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this dark age, what we think is good for us is bad for us, and what we
think is bad for us is good for us. As they say in golf, “If it feels
wrong it’s probably right.” We do not know what is good for us, and this
confusion perpetuates samsara, the setting sun. In fact, a sudden burst
of bravery is the only way to break the confused magnetic polarity
between good and bad. Like pulling two magnets apart, when we do it
slowly we can feel the intensity of the magnetic pull, but if we do it
suddenly, we break the karmic attraction. Leaping gives us perspective.
At that moment, we see what we should avoid. We may encounter turbulence
when we leap, which is simply the last gasp of the ego still trying to
reject what is good for us. Our
outrageousness in leaping does not come from insecurity, wildness, or
insanity. This kind of leap is a form of confidence, a confluence of
wisdom mixed with bravery. It has a quality of enlightened calculation
and chutzpa, awakened audacity. The Tibetan word is photsö,
“accurate assessment.” We have, through enlightened assessment,
calculated how to go beyond the magnetic pull of the setting sun. We
know deep inside that we can do it—and that we must do it. In
a nutshell, this moment of leap means not abandoning our life.
Constantly we must be engaging. The ability to be abrupt indicates
having a true sense of ourselves. We are not afraid to put ourselves on
the line. Since we are not cowardly, we are not intimidated by
unforeseen events. Trusting our training and our motivation toward
virtue gives us a constant springboard from which to leap. We no longer
camouflage ourselves intellectually in spiritual paraphernalia. There is
nothing to hide. In
the meditative discipline, this principle of abruptness is the notion
of going directly to the nature of one’s mind. If one does not suddenly
arise, one will inevitably get lost transitioning from the conceptual
mind of cowardice to the wisdom mind of bravery. The reason we leap is
that the wisdom mind is inherent and intrinsic. In Shambhala it is known
as “basic goodness.” At
any moment in our day we can take that leap of abruptness, the second
type of bravery. The more we practice jumping over fear, the more
natural and relaxing it will feel to be present. We will discover that
opportunities for bravery are happening continuously. Through the power
of the immediate moment, the world is always beckoning us to be brave.
When
we are free of deception, we are able to be fully present. Because we
are not looking behind our back, there is a feeling of readiness. We
feel immediate. Therefore, the second form of braveness is abruptness,
the ability to suddenly jump. Abruptness indicates that bravery is not
an indiscernible slow-swinging pendulum, where somehow we move
seamlessly from deception to bravery. Rather, abruptness is a sudden,
immediate, and noticeable experience of true bravery.
Sakyong
Mipham is the spiritual leader of Shambhala, an international network
of Buddhist meditation and retreat centers. He is the author of Turning the Mind into an Ally and Ruling Your World.
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