Cracks and all

We live in a society in which far too much emphasis is placed on the illusory notion of “hope”. We like hope. We imagine that we “need” hope. But hope, like the institutions that create that illusion, is not helpful and truly unnecessary.

Ani Pema Chodron writes, in her book When Things Fall Apart, “When things fall apart and we’re on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretise. The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that’s really swell.”

In our imperfect and impermanent world, shit happens. And it will happen regardless of our hope, our faith, our affirmations or our rituals. It’s not bad. It’s not good. It’s just, well… shit.

One of the beautiful strengths of the dharma path can be seen in the way that we learn to embrace our imperfections, and those around us, without judgment, anxiety or a need to “fix” them.

The talented artist, Barbara Bloom, notes that “(w)hen the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandise the damage by filling the cracks with gold.  They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful.”

The dharma is like that gold, which fills in the cracks, accentuates them, and celebrates them as part of the journey.

Too often, we imagine that Enlightenment is a destination or accomplishment to be had. It is, rather, the journey itself… cracks and all.

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

 

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