Fresh on the end of deep misfortune. . .
“Misfortune only comes to make stronger souls of those that suffer. In the end, my son, whatever happens in this or any world is for the good of every creature; yet that is hard to remember when one suffers” - Mahabharata, Book Two ‘Sabha Parva’
With this I wholeheartedly agree. Obstacles do, in fact, make me stronger. A lotus does, indeed, flower in the mud. But goddamn, it’s hard to remember when fresh on the end of deep misfortune.
I recall the pain with stinging clarity of performing poorly (in my chosen sport, Australian Rules Football) when my team needed me most. And playing terribly - really, my worst - in the last match I ever played. I would always, eventually, put my hand up and admit that my performance, that my effort was not good enough. But boy, did I like to lay blame on others - usually coaches - when deep in the throws of post-match suffering.
Blame is almost always a red flag for dishonesty. Dishonesty with one’s self in regards to what it is that really needs to happen: Surrender. Letting go. But letting go of what? Letting go of the self-imposed boundary of who we think we are.
In the case of poor performance, one needs to let go of the idea that they are a perfect performer; one who never has a bad day out; one who knows it all.
“Dying to your own attachments is a beautiful death. Because this death releases you into real life. You have to die as a seed to live as a tree’ - Mooji
And what a beautiful realisation it is to acknowledge that you do not have all the answers. That you are still capable of learning, of growing, of getting better. That you are constantly evolving, and actualising your potential as you go.
This is why meditation is such a graceful practice. It allows us to develop a form of awareness that enables quicker recognition of the truth. Therefore when we experience suffering at the hands of misfortune we are quickly able to flip it in our favour and choose how we respond.
Rather than lay blame on others, we acknowledge our part in the unfortunate turn of events, and get to work! Does this mean we will never feel disappointment, hurt, or downright pain? Of course not. But if we bring compassion to our suffering rather then shame or blame, we are guaranteed to grow - and further realise our greatest gifts - with far greater ease and clarity than otherwise.
And as we go further in our meditation practice, deeper layers of understanding are revealed: an endless source of inspiration and wonder on this beautifully imperfect journey.
So, keen to get started? Hit me up as I’d love to introduce yo to the deep joy of a regular Meditation practice.