Normally, our need to escape from painful feelings is so urgent that we do not give ourselves the time to see where these feelings are actually coming from. In reality, the painful feelings that arise on such occasions are not intolerable. They are only feelings, a few moments of bad weather in the mind, with no power to causes any lasting harm. By wholeheartedly welcoming the painful feelings in our mind, we can accept them, experience them, investigate their nature and where they come. When we do this, we discover that painful feelings do not come to us from outside, but arise from within our own mind. Through this understanding, we can purify the potentials from which they arose, gain a clear and dispassionate view of the real nature of our painful feelings and relate to painful feelings in a more detached way, making it much easier to deal with them creatively and constructively. Eventually through consistent practice, utilizing both positive and challenging circumstances in our life, we can be free of painful feelings altogether.

Dec 7th Understanding the Nature of our Mind
Dec 14th Letting go of Painful Feelings
Dec 21st Cultivating Joy during the Holidays