Awake, Not Awake, Awake...It's a Practice

At this week’s meditation class I learned that our practice is about "awakening" over and over. We will constantly have awareness and lose awareness. We practice to help ensure that we don't retreat into an excessive state of no awareness. Therefore, we should not judge ourselves negatively when we realize moments of not been living in an awakened state of mind.

Although awareness can sometimes be painful in the short term it yields real benefits over the long term. Fortunately, we get little glimpses of the goodness available to us in every single moment. This is where faith comes in. We need to have faith that everything is happening for a reason and will serve us well regardless of whether or not we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The challenge is to find peace in the present, in the middle of the apparent chaos, and trust. Once we do we can actually enjoy the moment.