Embrace suffering, and you transform your relationship with what causes you to suffer, as well as your relationship with suffering itself.
AdyashantiRead
The willingness to not bypass illusion is very important. We come to nirvana by way of samsara. We come to see the true nature of things by seeing through the illusory nature of things. We don't come to nirvana by avoiding samsara. We don't come to clarity by avoiding confusion.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding reality requires facing illusions rather than avoiding them.
This quote emphasizes the importance of confronting the illusions and complexities of life, suggesting that true enlightenment and clarity come from engaging with our experiences, including confusion and suffering, rather than trying to escape them. It implies that the path to understanding and inner peace is through the difficult journey of facing reality head-on.
Themes
NirvanaSamsaraIllusionClarityReality
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mindfulness, one might quote this to illustrate the importance of embracing all aspects of life.
More from Adyashanti
All quotes →If we do not live and manifest in our lives what we realize in our deepest moments of revelation, then we are living a split life.
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Awareness isn’t something we own; awareness isn’t something we possess. Awareness is actually what we are.
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Our illusions-the beliefs we hold on to-are the very doorways to our freedom. We simply have to enter through them without grasping or pushing away. We must not believe them, but we must not run away from them either. We need to see each moment of apparent bondage as an invitation to freedom. Then it becomes an act of love, an act of compassion, to stop running away.
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Let go of all ideas and images in your mind, they come and go and aren’t even generated by you. So why pay so much attention to your imagination when reality is for the realizing right now?
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The joke of it all is that you are looking from your true nature right now without knowing it. If you would stop being fascinated with the contents of your mind, you would experience what I am saying. Feel your way into what I am saying rather than thinking about it. Only a self-concept looks and longs for God. Drop your self-concept and there is only God meeting God. Enlightenment is the restoration of cosmic humor.
AdyashantiRead
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