Me and Pema ~ Excerpt from Resurrecting Bunny: A Wild Child's Pilgrimage

Ha! I just remembered that Pema Chodron, the celebrated

Tibetan Buddhist writer, visited me in my dream last night. She

had on a cute little plaid outfit in rust colors and earth tones and

we were very close — like best friends. I admitted to having some

less than desirable traits and as I told her each one she said, “Oh,

that’s nothing to worry about.” (Boy, was I glad to hear that!)

Then we were singing together a medieval polyphonic chant

in harmony. “This can’t be right,” I said. “Am I hitting the wrong

note?” “No,” she smiled. It’s a passing tone that resolves itself in

the next measure. “Lean into the dissonance,” she said. When

I did, the strange sonic color it created was quite beautiful and

exhilarating.

Buddhists say that when something discordant or jarring

happens along, we could try leaning into it. Rather than running

from it, we could at least stand our ground and stay present.

Breathing instead of freaking out. Dreadfully hard for me, but I

think that is how we develop depth of compassion for ourselves

and the rest of the world. I don’t know that for sure because

it’s a new concept for me, and I’m trying it out. I’ve always run

from any inkling that a disagreeable experience might possibly

be coming my way. That’s a whole long lifetime of trying to

avoid pain.

Leaning into it is like saying, “Ok. I recognize this is not what

I wanted to happen but I’m not going to try and defend myself

or deaden my awareness and disappear. I’m standing with it.”

Breathing in and out. Accepting it with a sort of humility. Getting

off my high horse, so to speak, and out from under my ego a bit.

There is a fresh experience of harmony in that. Oh, but it’s

fun to learn new things!

I’ve spent the entire day embracing each person I meet

with my heart.