November 15, 2005 by Sogyal Rinpoche

November 15

Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing, life itself reveals again and again the opposite: letting go is the path to real freedom.

Just as when the waves lash at the shore the rocks suffer no damage, but are sculpted and eroded into beautiful shapes — so our characters can be molded, and our rough edges worn smooth by changes.

Through weathering changes, we can learn how to develop a gentle but unshakable composure. Our confidence in ourselves grows, and becomes so much greater that goodness and compassion begin naturally to radiate out from us and bring joy to others.

That goodness is what survives death, a fundamental goodness that is in each and every one of us.

The whole of our life is a teaching of how to uncover that strong goodness, and a training toward realizing it.

Comments

  1. lonbud - November 15, 2005 @ 10:16 pm

    I am not ordinarily one to proselytize, but today’s entry in a book of daily reflections on living and dying that I consult far too infrequently seemed too simple, true, and clear — I had to share.

    It’s a remarkable book, really, and I recommend it to anyone who can read.
    And think.
    And feel.

    http://www.rigpaus.org/

  2. Lore Cailor - November 16, 2005 @ 8:43 am

    Thank you for sharing. That really meant a lot to me. What a wonderful way to start off my day!

  3. Megan - November 16, 2005 @ 11:48 am

    Agreement. It takes a lot of reminding but life always seems to work out best if I don’t try to mess with it too much.This was the first thing I looked at when I woke up this morning. It’s been in my thoughts all day.

  4. Melanie - November 16, 2005 @ 3:01 pm

    Thanks for sharing those thoughts. Like true beauty, – simple, graceful, elegant. wonder why we humans need constant reminding to turn off our over-analytical brains and just….feel & be. the natural world and animal kingdom seems to get it without effort.

  5. lonbud - November 21, 2005 @ 11:28 pm

    Perhaps I should post more positivity on this blog to bring balance to the oververbified commentary my political postings attract. It’s not that I don’t value the wider perspective, nor that I cling so to the niggling details of our leaders’ malfeasance, I just tend to get caught up in the events of the day and sometimes use this vehicle as a substitute for not having a job writing for the Editorial page of a major daily.

    Thanks for reminding me where the true value lies.

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