Acceptance and Change

When we encounter experiences that we don’t like, our deeply conditioned tendency is to push them away. If we are touching a hot stove top, that makes sense.  When we are encountering a difficult emotional state, it can be counterproductive. Whether the source of unpleasantness is external or internal, mindfulness practice is always inviting us to be conscious of our deep conditioning so we can have freedom of choice. With acceptance we are also invited to take full responsibility for what arises so that we are not projecting or displacing our mental and emotional reactions on to others.

 

Rumi wrote "It is through love that pain turns to medicine".  How could this be?  How can loving awareness and self compassion practices turn emotional pain into something that heals rather than is a cause of suffering?  Change happens through acceptance rather that resistance or clinging. You are invited to listen as we explore these questions through mindfulness and compassion meditation, group sharing and a Dharma talk.

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