THE IN BETWEEN STATE

The following is some PRETTY POWERFUL STUFF

I suggest you take the time to read it. I took the time to type it, so please read it :)


"It takes some training to equate complete letting go with comfort. But in fact, "nothing to hold on to" is the root of happiness. There's a sense of freedom when we accept that we're not in control. Pointing ourselves toward what we would most like to avoid makes our barriers and shields permeable. This may lead to a don't- know- what- to -do kind of feeling, a sense of being caught in-between. This in-between state is where the warrior spends a lot of time growing up.

Anxiety, heartbreak and tenderness mark the in-between state. It's the kind of place we usually want to avoid. The challenge is to stay in the middle rather than buy into struggle and complain. The challenge is to let it soften us rather than make us more rigid and afraid. Becoming intimate with the queasy feeling of being in the middle of nowhere only makes our heart more tender. When we are brave enough to stay in the middle, compassion arises spontaneously. By not knowing, not hoping to know, and not acting like we know what's happening, we begin to access our inner strength.

Dwelling in the in-between state requires learning to contain the paradox of something's being both right and wrong, of someone's being strong and loving and also angry, uptight and stingy. In that painful moment when we don't live up to our own standards, do we condemn ourselves or truly appreciate the paradox of being human? Can we forgive ourselves and stay in touch with our good and tender heart?

When we find ourselves in a place of discomfort and fear, when we're in a dispute, when the doctor says we need tests to see what's wrong, we'll find that we want to blame, to take sides, to stand our ground. We feel we must have some resolution. We want to hold our familiar view. For the warrior, "right" is as extreme a view as "wrong". They both block our innate wisdom. When we stand at the crossroads, not knowing which way to go, we abide in prajna-paramita ( the perfection of wisdom). The crossroads is an important place in the training of a warrior. It's where our solid views begin to dissolve.

As we continue to train, we evolve beyong that little me who continually seeks zones of comfort. We gradually discover that we are big enough to hold somthing that is neither lie nor truth, neither pure not impure, neither bad nor good. But first we have to appreciate the richness of the groundless state and hang in there.

It's important to hear about the in-between state. Otherwise we think the warrior's journey is one way or the other; either we're caught up of we're free. The fact is that we spend a long time in the middle. This juicy spot is a fruitful place to be. Resting here completely---steadfastly experiencing the clarity of the present moment---is called enlightenment."

-Pema Chodron

Shared by David, Maggie, Joanne and Todd of SOBOYO