In the words of Albert Einstein,
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Let your body settle,
Let your attention come home,
For the breath is here,
The ground is here,
And you,
My friend,
Are here.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Let those words echo gently.
This is not about avoiding the storm,
But learning to sit in the center of it,
Awake.
Each moment has a texture,
A tone.
Some moments feel dull,
Slow,
And stuck.
Other moments feel fast,
Restless,
And sharp.
And some are clear,
Calm,
And steady.
We don't always choose the energy,
But we choose how we meet it.
And what we feed will grow.
Where attention goes,
Energy flows.
That is the quiet wisdom behind the law of attraction.
It's not about control.
It's about care.
You see,
The first arrow are life events that are out of our control,
That happen.
But when we resist that first arrow,
When we resist what is,
We suffer.
And we add pain to pain.
That is the second arrow.
But when we see clearly,
Without grasping,
Without pushing,
We find the space between the arrow and our response.
This is what Vipassana offers us.
A way to see.
A way to pause.
And a way to choose wisely.
And we train this seeing through the four foundations of mindfulness.
By anchoring ourselves to the here and the now.
By bringing attention to our body,
Our feelings,
The mind.
Bring attention to your body.
Notice pressure,
Posture,
Breath.
Just let your body be a place of knowing.
No need to fix,
Chase,
Grasp.
Feel how the ground holds you in this moment.
Now notice the feeling beneath what's happening.
Is it pleasant?
Unpleasant?
Or neutral?
Let yourself name it gently.
This noticing helps loosen the grip before the second arrow arrives.
There's an opportunity even in the tug.
Now turn to the quality of the mind.
Is it busy?
Calm?
Foggy or bright?
For when you know the weather,
You know how to sail.
This awareness brings balance.
Clarity.
Now notice thoughts as they come and go.
Are they stories?
Memories?
Or worries?
Label them softly.
Thinking.
Judging.
You are not the thought.
You are the presence that sees it.
In the middle of thinking,
There is a still point.
To opportunity.
For even in the middle of difficulty,
Lies opportunity.
Now let everything unfold.
Let everything be.
Simply envision taking a step back.
From yourself.
To see.
As if it were a mirror.
Notice your breath.
Notice sensations.
Notice your feelings.
And notice your thoughts.
They're all coming and going.
And they're all held in awareness.
In the middle of this moment.
In the middle of this storm.
This is the path.
This is the practice.
That leads you to the door of opportunity.
So let go of effort.
Just rest,
My friend.
Let silence teach.
Begin to bring yourself back to the space beneath you.
And know when clouds arise and winds are loud.
Return again beneath the cloud.
For stillness speaks when stories cease.
And presence is the path to peace.
Because sometimes the only way out.
Is the way in.
May your mind,
Your body,
And your spirit.
Be abundant with peace.
Clarity.
And resilience.
To know that you can set in the center of the storm.
And find your opportunity.
Should you take the time to listen.
Until we meet again.
Namaste.
