Everything is Always Changing

According to Bernard Glassman, what prevents us from seeing things and ourselves clearly is the clutter of our conditioning.

Conditioning, of course, is very natural, just as the ripples and waves on the lake are natural. Conditioning is due to previous events. When things happen a certain number of times, we form the habit of expecting things to continue happening that way. And so we act as we have in the past. But in actuality everything is always changing. No two moments are the same.

It’s important to realize that we don’t have to forget our past. We only have to le go of our attachments to the past. Let’s say, for example, that I’ve done business with someone who has taken advantage of me five or six times. I shouldn’t forget that. But at the same time, I don’t have to be so attached to what happened in the past that it overwhelms what I think of that person now.

There is a saying in Zen that if you haven’t seen somebody for two minutes, don’t assume he or she is the same person. Maybe that person has changed, or maybe conditions have changed. The important thing is to see what I can do now. If you and I are not bound by our past conditioning, we can see things a fresh. Then every moment contains a new opportunity.

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Holistic Leadership Development: September 21-24, 2009, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.A. (pilot workshop offered in English only)

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Les pratiques de résolution de conflits (Module 3 du programme Genuine Contact) : 22 au 23 octobre à Gatineau, QC, Canada.  L'atelier est offert en français

Travailler avec la techonologie du Forum ouvert- Working with Open Space Technology (Module 1 du programme Genuine Contact) : 20 au 23 novembre 2009 à Val-David, QC, Canada.  L'atelier est offert en français - Workshop offered in English

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