In post-meditation, be a child of illusion.

Photo by Mechelle Hyatt

          I was at a social gathering the other night and had the good fortune to sit next to an agreeable eight-month-old. She had just gotten fitted with a pair of glasses; her mom told me she had been enthusiastically exploring everything since she could now see with clarity. She picked up my hand and turned it over, examining the lines and spots as intently as she did the ring I wore. As she investigated with wonder, I realized she was a perfect representation of curiosity. While I may be able to maintain a similar inquisitiveness on the meditation chair, continuing to do so as I go through the day is a greater challenge. It's easier to pull a folder from my mental file cabinet and react in line with past patterns. There is a tendency to label an experience as the “same old same old” rather than seeing it with fresh eyes. I forget that each moment is new, and instead heap my opinions and preconceptions on top of it. The sixth slogan encourages me to carry the quality of openness into my daily life. If I look with the curiosity of a child, I might discover that moments aren’t quite so monotonous and predictable as I thought.

A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop our curiosity, not caring whether the object of our inquisitiveness is bitter or sweet.  To lead a life that goes beyond pettiness and prejudice and always wanting to make sure that everything turns out on our own terms, to lead a more passionate, full, and delightful life than that, we must realize that we can endure a lot of pain and pleasure for the sake of finding out who we are and what this world is, how we tick and how our world ticks, how the whole thing just is. ~ Pema Chödrön

For more information on the sixth slogan, go here.