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I get so inspired every time I absorb one of your exquisite and brilliant writings.

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Bruce, as usual, inspiring and thoughtful. Rather than one rather large response, I will comment on specific pieces.

re: "barzakh" - I had to look it up (of course) - sounds like the Buddhist Bardo - and the bottom line is that we are all in "a" bardo all the time.

re: "seeking a connection" - I think you should! I certainly did in all my dates, only to find many prospective partners scared away by the intensity. But each encounter is another chance to experience a bardakh, to experience a mystery and possibility. And as far as the Elephant Journal goes, it seems like it is totally catering to particular young woman egoic reaction streams. Titles like "It's ok to never go out because you are so vulnerable" and "It's ok not to experience pleasure in sex"

re: "emotional labor" - of course! If I may be so bold, your heart was not broken, it was ripped wide open and you have a much more intense emotional connection with everything.

re: "hope" - The first thing that comes to mind is a Ram Dass story of talking to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (the great Tibetan tantra master) - Rinpoche said "The best place to stand is between hope and hopelessness" "If you cling to hope, you will have disappointmen t many times" "If you cling to hopelessness, you will separate yourself from life". And I would say that in my life (after THE day), the only hope I can possibly have is hope to be present, to be filled with unconditional love, to be somewhat aware and non-reactive. Even my move to New Mexico and a new life-partner didn't have any hope in it. It was just obvious as the next step and my work was (and is) to be present with what is. if NONE of it works out, that's the lesson that I need to be present with. if it ALL works out, that's the message. In either case, I consider it GRACE. My work is to be aware of the grace.

More later!

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