Moving Forward

This was recently posted on the Dalai Lama’s Facebook page; “Although we are all the same in not wanting problems and wanting a peaceful life, we tend to create a lot of problems for ourselves. Encountering those problems, anger develops and overwhelms our mind, which leads to violence. A good way to counter this and to work for a more peaceful world is to develop concern for others. Then our anger, jealousy and other destructive emotions will naturally weaken and diminish.”

A gentleman by the name of Wong Wee Kiong responded, “It is ideal to have mutual concerns. But we are entering a cold period with less influences from religions, it is a very hard time ahead....

We are simply entering a time of change and we can either embrace it as an opportunity to release that, which is destructive and holds us back from being our best or we can hold on and resist change; continuing in our struggles and suffering. Life is what we make of it. To make room for the new we must grow and release the old that no longer serves our well-being.

Joy and peace are much desired qualities, but too often people look for these outside of themselves in other people and/or things and when they feel they are let down we blame others outside of ourselves. The truth is that our peace of mind and happiness dwell within us and are not dependant upon what is happening outside of ourselves. I know that this can be quiet a challenge, it means setting our egos aside. It’s all well and good to say just set your ego aside but how do we accomplish this? One way is to recognize that we are all profoundly connected, accept that the other person(s) is doing the best that they can at any given moment – even if it doesn’t seem that way to you. Other things are to look for common ground even if it means looking at your common flaws (which are just obstacles yet to be overcome). Even in being connected (spiritually and scientifically) we are still uniquely responsible for our own feelings, thoughts and actions. For instance there is a person you love who can’t love you back or not in the way you would like, it doesn’t mean you don’t deserve that love, just that perhaps that person isn’t the one capable of giving you what you want and deserve. Accept that our perception, though hopefully continuing to grow and evolve, is limited and different than others, even those close to us and sometimes especially those that are closest to us. Another big way to release ego is simply to recognize it. Well, how the heck do I do that? Whenever you feel hurt by someone’s words or actions that’s ego – you are looking outside of yourself for love, validation, happiness, etc. When you are falling in love with another person those feelings are still generated within you, just like anger, but anger is different. If you really remove yourself from your anger (don’t think about it or engage it in anyway) for a minute and a half, it will pass. That passing will give you the opportunity to chose a different perspective. That person who cut you off on the road didn’t do something to ‘you’; you were probably the last thing on their mind. Perhaps they are distracted because they just lost their child/parent/spouse, or they are in the middle of a divorce, just had a baby or lost their job/home. We may not be able to understand exactly how another person feels in a given situation, but we do understand things like stress/sorrow/suffering to some degree or another and this brings us to one more BIG way to let go of ego – compassion. Even the simple act of recognizing ego diminishes it. Releasing ego is the key to the doorway of freedom. If you believe that your joy lies outside of yourself you give up your power because then another can hold that and lord it over you. We may not always like everything that is happening in our lives, especially during challenging times, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up our peace of mind in the midst of our learning, growing and moving toward better things.  Even the seemingly worst things can turn out for the best.

The Chinese have long sought to crush Tibet and the Tibetan spiritual path, yet their efforts have accomplished something amazing that would have otherwise never have happened, they have given the WORLD the Dalai Lama and his teachings.

Perspective is everything, stretch yourself and look for the bigger picture.

I have been struggling these last few weeks with my ego and grief over a relationship that will never be what I want.

I know it can be difficult to let go; sometimes people aren’t capable of giving us what we desire, it doesn’t mean we don’t love or have compassion for them, but like I said before, sometimes we have to let go of people or things that are destructive, no longer serves us and holds us back from being the best that we can be. In letting go of the ego we let go of fear make room for love and move forward to healthier relationships and lives free of guilt and blame.