Unconditional Openness

The peace that we are looking for is not peace that crumbles as soon as there is difficulty or chaos. Whether we’re seeking inner peace or global peace or a combination of the two, the way to experience it is to build on the foundation of unconditional openness to all that arises. Peace isn’t an experience free of challenges, free of rough and smooth, it’s an experience that’s expansive enough to include all that arises without feeling threatened.                                                                                                                                       Pema Chodron

When I first read this quote, my immediate response was “Yes!  I want to be like this.”  I want to cultivate unconditional openness to all that arises and not feel threatened by unexpected or unpleasant events in my life.  Yet I struggled to stay open and accept those things in life that did not feel good in the moment or scared me for the future.

I think many of us can easily feel threatened if we unexpectedly lose money or a job or have a medical problem.  What if this unconditional openness that we long for is too hard for some of us to maintain in difficult circumstances?  What can we do when the events in our lives scare us and leave us feeling groundless?

These are the times when we can use Maybe to bridge the gap between our pain and the peace for which we yearn.  Maybe helps us open up to our current circumstances by reminding us that life will keep changing and we are never stuck.  The feeling of doom that seems to threaten us and our plans during a difficult time is replaced with the understanding that Maybe what is happening will have a good result, Maybe it will get better or Maybe we will weather through it regardless of the outcome.  Our pain is eased when we recognize that there are many more possibilities than the one we fear the most.

I have found peace with Maybe because now I have a place to sit quietly within the chaos of life.  I am often not threatened by what I don’t know.  Instead, I find myself sitting in the space of unconditional openness with the knowledge that life will always keep changing and offering me new opportunities.

Give it a try.  Maybe your life will be filled with more peace and tranquility.