"since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?"-pema chodron
when i first wake in the morning....shall i choose to turn on the computer and sit down to check email.....or shall i choose to cultivate a relaxed state by sitting quietly with eyes closed and centered awareness on the breath?
when i feel myself getting triggered and the belly starting to tighten....shall i choose to shut down or get worked up into a frenzy.....or shall i choose to pause, creating some space in the moment to find a more open-hearted, compassionate, conscious way through.
when i encounter the urge to leave an uncomfortable feeling state.....shall i choose to latch onto whatever story-line is re-running at the moment, believing every word as to why i should get the hell outta there....or shall i choose to stop the momentum, shake my head with a sense of humor and lovingkindness, understanding that "aaahhh, yes, this is what we're all up against as humans....this strong, alluring urge to distract ourselves, to be off and running with our stories, and to leave the present moment as often as possible."
in "getting unstuck" pema chodron discusses how learning to stay with what is in the present (with a sense of humor and lovingkindness towards ourselves and the situation) is the basis of humility and compassion. she says, "if you see your own mind it is impossible to be arrogant." and once we become conscious of our own experience of how strong the urge to distract and leave is, the more compassion will grow inside of us for others when we see they are stuck. i love how pema says that instead of becoming PERFECT at this (there will always be relapses!), it humbles us and gives us enormous compassion for the human condition.
and so i bring to my days this pema-inspired inquiry....
"since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?"
-photo taken in cambodia, january 2008
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