Unexpected Freedom

Unexpected FreedomThat is not meant to be flippant. Meditation is aboutpreparing ourselves. When we sit and walk in formalpractice, we are exercising our spiritual faculties. We aresharpening the tools of faith, energy, mindfulness,concentration and discernment so that we can be presentwhen the real teachings come to us. And of course the realteachings come with the flaring up of our wild passions. Informal meditation we prepare ourselves for our own life. It islike the way we eat food so we can live – not live so we can eat.Similarly we meditate so as to live; we don’t live to meditate.Knowing the ‘In-Between’Being rightly prepared for what comes to us means we arefully involved. All of our being is present, which means wecan draw on all possible resources for wise action. Hopefullyit won’t be anything like an atomic blast. Every daycircumstances arise in which we can feel the agony of beingnot fully present.We tend either to feel once removed from what ishappening, or to become entirely lost in it. Both tendenciesleave us with a sense of artificiality, however dramatic andsensational the situation may be. My understanding of theMiddle Way is that it’s possible to abide in-between these twomodes of limited being. From an ego perspective this ‘inbetween’feels insecure and thoroughly unattractive. But thisis not a problem – isn’t it what our Teachings tell us toexpect? Getting my way is not the Way, whereas the Way iswhat is true. With this contemplation our attention is drawntowards and becomes interested in the ability to abide in thisWay. We no longer react and object to feeling insecure andunsafe. We don’t like the feeling, but we cease being drivento divided or heedlessly absorbed states by its appearance.148