Transcription
If you recognize that life is difficult, that it's in the nature of life to be difficult, then it's not difficult anymore. And so what does he mean?
If you are only here as the person, it's it doesn't make much sense. So if and even if your mind tells you I can't quite work out what it is he's talking about. Of course he can't. It's not the mind that can understand it. It can you you can only understand the essence of it by touching that in you that resonates with it. So if it feels good to sit here and listen that's means it's working because that means that in you that responds to it and is this of the same is emerging and that's all it does not depend on in increased intellectual understanding of spirituality. That that may come as a byproduct occasionally here and there but that is not what gets you there. So it's not based on intellectual understanding. In a way it's almost the opposite of that.
Have the courage to go into that place rather than thinking you need to know everything. Have the courage to embrace the state of not knowing. And that's the state when you walk around the campus and you perceive without needing to have some interpretation of what it is you're perceiving. So you don't know anymore. So you have the courage to embrace inhabit be the state of not knowing.
In the same way when I come start giving a talk I don't know what I'm going to talk about because I'm not giving the talk. I don't need to know. It would be a terrible burden if I had to know what I'm going to talk about. And so that's that is a wonderful and in in that state of not knowing there is a deeper knowing that is not a conceptual knowing there's a deeper knowing noncon it transcends conceptual knowing and that is the place where wisdom We have this beautiful word wisdom. That is the place where wisdom arises. That is the place of wisdom which is far deeper than intelligence. Many people are intelligent without a shred of wisdom. And it's a very dangerous condition. If humans develop and overdevelop the analytical mind and the ability of the analytical mind to do things without any wisdom, they well it's happening already has happened. They create havoc. And so those who are not in touch with that just cultivating the mind is not only danger dangerous for the world it's also dangerous for the individual because ultimately it leads you to madness.
So this is a great adventure, the adventure of consciousness awakening to itself. And what could be more enjoyable than feeling that you are part of that? You are consciousness awakening through this particular short-lived form. You are the universe awakening. It's an evolutionary an awakening of consciousness. You're not just a little person. You are something much deeper. And it it's it's the awakening of the universe. And as a byproduct of that, your so-called life becomes actually a more pleasant experience. That is a byproduct of awakening. It gets easier because doesn't mean there no stuff happening. Challenges continue to come at you. The universe is built in that way. That's how it's supposed to be. You are not supposed to have no more challenges in life. You are supposed to have many challenges and it's through the challenges that awakening happens after suff lot of suffering. At first challenges reduce more and more the pressure of suffering and the weight of suffering and then awakening happens through if without the challenges that you the life gives you you wouldn't be here I wouldn't be here and there's no they are not going to stop as you awaken spiritually but the way in which you deal with them changes and you begin to almost welcome them when they come because you recognize that is an inevitable part of existence on this dimension, a necessary part.
And of course it's already been expressed in this classical book the road less traveled which starts with a famous sentence life is difficult very profound statement true and the next sentence is I don't know it literally anymore but and if you if you recognize that life is difficult that it's in the nature of life to be difficult then it's not difficult anymore. And so what does he mean? I knew immediately what he meant so I never had to read the whole book. When you recognize I just to read the first paragraph. Yes, he got it. When you recognize that life is difficult meaning that challenges are inseparable from being here in this world and then you say oh and then you accept that life is diffic of course it's difficult that's why it's life so you then suddenly the inner resistance when challenges come isn't there anymore you you no longer go not another one I can't take it anymore Oh, or you you attack every challenge. I'm going to make it. I'm going to fight. That's not pleasant because you think they shouldn't be there. Do you regard things that happen as enemies? No.
So you comes a point of acceptance of oh there challenges come in many forms. It can be a very small challenge like a a little beetle crawling in your bed that's very small. I had one last night and then they grow bigger like but it's all fine. It's so you accept that that's in the nature of life and then it's not that difficult anymore. It's only really difficult when you think this should not be happening or you think why is this happening to me? Why is always me? Because everybody else seems to be okay. You look at them in the street and they all go and they don't seem to have any problems. But if you look more closely, you realize, oh no, they they have problems lots because they they don't look that happy. They try to in some countries they're better at hiding it. In the United States, they're quite much better at saying I'm fine. Then if you go to Russia, they tell you the truth that say I'm not happy. Not everybody but uh so enjoy this particular part of the adventure of life, the awakening and uh use the opportunity So that you're not just on on a retreat on the surface level, but a true retreat, an inner retreat from your usual self.