| Things that Annoy Us |
by Madisyn Taylor There are many stories of spiritual masters embracing the presence of an annoying student in their community. There is even one story that documents a teacher paying an irritating person to live among his students. From an everyday perspective, this is difficult to comprehend. We generally work hard to avoid people and things that we find annoying so they don't bother us.
From a deeper spiritual perspective, however, irritation can be an important teacher and indicator that we are making progress on our path. Being able to remain centered and awake even when we feel uncomfortable is much more impressive than doing so in an environment where everything is to our liking. No matter how good we are at controlling our circumstances, there will always be factors and people that we cannot control. How we respond to these experiences to a great degree determines the quality of our lives. The goal of spiritual development is not to learn to control our environment--which is more of an ego-driven desire. And while having some measure of control over our external reality is important, it is when we are confronted with a person or situation that irritates us and we can choose not to react that we know have made progress spiritually. It is when we have mastered our internal reality that we will have become the masters of our lives.
The more we try to eliminate annoyances, instead of learning to handle them gracefully, the further we get from developing the qualities that come with spiritual growth, such as patience, tolerance, and acceptance. It is often in the presence of people and experiences we find annoying that we have an opportunity to develop these qualities. Fortunately for most of us, our lives offer an abundance of opportunities to practice and cultivate these traits. |
DailyOM Course Spotlight Himalayan Wisdom for a Life Beyond Fear
by Anand Mehrotra Have you ever been excited and at the same time totally afraid? Has that fear held you back from living your life fully, totally? In this series, we will share with you seven deep wisdoms as taught by Anand and captured through in-depth, never before released footage from the award-winning documentary The Highest Pass and the soon-to-be-released TV series The Four Sacred Peaks. In addition to the breathtaking scenery, you'll experience Anand's unique ability to encourage those around him to rise up, to meet our true selves, and to realize our fullest potentials. Each lesson stands on it's own and can be revisited anytime. Not all of us can take the time or resources to travel to India for three weeks, but now you can be guided by a master as if you were there. And in time, we soon become the wisdom. Does fear still exist? Of course, but we learn to have more love than fear. To know how to rise above.
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4. How to Communicate Like a Buddhist
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7. Overcoming Self-Sabotage
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