Enlightenment, Here and Now

Have I spoken enough of the practice of Awareness that it is included in a mindfulness practice?

Pema speaks of labeling our thoughts, "thinking."  But I wonder if the special focus of emotional recovery, might be in actually identifying our emotions.  Simply acknowledging, 
"I feel anger."  "I feel fear." "I am resentful towards my son, husband, mother, etc." This is also being precise, to identify what is moving in us, and not get carried away by it.

Admitting that we are feeling, and identifying the exact nature of it, creates free space around us. That sacred circle again.

We practice lovingkindness towards ourselves and open our hearts, "making friends with our body, speech, mind and  all the world inside our circle--our domestic situation, the people we live with, the house where we find ourselves" dwelling in. We look for the miracle in this one day.  Now.

To recall back to what it shared recently, "our life's work is to use what we have been given, [and to let that] wake us up."  Taking the first step and admitting powerlessness, is the place that those of us in program are given, so as to wake ourselves up.

The awakening takes most of us a few more than 12 steps or 12 days, but the awakening is possible the first time if we admit where we are powerless, and do so whole-heartedly.

Admitting powerlessness over my emotions continues to be easeful for me. I am wide awake when I am identifying where exactly my powerlessness lies. In what remains inside my sphere of influence,  I can discern my true power.

Remember how I shared that this is a process of making friends with ourselves?  Your cravings, your boredom, your feeling of not being enough.. all these and more are calling out for you to know and make friends with.

If you came here out because you are on the program path, maybe you sought healing. not this enlightenment bit I am sharing.  If you are reading this with a quirky interest in Chodron, maybe you are searching for enlightenment. 

Well, enlightenment seeker, I am giving you recovery! Recovery friends, I am sharing enlightenment!

Regardless I want you to realize this space we share together is not THE sacred circle. Our recovery rooms, even all joined together around the world, are not THE sacred circle.

Wherever YOU go in your life IS the sacred circle.  

This is what we all must realize. Yes it is good for us to  "stick to our vehicles." Some of us deepen our practice in program. Others, in church, or a Sangha. But our individual enlightenment is bigger than any particular way of "doing" our "right action" in whatever spiritual arena we decide to practice. 

"[B] egin to see the sacredness of everybody's wisdom and the fact that people discover the same truths through many avenues." 

WNE Ch 7.