Day 5 Practice: Next Right Step…
“We need the courage to learn from our past and not live in it.”
What is enlightenment? According to some spiritual lineages, enlightenment is simply the appropriate response. It is not making things worse. It’s simply taking the next right step... not the one yesterday (all this should haves, could haves), not the one tomorrow (all the what ifs) but the very next step, the next wise action in this moment. The next step is truly the only one we can control, that's the only one that will make a difference. Yet, we are so easily distracted or overwhelmed by should haves, could haves, what if’s, and what might be, that we can easily lose sight of this moment, this opportunity to connect with what matters most. So, we practice taking our next step with more awareness and purpose, more presence and intention of who we want to be and how we want to be.
This practice of Next Right Action reminds me of the serenity prayer, a prayer of clarity and discernment: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
So, what is the next right step? If something is said or done that is hurtful, we will try to respond with our values. We intend to act in accordance with our morals, aligned with our ethics and priorities. We don’t need others to validate who we are. And if we can live towards this, we move further away from guilt and shame (hindrances) and towards peace and contentment (freedom). With each next right step, we start to break free from remorse and develop greater faith in our own capacity, the confidence and momentum for finding our next right step. And as always it is a process, patiently persistent, one breath at a time, one moment at a time. The only breath, the only step, the only action that is truly available to us now is this next one so let us practice being present for it.
“When people say, “Let it go”, what they really mean is “Get over it,” and that’s not a helpful thing to say. It’s not a matter of letting—you would if you could. Instead of “Let it go,” we should probably say “Let it be”; This recognizes that the mind won’t let go and the problem may not go away, and it allows you to form a healthier relationship with what’s bothering you.”
“When we begin to feel the benefits of meditation practice, it is like putting on glasses for the first time. Once we learn to sit with the breath, be with the present moment, and create space between ourselves and our thoughts, our lives come into focus and we awaken to the possibility of something else—the alleviation of suffering.”
“Pausing helps us become a detached observer of our emotions and reframe the situation. When our habits and preconceptions no longer guide us, we can make room to consider a situation from multiple angles, and make better and more compassionate decisions.”
“Instead of searching for what you don’t have, find out what it is that you have never lost.”
“You have to work with your attractions as well as your aversions. Many of you are good at working with attractions; you get a little weak on the aversions…Don’t rush, it’s all right. There’s lots of time, and we’re human and it’s not an error.”
“When wishes are few, the heart is happy. When craving ends, there is peace.”
“Being ashamed of our cravings doesn’t help, but justifying or denying them doesn’t help, either. Instead, we should learn to be with our situation as it is rather than moving away from it.”
“Happiness lies not in what finding what is missing but in finding what is present. ”