To Be Continually Thrown Out Of The Nest

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Hand-drawn art by Rupali Bhuva
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Etre continuellement jeté hors du nid
-- de Pema Chodron

Nous pensons que si nous méditions assez, faisions du jogging ou mangions des aliments parfaits, tout serait parfait. Mais du point de vue de celui qui est éveillé, c’est la mort. Rechercher la sécurité ou la perfection, se reposer sur des sentiments affirmés et entiers, indépendants et confortables, c’est une sorte de mort. Il n’y a pas d’air frais. Ca ne laisse aucune place pour que quelque chose puisse entrer et interrompre le tout. Nous tuons le moment en contrôlant l’expérience. Faire cela, c’est nous préparer nous-même un échec, car tôt ou tard, nous allons rencontrer une expérience que nous ne pourrons pas contrôler : notre maison va brûler, quelqu’un que nous aimons va mourir, nous allons apprendre que nous avons un cancer, une brique va tomber du ciel et nous heurter la tête, quelqu’un va renverser du jus de tomate sur notre costume blanc, ou bien nous allons arriver à notre restaurant préféré et découvrir que personne n’a commandé de produits à la cuisine alors que sept cents personnes sont venues pour le déjeuner.

L’essence de la vie est qu’elle représente un défi. Parfois, c’est délicieux, et parfois, c’est amer. Parfois, votre corps se crispe, et parfois il se détend et s’ouvre. Parfois, vous avez un mal de tête, et parfois vous vous sentez 100% en bonne santé. D’un point de vue de l’éveillé, essayer de régler tous les points de détails et finalement les résoudre, c’est la mort, car cela implique de rejeter énormément de votre expérience basique de vie. Il y a quelque chose de violent dans cette approche de la vie, lorsque l’on essaye de lisser tous les points rugueux et les imperfections afin de transformer ce voyage en quelque chose de lisse et parfait.

Etre entièrement vivant, entièrement humain et complètement éveillé, c’est être continuellement jeté hors du nid. Vivre entièrement, c’est être constamment dans un no-man’s-land, expérimentant ainsi chaque moment comme étant complètement nouveau et frais. Vivre, c’est vouloir mourir encore et encore. Du point de vue de l’éveillé, c’est ça, la vie.

La manière de dissoudre notre résistance à la vie, c’est la rencontrer en face-à-face. Lorsque nous éprouvons une contrariété parce que la pièce est trop chaude, nous pourrions accueillir la chaleur et sentir sa fougue et sa lourdeur. Lorsque nous éprouvons une contrariété parce que la pièce est trop froide, nous pourrions accueillir le froid et sentir sa froideur et son mordant. Lorsque nous voulons nous plaindre de la pluie, nous pourrions plutôt sentir son humidité. Lorsque nous nous inquiétons du fait que le vent fasse trembler nos fenêtres, nous pourrions accueillir le vent et écouter son bruit. Arrêter de chercher des remèdes à tout, est un cadeau que nous pouvons nous offrir à nous-même. Il n’y a pas de remède pour le chaud et le froid. Ils existeront toujours. Après notre mort, le flux et reflux continuera. Comme les marées de la mer, comme le jour et la nuit – c’est la nature des choses.

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Questions pour faire germer la réflexion : Comment vous identifiez-vous au fait que régler tous les points de détails, c’est la mort ? Pouvez-vous partager une expérience lors de laquelle vous aviez pu totalement saisir le fait d’être continuellement jeté hors du nid ? Qu’est-ce qui vous aide à vivre totalement, et expérimenter chaque moment comme étant complètement nouveau et frais ?
Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that finally getting it all together is death? Can you share an experience of a time you were able to fully embrace being continually thrown out of the nest? What helps you live fully, experiencing each moment as completely new and fresh?

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10 Past Reflections
AM
Jul 28, 2020
Am in deep reflection because i have and i am continuously being thrown out of my nest. But I was and continue to be reactive and not responding. I have cribbed, ranted and resisted and considered myself to be an unfortunate being. The chosen one to be put through the test of fire.
Pema Chodren's words come as fragrance. I could have been fully alive but i then thought i was gong through death. Here is yet another opportunity for me to be fully alive. I shall embrace being thrown out of the nest because I want to live life in all its glory. Thank you for this fresh teaching.
AJ
aj Jul 31, 2020
AMEN Ambika! You have "been chosen" ... for His glory!✨
KI
Jul 28, 2020
Nice reflections, i'm just reading a book , called Miracles of development subtitle plant-human-project , the author J D van Mansvelt ( Dutch and this book is just released in Dutch) is analyzing the development plants, and gives examples that when a knot os formed, the plant is changed because the leaves are spouting out, or eventually a flower or blossom, next stage a fruit; He calls it metamorphose ( like a caterpillar is becoming a butterfly) The relation with humans is evaluation by changes like, sickness, accidents, divorce etc , than your mind nad body is shifting to a new phase , he explains that the death could have the same effect. My English is not brilliant and i will ask him if we could translate a summary of this book in other languages. For my own experiences my life changes a lot after a severe car accident, the suicide of my first husband, the death of my sister ( at 46); and the moment that my husband and me stepped out of the " ratrace" and decided to l... View full comment
PS
Pankaj Shah Jul 28, 2020
The book seems quite intriguing. I hope that we can have it translated or summarized in English. Thank you!
MR
Jul 28, 2020
For me, getting it all together is embracing the ebbs and flow of life with courage; its believing that spirit never dies. 
SU
Jul 28, 2020
"Impermanence is the only permanence' said Buddha. There is no constant stable but only continuous changeand that is actually the life in reality. As and when one achieves freedom from the cycle of birth and death then only there is wholesomeness and completeness.
YV
Jul 28, 2020
Years ago, I read the words...it took me years to see what these words were really saying...it is cyclical .
Life ..death and Resurrection....is an ever going returning and returning...not like I'd been brought up to believe....a bit like the earth was flat....and that changed my perspective....I could now see the good in the bad...and I realised it was all energy...coming in and going out....even the sea shore spits out what is no longer life giving.....and I knew it was up to how I chewed it out or could not digest it....no blame ...and I began to feel free.
ME
me Jul 31, 2020
Oh my! This is wisdom to the greatestdegree!
DD
Jul 25, 2020
As I see, birth and death, beginning and ending are always. I don't think getting it all together is death -- I believe getting it all together, which I've never achieved, would be glorious life, not death. I think I never fully embrace being continually thrown out of the nest. I embrace it in the sense that I know and accept that everything is constantly changing, that I live in the unknown and control very little if anything. However, while everything is constantly changing, most of the changing is such that I feel consistency and stability as I live my routine in my nest. Occasionally a major change throws me out of the nest such that I very much feel it. I don't like or embrace major unwanted changes, especially as they're happening. Once upon a time I left a career path. I threw myself out of a particular nest into the unknown. Initially I felt terrified and second guessing of myself which quickly gave way to feeling free, open, and excited in my moving on. It was ... View full comment
JP
Jul 24, 2020
If we want to live life fully, we need to let go and free ourselves from the grip of the past and the grip of the future. We need to release the grip of holding on to the past as well as future and live fully in the present moment. In order to fill the cup of my life fully I need to empty my cup. We need to be thrown out of the old nest.Otherwise I live a life unfulfilled. It is by letting go I receive the gifts of living fully. These kindsof paradoxical sayings come from most of the wisdom traditions.Pema Chodronrepresents the Buddhist perspective of living Mindfully. I have been learning how to embrace life fully by throwing out of the old nest. Every morning I wake up I practice mindfulness that helps me to live fully in the present moment. I try to maintainmindfulness in taking care of my everyday tasks. I live fully in the present moment. There are times when the old habitual or conditioned patterns of behaviortake over me. I fly back to the old nest. I wake up and realize that I ... View full comment