Comments on: The pursuit.

By: Jason Parker

Jason Parker — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:25:16 +0000

Beautiful realization and a great reminder to us all. Thanks for this post.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:05:25 +0000

officially, it’s time to un-dog ear your copy of eat pray love and bury it.

By: Fran

Fran — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:58:05 +0000

hmmm. you are so right! surrendering to what ‘is’ is often the hardest thing to do, and a very worthy ‘pursuit.’ So often fear and denial keep us from being content with what is because we do not have the courage to face how amazing we are! This quote sums that up for me:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. ”

It is true that the natural tendancies and talents that live within us are amazing – holy even! I guess it is a balance of relaxing your ego and letting them be expressive and pursuing experiences that allow this to happen.

hmm. love this. I’m off to Italy tomorrow to sing my heart out! This is a great interchange for me to think about on my way. thanks again – you are officially in my google reader, lykens!

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:40:40 +0000

Very interesting. I have no argument but would like to point out instead that being content with what you have is a pursuit in and of itself, in fact, in might be one of the most difficult pursuits we face.

Being content with what you have, to me, also means exploiting talents, intelligence, skills and gifts granted. Those are things that aid in the pursuit of being content with what you have. If you have an immense talent and desire for something, then clearly you aren’t content with it laying dormant.

By: Fran

Fran — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:11:51 +0000

Allow me to react a little. I think this is a wonderful reflection on the art of actively living. It only takes a second of observing nature to realize that we have unlimited blessings all around us. But do we enjoy them. Do we go out and ‘pursue’ a sunset or pursue a perfectly green meadow. Not often enough!

But! In Buddhism we call the natural state of things – the way human life is set up – Dukkha. Dukkha means suffering. It’s sort of the way things are. But what the old wise men taught is that suffering comes out of being unsatisfied – craving more. The only issue I have with focusing on a pursuit is that it comes from the assumption that what ‘is’ is not enough. That you must attain happiness and that happiness is somewhere – out there. Somewhere beyond ourselves that we must attain – a wordly, conditional state of being. I think this pursuit might in the end cause more suffering – thus the cycle of life.

Cultivating a sense of joy with just being – just breathing- just living in the moment – can result in a steady stream of happiness!

Either way – I’m not going to sit on a lily pad and meditate all day on my ass – being in the happiness. I’m out in the world – pursuing my bliss – as you are. But I think a healthy balance of pursuit and sitting/breathing/living in the moment could maybe be the key. :)

Thanks for making me think today, Lykens!