Honesty.

Many of us try to be honest with others, to be a credible and reliable friend, partner and professional. Equally important though is to be honest with ourselves.

Being honest with ourselves requires openness and vulnerability. It sits us down with tenderness and awkwardness, makes us look at the everyday ordinariness of our condition. And embrace it.

We often chase after the highest, best, most profound, most amazing things, but what might be most useful is to come to terms with who we are and our natural state of being free from all the hopes and projections.

Simply being open to the present moment of our natural condition opens the doorway to the path of liberation. Being honest with ourselves is a prerequisite for being awake.

The truth of suffering.

We see suffering as many things in our life. 

We see it as heartbreak and loss.  We experience it as pain and regret.  We feel it as we age, our bodies failing us in ways we never thought they would.

Suffering takes many forms in our life, appearing as many different faces and in all places.  It goes by many names, but there is one that we seldom acknowledge.

Truth.

There is a truth to our suffering, something that we can learn from it if we are willing.  To learn the truth of suffering we must be honest with ourselves and our situation. 

Our ego is wrapped up in our own suffering and the stories that we tell about ourselves.  We perpetuate our suffering because it is part of our identity, its part of who we are.  Acknowledging our suffering requires that we set aside the story of ego, the story of how important we are or how great our life is.  It requires that we look truly at all the pain and ugliness, that we see our true face free from the mask of deceit. 

Which is painful. 

The truth of our suffering is all around us, it pervades our life.  We fail to acknowledge its truth because it makes us feel weak and vulnerable.  The ego hates to feel weak and vulnerable.  In response to this our ego throws up walls and barriers, acts out in passion and aggression to try to gain control of the world around it.  We build ourselves up in an attempt to overthrow our own suffering, all the while sowing seeds for a never ending harvest.

The first step that we take on the path is one of truth.  Honesty to ourselves.  We are suffering.  I am suffering.  When we take this step, we are treading the path of the noble ones who have went before us. 

Acknowledging our own suffering, we can start to see the suffering of those all around us.  We see their suffering reflected in our own life, we see how our story is shared with theirs.  The truth of suffering grants us the gift of gratefulness. 

Suffering that gives rise to gratefulness is a gift, a gift that we can learn to share.   

Privilege.

You have an opportunity available to you.

It may not always appear to be the case.  You may look around and wait for others to go first.  You may think that your situation is too hard, too unique. 

But that is the thing about privilege, when you have it you should take advantage of it and advocate for those who don't have it.

You have the privilege of being able to be generous and kind.  You have the privilege to treat others with respect and honesty.  You have the privilege to do the right thing, to be a good person.

You have the privilege of being able to help others- Don't waste it.

Discipline

Let's be honest, none of us like being told what to do.  We have a mind of our own and we can differentiate right from wrong.  I'm pretty sure that we can figure this out on our own. 

We have this perception that discipline restrains us, that it imposes boundaries on our life and our choices.  It can be those things, especially if it is coming from a higher authority, but it doesn't need to be.

Discipline can simplify our life.  It can enrich our life and our activity.

Three simple disciplines:
1. Refrain from harm.  Harming your neighbor, the stranger on the street or the spider on the wall.
2. Cultivate a wealth of good qualities.   Cultivate empathy and compassion.  Be generous, patient and kind.  Go for it, be an Artist.
3. Train your mind.  Develop focus, clarity and insight.  Recognize the natural stability of your mind and use it in your pursuit of happiness.

Eye Glasses.

One who has seen clearly will seek out glasses to enable himself to see if his vision becomes impaired.  He knows what he is missing, how it serves as a hindrance to his activity.

One who has never seen clearly and whose vision has always been impaired will not seek out glasses.  Why would they?  They get along just fine. 

The one who has seen will always strive to maintain his vision.  The one who has never seen has to be shown directly what they are missing, to see the alternate reality with their own eyes.

How does your vision affect your reality?  What details are you unable to see and how does that shape your experience of the world around you?  Do you value the ability to see clearly, honestly, and truly?