Wave on Ocean

At some level we're well aware of the ever-changing, stressful, unsatisfactory nature of life. Buddhist psychology calls this "dukkha." Life is like riding a bike with a wobbly wheel - less than ideal, regardless of our best efforts.

It's an amazing spectacle watching shows like the X-Factor, where super-wealthy, often stunningly attractive, young judges decide the fates & fortunes of very talented contestants. The audience gets to feel vividly the divide between themselves and "the American dream".

But the fact is, we're all in this same unsatisfactory nature of life together. All of us experience constant change, aging, sickness, and eventual death - even superstars like the late great Whitney Houston. It's our common bond as human beings. Life is just as it is - the sooner we see & accept it as it actually is, the less we suffer.

When we don't isolate ourselves in our suffering, we open ourselves to feel compassion for all other human beings - we're in the same boat.

When we don't cling to a solid sense of self, we can open up to the depth of our being that is so much more. Our small sense of self is like a particular wave on the ocean. When we look more carefully, a wave is but a brief disturbance on the surface of a mighty, deep ocean - silent and still and spacious in its great depths.

Feeling for & abiding in the ocean, holding the wave ever so lightly.

It's worth watching Sammy perform Whitney Houston's "One moment in time" on X-Factor UK, 16min30sec into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpyifzf1UUE