‘We all have inner landmines. Each of us has unique life experiences and unique interpretations of those experiences, both of which add up to the stories we tell ourselves. These stories aren’t always negative, but we all share the tendency to create stories. Odds are some of those stories are characterized by self-judgment, regret, guilt, and other uncomfortable habits of mind.
The Buddha’s story is about freeing himself — and others — from suffering. That means believing that going through painful experiences consciously and compassionately — facing our inner landmines — can be healing and lead us onward. This clear-eyed recognition of all of our experience — the wondrous and joyful, as well as the difficult and unappealing — is what makes us whole, and allows us to recognize ourselves in one another.
Inner landmines, like the real ones, can give us a sense of danger when we think about going near them. Sometimes we may not even want to think about doing the work to acknowledge those parts of ourselves inside that are hurting. But unlike real landmines, we won’t be permanently hurt when we go near them. We may feel more pain for a while, for sure, but in that pain there is presence, renewal, and love.’ (from Instagram)
Shundo David Haye 