Cheer Up!

                                                    - Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

When things are going relatively smoothly in our everyday lives, it is easy to become complacent. We assume that everything that goes well will automatically continue. On the other hand, when life presents us with obstacles, we then assume that nothing will ever change, and we succumb to victimization and feeling powerless. In both cases we take whatever we are experiencing in the moment and project that feeling and belief into the future. In those situations, we do nothing more than recalling past experiences that reinforce our view of the way things are.

From our human perspective there seem to be only two alternatives: the glass is half full or the glass is half empty. However, in either case the glass itself does not make a statement. It is neither joyous by being full, nor sad by being empty. It just is a glass with water in it and the same is true for the situation we might find ourselves in. Our world just is! It is not a this-versus-that, good-versus-bad world. It simply is an interdependent world.

In the Buddhist tradition this interdependent world is the dance floor of bodhisattvas, who thrive in the dynamism of life. By recognizing that every sorrow invites a new compassionate response, the bodhisattvas’ way of being gives us a much broader perspective on our situation. Like bodhisattvas we are the ones who get to see the depth and breadth of erroneous thinking and confusion most clearly, and like bodhisattvas we can be present right in the midst of it all.

Life simply is! This insight allows for a more playful perspective. We still care about everything around us, but we are much less attached to the outcome. This is why at any moment we get to choose the invitation to just cheer up!

Affirmation: