Back to work

work
OK, so it really isn’t work for me to practice or study the dhamma. But having taken what I called a day off yesterday, this seemed like the appropriate title for today.
So how was it, taking a day off, you ask?
Quite honestly, I found it almost no different than any other day. I did have somewhat of an awakening however.
I found out that life does not take a day off. And that my practice has truly become a part of me.
Moment by moment and situation by situation, mindfulness and compassion arose in my consciousness. These qualities, along with loving kindness, are not just something I turn on or turn off.
There is no “day off” from these, nor would I want there to be.
This is not to say that there is not effort in these, but they have become more involuntary in the way I handle each situation as it occurs.
I can see now that this is my training and practice. It seems that I have developed some level of mindfulness that is not driven or controlled by impulses or reactions. How wonderful that is!
Suffering is not gone, daily challenges are not gone, but how I naturally view them has now changed. There is an acceptance of these things, and a freedom from desire to control them.
Perhaps my practice is really like a vacation every day.
Isn’t that the idea of a day off, to truly be peaceful and happy?
So I see now that thanks to the Buddha, the dhamma, and the sangha, along with the loving encouragement of the Monks and Nun of the Blue Lotus Temple, I am beginning the cessation of suffering.
I am so grateful for this, and grateful for the gentle love and kindness of my Family.
For now I see that there is no need for a day off.
Each day filled with loving kindness, compassion and acceptance, are each wonderful days filled with wonderful moments.

May you be well, happy and peaceful.