From Two Different Cultures – A Similar Message Comes

From Two Different Cultures – A Similar Message Comes

From the Facebook Page of Uplift Connect came this quote;
“In the Lakota/Sioux tradition, a person who is grieving is considered most waken, most holy. There’s a sense that when someone is struck by the sudden lightning of loss, he or she stands on the threshold of the spirit world. The prayers of those who grieve are considered especially strong, and it is proper to ask them for their help.You might recall what it’s like to be with someone who has grieved deeply. The person has no layer of protection, nothing left to defend. The mystery is looking out through that person’s eyes. For the time being, he or she has accepted the reality of loss and has stopped clinging to the past or grasping at the future. In the groundless openness of sorrow, there is a wholeness of presence and a deep natural wisdom.”― Tara Brach

From page 179 of In Love With the World came this the second quote;
“If the avoidance of death is the social standard, then contemplating death becomes a reverse activity. This does not mean that we reject the sadness of death. We will die and the people we love most will die and this is the precious heartbreak of our lives. But the fear and perplexity that surround this ordinary trauma are not inevitable. By facing our fear of the future, we transform the present.”- Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Death, no matter what the human natural response to it may be, is a seat of wisdom that has the power to transform the present moment! Death can be a truly inspiring teacher if only we allow it to be.

Warmly and with gratitudeStephen