Contemplative Monday

The following quote is taken from: 'Heart Advice, Weekly Quotes from Pema Chodron'

THE SENSATION OF BLISS

"A few years ago I was overwhelmed by deep anxiety, a fundamental, 

intense anxiety with no storyline attached.

I felt very vulnerable, afraid and raw.

While I sat and breathed with it, relaxed into it, stayed with it,

the terror did not abate.

It was unrelenting even after many days, and I didn't know what to do.

I went to see my teacher, Dzigar Kongtrul, and he said, "Oh, I know that place."

That was reassuring. He told me about times in his life when he had been 

caught in the same way.

He said it had been an important part of his journey

and had been a great teacher for him.

Then he did something that shifted how I practice.

He asked me to describe what I was experiencing.

He asked me where I felt it. He asked me if it hurt physically

and if it were hot or cold.

He asked me to describe the quality of the sensation as precisely as I could.

This detailed exploration continued for a while and then he brightened up and said,

"Ani Pema...That's a high level of spiritual bliss."

I almost fell off my chair. I thought,"Wow, this is great!" 

And I couldn't wait to feel that intensity again.

And do you know what happened?

When I eagerly sat down to practice, of course, 

since the resistance was gone,

so was the anxiety."