Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha

by Tara Brach

As Buddhist scriptures expressed it centuries ago: Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is the ancient and eternal law.

RAIN, the acronym for Recognize-Allow-Investigate-Nurture,

“The problem is that ego can convert anything to its own use, even spirituality.”

Entangled in the trance of unworthiness, we grow accustomed to caging ourselves in with self-judgment and anxiety, with restlessness and dissatisfaction. Like Mohini, we grow incapable of accessing the freedom and peace that are our birthright. We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.

D. H. Lawrence wrote: “Men are not free when they are doing just what they like. Men are only free when they are doing what the deepest self likes.”

The Buddha taught that by being aware of desire, we free ourselves from identifying with it.

Sit comfortably, in a way that allows you to be present and at ease. When you feel settled, ask yourself, “What does my heart long for?” Your initial answer might be that you want to be healthy, to lose weight, to make more money, to find a partner. Ask again and listen deeply, accepting whatever spontaneously arises.