A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall.

Onlookers feared for his life. But miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls.

People asked him how he managed to survive.

“I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived.”

Explanation Of The Wisdom

One of the greatest obstacles to enjoying the present moment and valuing what we have is resistance to life’s events.

In fact, here is the formula.

• Suffering: Discomfort * Resistance
• Healing: Discomfort * Acceptance

By looking at these two equations, it will be easy to see how resistance creates suffering in our lives. Remember that pain exist. Discomfort exists. But suffering is optional. If you simply accept the discomforts of life, you can turn this into an opportunity to heal your psychology.

Choose the better path. The path of purification where you even accept the pain and let it heal you. You currently resist life’s difficulties and say:

“I wish I had more money.”

“I wish my life was more exciting”

“If only I could convince her to marry me.”

Life will be torture if you continue to resist what happens in the present moment.

Since this strategy doesn’t work, let’s try a different approach.

Even if things do not seem at their prime, even if situations less than desired at the moment, accept them nonetheless. Don’t want it to change and improve. Try to figure out a way to be happy regardless of the circumstances.

Unconditional happiness requires for you to accept every moment as it is. Be content with it no matter what.

If your business is not going anywhere, then learn to live peacefully with this uncertain process.

If you just moved to a new country and you feel lacking because of loneliness, instead of trying to find someone right away, contemplate why can’t you be at peace being alone? Why do you need to have someone around you? 

You might have conditioned your happiness to other people.

If your life takes an unexpected turn, just remind yourself that nothing that which happens in the external world can make you unhappy. 

Stop giving the external situations the power to make you sad or happy. Because this is fully in your power. Access something permanent within. Something that doesn’t change with the whims of the universe.

There is one things that stays with you until you die. Your being. Your essence.

To realize this, you must meditate and self enquire.  In essence, you must start living from the present moment. This requires concentration, awareness and mindfulness skills.

There is only one way to put this wisdom into practical living: start a daily meditation practice and start an investigation towards enlightenment.

Theory, debates, reading, listening, talking, arguing and knowledge will only get you so far. 

You must “walk the talk”.

If in doubt, remember the priceless wisdom.

“Meditate on the breath (mindfulness meditation to build concentration and awareness skills) and then self-enquire (the teachings of Ramana Maharshi) until you are free of all psychological sufferings and ego. (aka enlightenment)

Do this everyday and trust in the process that eventually your mind will be healed.

Why?

Because all good things require training and patience.

Know that as long as you do the work, the results will eventually follow.”

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