Regardless of our understanding, difficult states continue
to come up, but we don’t focus on them. We just allow them to be there, allow
them to arise and do whatever it is they do, but continue to practice short
moments of resting as we are again and again. We begin to see that it all
arises within this space and we are that space. The sky is completely
unaffected by whatever is passing through it. The sky remains completely
unaffected and clear and by taking short moments we get to know that and we
gain confidence in it. We are that sky, too. We are not just the arisings.
We can’t hold onto any insight that might happen as a result
of resting as the awareness that we are. These objects of awareness that we
call insights arise only in the moment. Understanding only happens in this
moment, now this moment and now this moment. None of it can be grasped. Any insight
is just another object, another thought, no matter how beautiful. It can only
be enjoyed in the moment. The smoke takes a particular shape in this moment and
then it is gone.
We use the thoughts that arise to limit ourselves in many
ways; we tell ourselves what we can and can’t do. What arises doesn’t really
limit us in any way. It is like smoke taking the shape of steel bars and then
we believe we cannot move through it. We forget that it is just smoke. Understanding,
not understanding, getting it, not getting it – all of it is smoke taking one
or another shape and it is just us forgetting that it is simply smoke and we
can walk through it at anytime. We don’t need to do anything about it. We just
rest as we are and it will clear.
This smoke is what we are dealing with in every moment of
our lives. We believe we are dealing with reality but we are always just
dealing with smoke. We let smoke stop us from doing what needs to be done in
any moment. We just keep coming back to resting simply in this moment. As we
rely on this open space of awareness; the shapes that smoke takes no longer
hoodwinks us. Don’t be fooled – the smoke is still there and it will still make
frightening shapes, but we won’t be thrown by it any longer. We know what it is
and it can no longer scare us. By just resting in this moment, we have all we
need right now. There is nothing special about this. Yet, it can completely
transform our life.
