CONTENTS Invitation to Freedom Part I - FREEDOM OF SPIRIT 1. Vastness Is Our Home The Dance of Life * The One Who Knows * Sacred Stillness * Loving Awareness * Running from Hyenas * Rest in Love Practice: Opening to Spacious Awareness Mind Like Sky 2. Free to Love The Beloved * Love''s Many Faces * Grace and Angst * Respond with Love * The Sparkle in Your Eyes * Encounter with the Gods * Embodying Love * Love Baked Fresh * Blessing of Respect. Practice: Lovingkindness 3. Trusting the Living Universe Tending Our Garden * The Dance of Life * Wise Trust * Beyond Despair * Embraced by a Living Universe * Aging with Trust Practice: Trust in the Big Picture Trust Your Inner Knowing Be Inspired by Trust 4. The Eternal Present Touching the Eternal Present * Notice Now * Moral Mathematics of the Moment * Beginner''s Mind * How Then Shall We Live? * Finding Sanctuary * Timelessness of the Natural World * Lover of the Moment * Nous Sommes, We Are Practice: Open to Timelessness Part II - OBSTACLES TO FREEDOM 5. Fear of Freedom Trauma, Fear and Freedom * Self-Hatred * Trying to Please * Fear of Falling * Acting Flawlessly * Lean into the Wind Practice: Entering Difficulties with an Open Mind and an Open Heart 6. Forgiveness Forgiving Yourself and Another * Your Spirit Is Not Bound by Your History * Honoring the Past * Heart of Forgiveness * Courage and Clarity * True Release * I''m Going to Kill You * Letting Go: The Chord That Completes the Song Practice: Forgiveness 7.
Freedom from Troubled Emotions Praying for Our Enemies * Powerful Inner Forces * Befriending the Trouble * Resolving Conflicts * Facing Demons * Dawn of Compassion Practice: Compassion. Practice with Troubled Emotions Part III - REALIZING FREEDOM 8. Elegance of Imperfection Invitation to Care * Tyranny of Perfection * Wild, Uncharted, Imperfect Glory * Eyes of Love * What You Have Left * Mastery * It''s Already Broken Practice: I See You Mara Practicing Imperfection 9. Gift of an Open Mind Zen and the Art of Openness * Prejudice and Perspective * Breaking Barriers * Are You Sure? * Actually See Her * The Healing Power of Words * Heartfelt Communication Practice: Is This True? 10. The Gift of Authenticity You Were Born to Do This * Staying True * To Whom Are You Faithful? * Start Where You Are * Aware Inside, Calm Outside * Honoring Your Feelings * Desire * Free to Be Human Practice: Being True 11. Free to Dream Express Your Heart * "Bird Got My Wings" * They''re Your Dreams * Crafting Your Life * Conscious and True * The Currents of Life * Dream Big and Dance Practice: You Are An Artist Part IV - LIVING FREEDOM 12. Deliver Your Gifts Free to Act * Vision and Action * Bring Your Gift * Selfless Service * The World Needs You * Your Very Flesh Shall Be a Poem Practice: Deliver Your Gifts 13. Live in Mystery Not Far Away * The Mystery of Incarnation * The Earth Is Breathing You * Beyond History and Self * Interbeing: You Are Not Alone * Everyone Gains * Outer and Inner Freedom * Emptiness Is Our Home * Vision * "I Told You So" Practice: Open to Mystery Just Like Me 14.
The Joy of Being Alive Happiness for No Cause * Bouncing for Joy * Gateways to Joy * Gratefulness * Pure Heart * You Deserve Happiness * Wonderful! * It''s in Your Hands * Coursing in Gratitude Invitation to Freedom Dear friends, after more than forty years teaching mindfulness and compassion to thousands on the spiritual path, the most important message I can offer is this: You don''t have to wait to be free. You don''t need to postpone being happy. All too often these beautiful spiritual practices of mindfulness and compassion become entwined with a vision of self-discipline and duty. We see them as taking us through a long road of obstacles that leads eventually to distant benefits. Yes, there is hard work of the heart and there are demanding cycles in our lives. Yet wherever you are on your journey, there is another wonderful truth called "Living the Fruit" or "Starting with the Result." The fruits of well-being and the experience of joy, freedom, and love are available now, whatever your circumstance! When Nelson Mandela walked out of Robben Island prison after twenty-seven years of incarceration, he did so with such dignity, magnanimity, and forgiveness that his spirit transformed South Africa and inspired the world. Like Mandela, you can be free and dignified wherever you find yourself.
Inner freedom is not reserved for exceptional people. No one can imprison your spirit. When your boss calls and you feel fear or anxiety, when someone in your family is in conflict or duress, when you feel overwhelmed by the world, you have choices. You can be bound and constricted or you can use this difficulty to open and discover what''s next in your unfolding journey. Sometimes life gives us ease, sometimes it is challenging, and sometimes profoundly painful. Whatever your circumstances, you can take a breath, soften your gaze, and remember that courage and freedom are within, waiting to awaken. Even under the direst conditions, freedom of spirit is available. Freedom of spirit is mysterious, magnificent, and simple.
We are free and able to love in this life--no matter what. Deep down we know this is true. We know it whenever we feel a part of something greater--listening to music, making love, walking in the mountains or swimming in the sea, sitting at the mystery of a dying loved one as her spirit leaves her body silently as a falling star, or witnessing the miraculous birth of a child. At times like these, a joyful openness swells through our body and our heart is surrounded by peace. Sara, a single mom with two kids, found out that her eight-year-old daughter Alicia had leukemia. Sara was terrified, anxious, grieving the loss of her child''s health, scared that she would lose her. For the first year, Alicia went through long rounds of chemotherapy, hospital stays, and doctors. A fearful sadness filled the house and anxiety colored Sara''s days.
Then, one afternoon when they were out on a walk, Alicia said, "Mama, I don''t know how long I''m going to live, but I want them to be happy days." Her words were a splash of cold water on her mother''s face. Sara realized that she had to step out of the fearful melodrama to meet her daughter''s freedom of mind with her own, to return to a trusting spirit. Sara grabbed her daughter and did a little waltz, holding her tight. Her fear dissipated. And in time, Alicia healed. She is now twenty-two and just graduated from college. But even if she hadn''t healed, what kind of days would you have had her choose? You can''t do much with your life if you''re miserable.
You might as well be happy. When I was eight-years old, on an especially bitter windy winter day, my brothers and I dressed in jackets and scarves and gloves and went out to play in the snow. I was skinny as a rail and shivering with cold. My twin brother, Irv, stronger, wilder, and more robust, looked at me, contracted and fearful, and laughed. Then he began to remove layers of clothing, first the gloves, his coat, then a sweater, his shirt, undershirt, all the while laughing. He danced and paraded around half-naked in the snow, the icy wind whipping around us. We were all wide-eyed, laughing hysterically. In that moment, my brother taught me about choosing freedom, manifesting a spirit that to this day I still remember.
Whether we''re in a wildly blowing snowstorm or feeling the cold wind of loss, blame, or insecurity, we want to be free. We want to be released from fear and worry, not confined by judgments. We want to allow ourselves to trust, love, express ourselves, and be happy. Each chapter of this book is an invitation to experience a particular dimension of freedom--freedom of spirit, freedom to start over, freedom beyond fear, freedom to be yourself, freedom to love, freedom to be happy. There are stories, reflections, teachings, and practices that illuminate how we get stuck and how we can free ourselves. This isn''t a book that you read just to make yourself feel better for a little while, then put on your shelf. Finding freedom is an active process that engages your intellect, your heart, and your whole spirit. The means and the goal are one--be yourself, dream, trust, and act.
May each chapter awaken your spirit and bring you joy. You can choose your spirit. Freedom, Love, and Joy are yours, in your very life, your exact circumstance. They are your birthright. Jack Kornfield Spirit Rock Meditation Center Spring 2017 Part I FREEDOM OF SPIRIT "What do you plan to do with this one wild and precious life?" -- Mary Oliver Chapter 1 VASTNESS IS OUR HOME "Sometimes I go about pitying myself, when all the.