You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
in stillness, I watched myselfget eaten by mosquitoes... the itch was maddening at first but eventually it just melded into a general burning feeling and i rode that heat to a mld euphoria. I allowed the pain to lose its specific associations and become pure sensation... and that eventually lifted me out of myself and into meditation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how accepting and transforming pain can lead to a deeper state of awareness and meditation.
In this quote, Elizabeth Gilbert explores the concept of transforming discomfort into a meditative experience. Initially, the sensation of being bitten by mosquitoes is irritating, but by allowing herself to embrace the pain and transforming it into a general sensation, she transcends her physical discomfort and enters a state of meditation. This highlights the idea that by shifting our perspective on pain and discomfort, we can achieve a greater sense of self-awareness and inner peace.
Themes
StillnessPainMeditationSensationEuphoria
In practice
Example use cases
During a mindfulness workshop, I shared this quote to illustrate how embracing discomfort can lead to greater self-awareness.
More from Elizabeth Gilbert
All quotes →Do not apologize for crying. Without this emotion, we are only robots.
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I had always been taught that the pursuit of happiness was my natural (even national) birthright. It is the emotional trademark of my culture to seek happiness. Not just any kind of happiness, either, but profound happiness, even soaring happiness. And what could possibly bring a person more soaring happiness than romantic love.
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When I tried this morning, after an hour or so of unhappy thinking, to dip back into my meditation, I took a new idea with me: compassion. I asked my heart if it could please infuse my soul with a more generous perspective on my mind's workings. Instead of thinking that I was a failure, could I perhaps accept that I am only a human being--and a normal one, at that?
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And when you sense a faint potentiality for happiness after such dark times you must grab onto the ankles of that happiness and not let go until it drags you face-first out of the dirt - this is not selfishness, but obligation. You were given life; it is your duty to find something beautiful within life no matter how slight.
Elizabeth GilbertRead
But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.
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