What would be allowed to flourish in your life that has not yet been given a chance to? How would your heart soften?

Compassionate acceptance allows us to relax into the perfection of our being. No judgement, just pure awareness. Just this. Just this. Just this.

Gautama taught us a very important truth. Sometimes life is difficult and confusing. Our path is to recognize how we create our suffering, that there is a way to lessen our suffering and how to live that path.

But we first and foremost must acknowledge that life is not prefect, ourselves included, and we become inspired to develop the wisdom to relate with wisdom to the flow of our lives.

With compassionate acceptance we relax into the natural spaciousness and wonder of our lives with a renewed appreciation for our spiritual and healing journey.

Shambhala Mountain Center hosts Compassionate Acceptance: A Mindful Path to Healing Life’s Wounds with Thomas Roberts, September 15-18, 2016 — click here to learn more

About the Author

Thomas Roberts, a Zen Buddhist and psychotherapist, has led dynamic, refreshing, and practical retreats on mind-body healing and meditation practices for over 30 years. This retreat will draw from his book The Mindfulness Book: A Beginner’s Guide to Overcoming Fear and Embracing Compassion.