I remember the first time I heard Stephen Levine say "Acceptance is heaven and resistance is hell," over 15 years ago. Okay, well, actually I think I may have read it in one of his books and not heard it flow from his tongue, but still. It was very helpful to read. It was enlightening to read. How true! And yet, even knowing that, intellectually, hasn't seemed to be enough to actually stop me from doing just the opposite in my life. But who is the "me" in this sentence? The mind. The mind is not always great at accepting What Is. Often it is quite the contrary. The mind judges. The mind dislikes. The mind wants Reality to be different than what it is. Ah yes, then the hell arises within. We call this suffering.
Stephen also brought to my attention that pain and suffering are different. Pain and pleasure happen. You could say they are the 2 sides of the coin of Life. But it is resistance to pain which causes suffering. In other words, pain is only sensation. Some very great saints experienced horrific pain, but apparently, did not suffer because there was no-thing left in them to resist. They were open channels, rivers, the flow of What Is. When we Allow things to unfold as they are then Life becomes a smooth running stream taking it's course where it will and all is well.
Aha! Remembering yet another Stephen quote, "Everything dissolves in Love." In fact, I wrote a song with the very same title, inspired by this Truth. Yes, everything dissolves in the presence of Love and Acceptance. Why is this so? Because most other states have to do with non-acceptance. So when Love is present, non-acceptance can't stay. No matter how long a dark room has been dark, even for a 1,000 years, when the light is turned on, instantly the darkness disappears. It simply CAN'T remain. The same goes with emotions and states of grief and loss. When One truly accepts What Is, then there is no more struggle, no more resistance, no more suffering. Life just continues to unfold and there is peace.
Stephen also brought to my attention that pain and suffering are different. Pain and pleasure happen. You could say they are the 2 sides of the coin of Life. But it is resistance to pain which causes suffering. In other words, pain is only sensation. Some very great saints experienced horrific pain, but apparently, did not suffer because there was no-thing left in them to resist. They were open channels, rivers, the flow of What Is. When we Allow things to unfold as they are then Life becomes a smooth running stream taking it's course where it will and all is well.
Aha! Remembering yet another Stephen quote, "Everything dissolves in Love." In fact, I wrote a song with the very same title, inspired by this Truth. Yes, everything dissolves in the presence of Love and Acceptance. Why is this so? Because most other states have to do with non-acceptance. So when Love is present, non-acceptance can't stay. No matter how long a dark room has been dark, even for a 1,000 years, when the light is turned on, instantly the darkness disappears. It simply CAN'T remain. The same goes with emotions and states of grief and loss. When One truly accepts What Is, then there is no more struggle, no more resistance, no more suffering. Life just continues to unfold and there is peace.
Thank you Stephen and Ondrea Levine for continuing to teach me, almost 20 years later! May you both be blessed. May we be blessed. May All beings everywhere be blessed. And they are.
Acceptance...it is magic in your life...the miracle you've been waiting for.
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