Under normal circumstances, most people’s inner wisdom gets drowned out by today’s fast-paced, demanding world. But add a worldwide pandemic and climate change catastrophes to the mix and it has become apparent that people’s capacity to cultivate and embody wisdom is even more challenging.
Luckily, the prescribed Buddhist path offers a blueprint for how to cultivate and access this calming embodied wisdom.
Practice Wise View
Modern culture promotes people to adopt delusive views not grounded in reality, and this delusion causes stress and suffering. To practice “wise view”, bring a curious, non-judgmental, and stable awareness to each situation. Let go of any narratives and assumptions that cloud your ability to see things clearly, and stay with the nature of reality as it gradually reveals itself to you. This is the soil within which “wise view” arises.
Embracing Impermanence
Live from a deep understanding of impermanence. To do so, explore and let go of any assumptions or expectations that are not congruent with the reality that all conditioned things are in the process of being born, changing, and then passing away. For instance, when your partner or loved one changes, instead of getting frustrated, practice seeing this as a natural phenomenon. Sit with any of the sensations in your body that arise in reaction to this change, and with sustained patient presence, embodied wisdom will naturally arise.