We may begin practice with a wish for bliss, a wish for peace. We do taste these in practice at times, but we may also discover a deep well of grief, shame or fear as we establish a deeper practice. Feelings and mind states that have never been acknowledged or experienced and resolved can now come up.
You may have already noticed that over time in a life of practice, you taste everything, all the varieties and flavors of experience that are part of our human condition. Practice does not help us to avoid any part of life, but instead points us straight in, face to face with who we think we are, who we want to be, who we are afraid of being. We see our shadow and our brightness and after a while, are no longer afraid of showing up and being who we are. We have tools and we have companionship on the path and see the transformative effect of no longer living from fear, no longer having to avoid our own sadness or imperfections. We can bring our whole heart, intelligence and creativity to the conditions that are unique to us—where we came from and where we are right now.
