Many years ago, one of my very first meditation teachers gave us a solid piece of advice: “Life is your best teacher. Allow life to be your teacher.”

Now more than ever, I am finding this simple wisdom to be consummately true. 

Looking back over the last 25 years, the times of the most dramatic transformation have been the periods when I struggled to accept what was happening in life: dealing with chronic illness, grieving a loss, or grappling with fear about the future. As the pandemic continues to shift and change, many of us continue to face such uncertainty.

It is during these times that we are forced to confront ourselves, the truths of being alive, and discover the depth of our own resources.

In such moments, allowing life to be our teacher is more than a fanciful idea. If we can humble ourselves enough to hear what life has to teach us, everything we need to learn is right here in front of us. 

The deepest spiritual realizations are not far away. They are intimately close – so close that we overlook them. Life is continually revealing its nature to us: everything changes; holding on and trying to control hurts; we’re all connected. 

What if your deepest teacher were already right here in front of you? What would it take to really hear what life is offering? What if the times we are living in and all that they bring were an essential ingredient in our personal and collective liberation?

If you’d like to reflect on this further, check out this meditation and Dharma Talk I offered last Sunday for the Community Meditation Center in New York.

Kindly,

Oren