It All Goes Wrong Anyway, by Ajahn Brahm

Todo va mal de cualquier manera
- por Ajahn Brahm (Mar 16, 2015)

Vivas donde vivas—en un monasterio, en una ciudad o en una tranquila calle con árboles—siempre experimentarás problemas y dificultades de vez en cuando. Esa es precisamente la naturaleza de la vida. Así que cuando tienes problemas de salud no deberías decir: “Doctor, algo va mal conmigo, estoy enfermo”, sería mejor que dijeses: “Algo va bien, estoy enfermo hoy.” Va con la naturaleza del cuerpo humano enfermarse de vez en cuando. Es también la naturaleza del sistema séptico necesitar que sea desatascado cuando menos te lo esperas y la naturaleza del calentador de agua, romperse a veces. Es la naturaleza de la vida funcionar de esta manera. Aunque luchemos como seres humanos para intentar hacer que la vida sea benevolente con nosotros y con los demás, sin embargo es imposible asegurar lo que va a pasar.
Siempre que experimentes cualquier dolor o dificultad, siempre recuerda uno de los más profundos significados de la palabra sufrimiento: Pedirle al mundo algo que no va a poder darte. Esperamos y pedimos cosas imposibles al mundo. Pedimos la casa y el trabajo perfecto y todas esas cosas por las que trabajamos duro para construir y conseguir que funcionen de manera perfecta en el momento y lugar adecuados. Por supuesto, esto es pedir algo que nunca nos va a poder ser dado. Pedimos una profunda meditación e iluminación, aquí y ahora. Pero el universo no funciona así. Si pides algo que el mundo no puede darte, estas pidiendo sufrimiento.
Así que si tanto si trabajas o meditas, por favor, acepta que las cosas irán mal de vez en cuando. Tu trabajo no es pedir cosas que el mundo no puede darte. Tu trabajo es entender, aceptar, y dejar ir. Cuanto más luches contra tu cuerpo, tu mente, tu familia, y el mundo, más daños colaterales causas y más dolor experimentarás.
A veces, cuando entendemos y nos alejamos de nuestra vida diaria, vemos la gran imagen. Vemos que no hay nada malo con el monasterio, nada malo con nosotros, nada malo con la vida. Entendemos que es la naturaleza del mundo la que va “mal”—eso es lo que Buda quería decir con la primera noble verdad del sufrimiento. Trabajas, luchas y te esfuerzas tanto para hacer tu vida perfecta—para hacer tu hogar, tu cuerpo y tu mente perfectos—y las cosas nos van mal de cualquier manera.
Ajahn Brahm es un monje budista nacido en el Rino Unido,que actualmente es Abad en Bodhinyana Monastery en el oeste de Australia. Brahm fue ordenado en Bangkok a la edad de23 por el abad Wat Saket, y despues paso nueve años estudiando y entrenando la tradición de meditación en el bosque bajo la supervisión de Ajahn Chah. El texto de arriba es el capítulo de introducción de su libro, Arte de Desaparecer.

Ajahn Brahm is an UK-born Theravada Buddhist monk, who currently the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Western Australia. Brahm was ordained in Bangkok at the age of twenty-three by the Abbot of Wat Saket, and subsequently spent nine years studying and training in the forest meditation tradition under Ajahn Chah. Exceprt above is the opening chapter of his book, Art of Disappearing.

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the advice to accept that things go wrong from time to time? Can you share a personal experience of what came up for you when you accepted things as they were and focused on observing? How do you develop the strength to become an observer when things go wrong?

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Add Your Reflection

7 Past Reflections

Alfm

Mar 17, 2015

I am but a seed trying to find the the Light. In my world, beneath the soil, it is dark and sometimes too wet/too dry (which in either circumstance, could cause death)! As my roots spread out to seek nourishment, I run into every physical obstacle imaginable (as if I have been set up to fail). There are even living organisms living in that dark place that prey on "Light seekers" like me. However the Light above the the soil literally pulls me and insists that I "press on"! (And so I will).
To know . . . To Love . . . And to serve The Light.

Kristin Pedemonti

Mar 17, 2015

I understand the point, however my view is there is no "wrong or right" there just IS. And that has made all the difference. Acceptance is valuable either way and not judging, just being.

paashi

Mar 17, 2015

Personally, I'm trying to accept the challenging situations as integral part of existence. We all have our share of experiences that bring about varying degrees of suffering. This acceptance does lessen the anxiety to avoid pain and gives energy to build resilience around the situations both personal and impersonal.

Bradley

Mar 16, 2015

I can understand, accept and move on when my own life happens. But I have difficulty with this when I see and hear about injustices that exist in the world still today. Watching the lives of other people happen, watching them suffer...that is quite the challenge. I can work on myself to understand their lives, but do I then accept it and move on? What good comes of that? There must be more than just accepting it. My adaptation of the Serenity Prayer:

Life, grant me the mindfulness to understand and accept the things that are to be;
the courage to affect and help heal those that are unnatural;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

david doane

Mar 15, 2015

Things often don't go how we want. Things that don't go how we want we tend to call "wrong." We'd be better off calling them life. Things go how they go. That's life. I can't control outcome. I can behave impeccably, or at least strive to, and hope for the best, knowing there are no guarantees and things often don't go as wanted. My mantra for a long time has been process, not outcome, a reminder to focus on good process of communicating and behaving and not focus on trying to make a certain outcome happen. By becoming more mindful, that is, by observing nonjudgmentally, we become more accepting and less controlling, more aligned with life rather than fighting with life. I've grown a little bit in that way. I think you develop the strength to become an observer when things go wrong by practicing being an observer always, so that the practice is in place when things don't go as you would like. What has helped me is... View full comment

Abhishek

Mar 13, 2015

To me, the creation of an idea of 'right' also includes naturally the birth of 'wrong' - so essentially my ability to accept life on its own terms (and not mine) has been a part of my practice. Rather than classify it is right or wrong, it just IS (and the right - wrong divide is a mental construct almost mirroring pleasure-pain / my wishes-against my wishes) In meditation practice (and life in fact) I find it much easire to observe when things go 'wrong' - when there is pain, it naturally draws attention. It is in fact when things are smooth and flowing that one has to attend to being as mindful. So to that extent when things go wrong, it is an opportune moment for observation too.... And the beauty of this passage (and of Murphy's Law and so on) is that the nature of the world is so and yet we struggle against it life long - almost as if someone whispered in our ears when we were very young "Someday it will all be right".... To grow up is to know that if it is right it will eventual... View full comment

xiaoshan

Mar 13, 2015

A surprising perspective. Although I think it goes a bit too extreme to the other side of the swing, there is a lot of truth in it. Right and wrong is our own construct, which is why 'the world is divided by the people who believe they are right." In one way, the world is perfectly fine as it runs its own course, until someone comes trying to fix it. In the other way however, life has its own course as well, and doing all these rights and wrongs is certainly part of the natural course of the universe, suffering included. I suffer, and I accept that I suffer.