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My unhappiness was caused by my failing to pay attention to the moment as it was
Awakening is not about altered states, or going somewhere else. It is the experience of the actuality of life as it is. There is no place, no situation, that brings us happiness or unhappiness. We bring our happiness or unhappiness to the place or situation.
When we do not have what we want, we suffer from greed as we long for it. When we do have what we want, we suffer from fear of losing it. When we are admired, we suffer from attachment to pride, the fear of losing the admiration that we crave. When we are despised, we suffer from shame, and the greedy desire for admiration.
To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not, You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy. — T.S. Eliot
When you think your happiness is in the hands of another person, or set of circumstances, you attach.
You already are where you need to be, and already have what you need—because you already are the person you have always wished you could be.
you want the map to show you where to go, but that’s not what maps do. What they do is show you where you are.”
The ego is the disease that prevents clarity. Let go of your story and you see things as they are.
The law of karma is this: every action has a consequence. The action itself is called karma; the consequence of the action is called vipaka.
The problem is not with the thoughts. The problem is with believing the thoughts.
If you want to understand what’s running you, what actually runs your life—anything at all that upsets you, anything—ask yourself, “What is this? What is it? What am I holding on to?”
as soon as you find yourself reacting angrily or with upset of any kind, just pause. Turn back towards the self. “What is this? What is the belief here?” And you’ll realize it’s entirely about yourself. It comes down to one thing: “I’m not getting my way. Therefore he or she is, insert pejorative here______.” That’s the belief.
When you don’t react to things in an egoic or self-protective way, then you tend to do whatever needs to be done.
Not knowing is most intimate.
Attaching to how things are right now brings the same suffering as attaching to an idea of how things might be in the future. To be happy, you must experience each day, each hour, each present moment afresh, as it is, and be grateful for what that day contains.
“But why not be fearless? What do you have to lose?”
I can’t go on, I’ll go on.
What do you see when you turn out the light? I can’t tell you, but I know it’s mine.
It’s not the part you look at and think, “Well, that’s terrifying, but, okay... I’ll go in there.” It’s the part you look at and you freeze, and you think, “I can’t.”
Anger can only exist when there is a self-centered desire for things to be other than they are.
If what you see happening is that you’re making a self-centered story, just observe “I’m making a self-centered story,” and don’t hold on to it.
In your interactions, no matter how compassionate you think you’re being, stop and ask yourself, “What do I want here? Do I want something from this person?” In almost every case you’ll find that you do. It might be hidden deep. It might be gross or it might be subtle. But it’s usually there. There’s something you want.
But what happens if we cut off the story? I’m so angry. He’s such a—No. I’m just angry. Yeah, I’m right to be angry, because—No. I’m just angry. Yeah, damn right I’m angry, because—No. I’m just angry. But, but but—No. I’m just angry.
he had doggedly continued to do the same thing, over and over, not getting the results he wanted, complaining about it, and never considering changing his methods. Young as I was, I was puzzled. As I got older, I learned that most of us live our entire lives like that man.
When you see your photograph, do you say you’re a fiction?
Conversely, when something seems to be boring, just do it and keep doing it, paying attention to it. You will not remain bored.
Respond to things as they are, rather than as we would prefer them to be, and suffering stops.
