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Duhkha and pain clinging

It occurs to me that what clinging to pain does is allow us to predict the future.  When you are not pointing your feelings in certain directions, into certain forms, by the pain you allow to continue, then it is impossible to know what you will be feeling in the future.  It is a trackless space.

Pain gives you a place, and a time, and that is as close to a given path as we get in this life.

But life is about getting lost, over and over.  You learn in the lost places.  You can only maintain when you are securely found.

And I was pondering this whole Beginner’s Mind thing.  Neurologically, it is virtually impossible for an adult to approach anything without prior conditioning entering the picture.  But what IS possible is to enter into each moment with curiosity.  Curiosity implies emotional openness.  It is an open searching for anything unknown and new.

As I’m sure I’ve said before, my code has 2 things not to do, and one TO do.  The only affirmative value is “be curious”.  The other two–don’t feel sorry for yourself, don’t quit–support the third.  You just have to hang on until you can spark your latent capacity for seeking out learning and novelty.  That then pulls you through life, and it is much easier.