Now is the Knowing
Wisdom does not come from studying great theories and philosophies, but from observing the ordinary.
…when we meditate it means we can no longer get away with that kind of lying to ourselves. We suddenly realize that no matter what anyone else has done or how unjust the society might be or what what our parents might be like, we can in no way spend the rest of our lives blaming anyone else - that is a complete waste of time. We have to accept complete responsibility for our life, and live it. Even if we did have miserable parents, were raised in a terrible society with no opportunities, it still doesn’t matter. There is no one else to blame for our suffering now but ourselves, our own ignorance, selfishness and conceit.
This is very profound.
Reflect on this because we tend to easily blame others for our suffering, and we can justify it because maybe other people are mistreating us or exploiting us or don’t understand us or are doing dreadful things to us. We’re not denying that, but we make nothing of it anymore. We forgive, we let go of those memories…
Breaking my habits is by no means easy, but it is entirely invigorating. I’ve taken to looking for little habits that I can change. I normally keep my keys and chapstick in my right pocket. I’ve started putting them in my left. I have no problem in the beginning of the day or remembering later that they’re in my left pocket, but when I take them out and use them they automatically go to into my right pocket. It makes me laugh that I’m doing this without thinking about it.
