Non-Striving
Courtney Watson
Our mind is in a continuous state of judgment. Pleasant, unpleasant, seeking to find the most comfortable for us, avoiding those challenging and uncomfortable things, or creating distractions to avoid those experiences.
By recognizing the striving mind, the one that grasps on to, feels an aversion to change and tries to move away from what is, we cultivate one of the attitudinal foundations of mindfulness.
Noticing the “I’ve got to, I’ll be ok when, I’ll be happy when” thoughts, you are creating awareness around the mind’s habit to want what “should be”
As we practice, we sit with what is, connecting to the body, breath, the present moment and see that it is all we have, all that is certain and find joy in this breath. Awakening to this life and opening to the difficulties and joys of it all.
“Being satisfied with what we already have is a magical golden key to being alive in a full, unrestricted, and inspired way. Meditation is a process of lightening up, of trusting the basic goodness of what we have and who we are, and of realizing that any wisdom that exists, exists in what we already have. …it doesn’t do any good to get rid of our so-called negative aspects, because in that process we get rid of our basic wonderfulness. We can lead our life so as to become more awake to who we are and what we are doing, rather than trying to improve or change or get rid of what we are doing.
The ground of loving-kindness is the sense of satisfaction with who we are and what we have.”
- Pema Chodron, The Wisdom Of No Escape
This connection of what brings a deeper state of awareness to the self, to the habits we have formed through life to avoid, to create wants, needs that will somehow make it better. When the truth is every moment, joyful or difficult, is perfect just the way it is. When one can sit with the emotion, the fear, the challenges and feel into what they are, this is where freedom and ease reside.