Since I wrote my last post about the stability of intention, compared to emotions, my father died.
I can remember so vividly how important that insight was during one of the most difficult weeks of my life. The week I thought my father was getting better, until he turned so quickly for the worse. In the end he had a more peaceful death than any of us could have hoped for. I owe that, I believe, to my grounding in The Way of the Bodhisattva.
And now as long as space endures,
As long as there are beings to be found,
May I continue likewise to remain
To drive away the sorrows of the world.
It has been my intention in the last three months, to tranform my grief into strength. I think I'm getting there. But it's also ok to let that grief be. Stability is a good goal, but it's not the objective. That is balance and balance means having the equanimity to stay poised in difficult situation.
To drive away the sorrows of the world, it's good to have a light. But it's essential also to be able to see in the dark.
