Dear Jesse...

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Dear Jesse -
According to the Dalai Lama in "The Book of Awakening," the Sanskrit word for ignorance or confusion is avidya, which means “not knowing.” The Dalai Lama states, “there are several interpretations of what is meant by avidya according to the different philosophical schools and their various views of the fundamental Buddhist doctrine of anatman or no-self. However, the general meaning that is common to all the school is an understanding that there lies a fundamental ignorance at the root of our existence. The reason for this is quite simple. We all know from personal experience that what we deeply aspire to gain is happiness and what we try to avoid is suffering. Yet our actions and our behavior only lead to more suffering and not to the lasting joy and happiness that we seek. This must surely mean that we are operating within the framework of ignorance. This is how we experience the fundamental confusion at the root of our life.”

So true, isn’t it? Our path to happiness is inundated with the life stuff that knocks us down. It’s like running up a down escalator, or climbing a rope that has intermittent splashes of slippery oil on it. You can grab it and pull yourself up, but you’ll probably slip down a bit. And then when we do try to achieve that which makes us happy, something else has to give in order to get one step closer to our personal enlightenment. Perhaps this is karma; a reward system. The more we endure suffering or can learn from it, the greater the reward will be when we reach enlightenment. I wonder if this occurs on different levels. For instance, does an accomplished, wealthy actor feel fulfilled? She/he has all the money they could ever need, all of the recognition, but do they feel that sense of gratification that we are all searching for? Or perhaps there is someone who is married, with children, with a mortgage, a minivan, a dog, a cat, a house in suburbia, a 9-5 job, 2 weeks of vacation per year ...is that her/his nirvana? Is that gratification? Jesse, do you think that my mental illness is my suffering my path to genuine contentment? Are you content?
Love, Ana

Ana's Download of the Day - "The Wagon" - Dinosaur Jr. off of the album "Green Mind" Enjoy it!


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