ISmile331 – Healing Ourselves, Healing the World

“This deep, spiritual work,” according to Michael, “is ultimately, is about resolve.” In Stephen Batchelor’s, Buddhism Without Beliefs, this idea of committed, fearlessness is supported where he suggests that we continually take accurate stock of our lives and then live from this place of honesty with resolve. While these suggestions are simple, they are not necessarily easy. Accepting as Suzuki Roshi says, “Things as it is,” and then acting consciously from this recognition. Anything less sets us up for suffering. This suffering is caused the wars that we often subtly declare with things that are external. These declarations then fuel our own interior conflict. So what is our resolve? Rumi says, “Pain wil be born from that look cast inside yourself and this pain will make you go behind the veil.” While Rumi leaves it to us to see what’s behind the veil his words direct us into the direct experience of using our own dissatisfaction in order to heal the world. Doing so helps us lead embodied lives of fearlessness. If we truly want peace, This fearlessness is something to be cultivated. How do we do this? “Begin,” Michael says, “with sitting still since doing so that we may have the chance to be totally available to what’s needed. When we can engage the world from grace and ease, our entire life becomes a reflection of this perspective. This is how we change the world.