A GUIDE FOR FEARLESSNESS IN DIFFICULT TIMES

I have this posting on my book blog, but since not everybody reads all my blogs I will post it here as well. A few months ago I promised myself to do at least one scary thing every week. When I found "The Places That Scare You" I thought this book could be part of this promise. The subtitle: "A guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times" became the missing dot on the "i" I had been looking for. Most people have a hard time these days, I lost my job in June of this year and there are no more savings left. My husband had been unemployed for almost a year as well and we lost our house in foreclosure, we had our piece of this sour, overcooked, bad economy pie.

What I've learned (and became more aware of) from Pema Chödrön is that you still have a choice. You can let the circumstances harden you, upset you, make you bitter, resentful and afraid, but you can also use it (welcome it!) as a tool to grow and become stronger. Until now, I've always had a hard time to grasp the concept that we are one, I just could not "believe" that I am part of others and they are part of me, certainly not the extreme figures that terrorize our planet.

But when she describes the process of training in the three difficulties (part of the "lojong slogans") she hit a string in me that was never touched before: "...we could recognize that there are millions who are feeling the way we are..." I "know" now I am part of all because what I can feel and think is what others can feel and think. I wish for myself to be free of confusion and limiting habitual reactions.

Recognizing my own confusion with compassion makes it possible to extend that compassion to others who are equally confused. The practice of Bodhichitta (Chitta means 'mind' and also 'heart' or 'attitude'. Bodhi means 'awake', enlightened' or completely open'.) provides us all with tremendous insight, clarity, and peace. "Even at times when we feel most stuck, we are never alienated from the awakened state." Buddha

"Those who train in awakening unconditional and relative bdhichitta are called bodhisattvas or warriors (nonagressive), these are men and women who are willing to train in the middle of the fire. Training in the middle of fire can mean that warrior bodhisattvas enter challenging situations in order to alleviate suffering." This connects directly to an aspect that Martha Beck describes in her book "Steering by Starlight", she calls it the ring of fire. In order to free yourself from limiting beliefs, emotions, and experiences you have to face them and lean into the fear (fire).

A few weeks ago I hit rock bottom. Jobless, moneyless, a crashed computer and then I got sick.
Really, this was the very last drop…
And I am grateful to have reached that moment!
What, you might ask? Are you nuts or totally out of your mind?
Out of a certain mindset is a better way of describing it. I faced it, felt the fear, went into the fire and now I feel free.

"In joy and sorrow all are equal,
Thus be guardian of all, as of yourself."
Shantideva

All is well, MO