There is nothing confusing about pain. It is clear, pure and free and definitely not about us. It simply is.
Why pile suffering on top by claiming it with pointless thoughts and stories about it?
Pain is inevitable, suffering optional.

Dawn
Freezing air
Harsh and raw
Ungraspable pain
The great teacher

Can we attend to the raw actuality of experience without the accompanying psycho-dramatic narrative?

What do we mean when we say we ‘deserve’ something?

The realm of thought, concepts and stories is complex and confusing. Open, unimpeded awareness is clear, simple and free from interpretation. Inquiry without analysis.
Freedom from the tyranny of ego.

For the awakened mind nothing changes, everything stays the same but for our point of view. Instead of seeing ourselves and the world from some independent separate vantage point we recognise we are the world and and world is us. There is still pain but it is not ours to claim and own. There is joy but it is the joy of everything. Everything is included and nothing left out. We are not things but open space for everything to arise and pass away without hinderance.

Cars rush past
like waves on the beach
Thoughts roll in and break apart
Looking and not finding
Seeing what was never lost

“The infant sees a sparrow dancing on his window ledge and he’s all full of wonder and awe. The infant is brimming with excitement and he rushes to …

Just a sparrow

Realising there is nothing specific that we actually need except the simple acceptance of everything that arises.

When the thinking mind tries to figure things out, confusion appears. But right here, right now is not confusing at all.

Joan Tollifson