Parinama

Troubl e As humans we hopelessly underestimate the troubles that come when undertaking any activity of significance.   Why else would we put in the effort of learning something new, volunteering, climbing mountains, being in relationship unless we thought that things were pretty much going to turn out well, that the joy would outweigh any hardship.   Yet time and again, after the honeymoon period has passed, the actual lived experience of what we have undertaken turns out to be laced with difficulties, troubles, and challenges, that we did not anticipate.   Dip a toe and then a thigh, maybe a hip, into any new endeavor, and the cold waves lipping over the collar bones will make you wonder if you had better turn around and fast. When troubles came, as the always did, I used to feel as if I had done something terribly wrong, that if I had only worked harder, been kinder, planned better that the difficulty would not be so difficult and the path forward easier to di...

    Higher Love When we’re at the edge, in danger of falling over the precipice into suffering, compassion is the most powerful means I know for keeping our feet firmly planted on the earth and our hearts wide open.   Roshi Joan Halifax, Standing at the Edge:   Finding Freedom where Fear and Courage Meet However capable and skillful an individual may be, left alone, he or she will not survive.   However vigorous and independent one may feel during the most prosperous periods of life, when one is sick or very young or very old, one must depend on the support of others .I believe that at every level of society-familial, tribal, national, and international-the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama In our culture the most celebrated love is romantic love.   If you don’t have it, you must want it and can’t possibly be happy until you have it.   It’s in the pairin...