I came across the story about an ancient king who realized one day he was never at peace. His moments of happiness would instantly transform into bitterness and anger at the slightest disturbance. The king decided he no longer wanted to live in a perpetual state of unrest and sent for a wise man who was said to be enlightened. The king told the wise man that he would pay any price if he could give him something that would show him how to live in a state of wisdom, balance, and serenity.

The wise man told the king he could help him but the price would be more than his entire kingdom. So the wise man said he would offer it as a gift if the king vowed to honor it. The king agreed and the wise man left to retrieve his gift.

When the wise man returned, he handed an ornately carved box to the king. The box contained a simple gold ring inscribed with the words, This, too, will pass. When the king asked what it meant, the wise man told him whenever something happens — before you decide if it’s good or bad — touch the ring and remember the inscription: This, too, will pass. Therefore, whatever happens, the wise man told the king, you will always be at peace.

Nonattachment: The path to freedom

The saying, This, too, will pass, can offer comfort in bad situations, but how does it apply to times of happiness and joy? When we live in a state of fear and resistance to what is, even the good times are often clouded with a sense of dread. As if to say, “Don’t get too comfortable being happy, because you’re due for something awful to happen.”

The truth is we live in a perpetual state of change and impermanence. Our bodies, our planet, and the universe are always changing and are temporary.

When we begin to grasp that every good or bad thing the world has to offer is a temporary blip in cosmic time, we can detach from worldly things and view the events in our lives from a higher vantage point.

Once you see and accept the transience of all things and the inevitability of change, you can enjoy the pleasures of the world while they last without fear of loss or anxiety about the future.

Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

Being detached may sound cold and uncaring, but in fact, it’s quite the opposite. When we’re detached from worldly things and outcomes, we can deeply love and appreciate what we have without placing impossible demands on people, situations, and the world: make me happy, fulfill me, give me a purpose. The world cannot and will not give us lasting joy, peace, and meaning. Not now. Not ever. And when we drop the expectation that it can (or should), our self-created suffering ends.

Without attachment, we can experience the good times and the bad from a much deeper place of knowing. We can love another from the depths of our being rather than from our wants and needs. And we can experience bad situations without being completely taken over by them.

It doesn’t mean we won’t experience pain, heartbreak, or grief; we will. But it won’t consume us. There will be space around the situation — the deep peace of inner knowing. The peace that surpasses all understanding.

Accessing the Inner Dimension

Awareness

Awareness is the key. Becoming aware of the stillness within us — in the background of our thoughts — is the gateway to freedom from suffering. It’s there waiting for us to recover it from the depths of our mind-made self. If you’re still reading this, then that dimension — the spiritual dimension — has opened for you. I’d love to tell you: That’s it! Congratulations! Welcome to Nirvana! But that’s not how it seems to work for most of us.

This video by Jim Carrey sums up my spiritual awakening thus far:

Like Jim, I have touched the eternal. I have glimpsed the bliss of Nirvana. But only for moments here and there. I don’t live in that state all the time. However, the moments have grown longer and an underlying sense of peace has taken hold. And I’m so very, very, grateful for that. It’s changed my outlook, my life, my understanding of this world, and my place in it. It’s a BIG realization and it’s available to all of us.

Meditation

So, begin with awareness and make becoming aware of your thoughts your daily meditation practice. Then, actually meditate, every day. Yes, you can. I’m learning to meditate, and if I can do it, just about anyone can. My patience was once compared to that of a gnat . . . Check out this post on meditation for ADHD and “Fidgety Skeptics”.

Meditation is NOT about not having thoughts. It’s about becoming aware that thoughts are happening to you. Do you see what’s happening? When we watch our thoughts, a new dimension comes in. Our Higher Self has awakened.

For many of us, spiritual awakening is a daily practice of awareness. A practice that helps us remember that whenever we are upset by someone or an event, it’s never the person or situation that’s the problem. It’s our attachment and thinking about the situation that’s caused all the distress.

Touch the proverbial ring and remember the phrase: This, too, will pass. And be at peace.

With You on the Journey,

Jackie

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