Not “Enlightenment”, but “Enlightenments”, plural. An ah-ha moment where one realizes something paradoxical, or ridiculous, or both, and suddenly gets freedom and peace (and, in my experience, a good laugh) about it.

The funny thing about the ones I’ve collected is that, until you “get” them–experience them as enlightenments–they seem like really bad news. A few years ago, I made a list of the ones of which I was aware–maybe half a dozen–and shared them with a friend. When I noticed the terrified look on her face, I realized how depressing it all sounded, and I was laughing about it.

“Are you… are you alright? You know you can call any time, any time at all, even in the middle of the night–” and I laughed. “No, no, this is good news, I promise!” and then proceeded like I was trying to explain a joke, with similar results.

Continue reading →

(See what I did there? ;-))

There’s a pitfall I found in my previously-discovered meditative trick: while my aim is to become unattached to the thoughts that enter my mind, it’s easy to go instead to a place of resistance–which is really just another form of attachment.

Continue reading →

This post consists of an anecdote that’s been making the rounds for ages, and several observations about how it’s manifesting itself in my life. It’s likely that you’ve heard or read this anecdote before.

I first saw the anecdote illustrated live, in church. (Minus the beer.) One of the leaders in the Young Women’s program in my church gave a presentation in front of the whole church involving a large jar, some heart-shaped pieces of wood with priorities written on them, and just the right volume of sand. It was beautiful. My mind was blown. Anecdote below the fold:

Continue reading →

One of the best things I ever did for myself was to let go of the persecution complexes (plural) that I was carrying around. In reality, nobody is oppressing me. I am not being oppressed. I basically have control over the limits that get placed on my life.

Continue reading →

I mentioned back in April that I had discovered, but not resolved, an attitude problem relating to how my life was turning out: that it was getting away from me. When I wrote the blog post, I did not yet have a strategy for transforming that attitude. In the intervening months, I’d basically forgotten about it. It came back to the fore about 2 weeks ago, in a new light.

Continue reading →