Recently I was diagnosed with some disappointing news regarding my health. 
The first thing that 'kicked-in' was my gratitude toward my Meditation and Mindfulness practices. I recognized the initial disappointment that naturally arose from the diagnosis, and yet a very solid foundation of calmness was present, and the sadness I felt turned to acceptance. I had clarity and peace-of-mind.
Most of us grow up believing that the best way to live is to avoid pain and hold tightly to comfort. It feels natural—after all, even the smallest creatures move toward what is safe and familiar. Yet when comfort becomes our only goal, life grows smaller. We miss the depth and richness waiting just beyond what feels easy.
There is another way.
A way of kindness, of adventure, of joy.
It begins with curiosity.
When we stop asking whether an experience is bitter or sweet, pleasant or unpleasant, we step into a more spacious way of being. Life becomes less about control and more about discovery. At the edge of discomfort, where we might usually turn away, something precious often reveals itself.
This is also the heart of meditation. Too often, we think of practice as a way to fix ourselves—to become calmer, kinder, somehow better. But meditation is not about erasing who we are or throwing parts of ourselves away. It is about befriending ourselves, just as we are, in this very moment. With loving-kindness—maitri—we sit with our fears, our doubts, even our restlessness. These do not make us unworthy. They make us human.
Even the ego, so often treated as an enemy, is not something to destroy. It, too, has lessons to teach. When we meet it with curiosity instead of hostility, it shows us how we cling, how we protect ourselves, how we long to be seen. Every part of us, even the ones we resist, has something to reveal.
The path of meditation is the path of life itself. Both call us to turn toward what is here, not someday in the future, but now. To live with curiosity is to live fully awake. And when we do, life becomes not just about avoiding pain, but about discovering the vast, tender, and surprising truth of being alive.
Wouldn't you like to shape your future to one that is fulfilling life?

The nature of relative stability within the changes of Rising, Abiding, and Ceasing creates the illusion of ‘existing’. Factually, it is the cycle of Rising, Abiding, and Ceasing which confirms the principle of ‘impermanence’, the principle of ‘causes and conditions’ and thus the principle of ‘Dependent Origination’.
Dependent Origination is shown in the Rising, Abiding, and Ceasing cycle itself. No segment can exist without the other; even Rising is dependent upon the Ceasing (of the former).
No single entity is real and eternal; each phenomenological unit is the cause of the effect (or result). The latter becoming the former of the next cycle. i.e the Result becomes the new Cause.

Perhaps Nirvana is a ‘state-of-being’? ‘Being wisdom itself’ through maintaining awareness (being conscious of) this cycle of perpetual Rising, Abiding, and Ceasing, coupled with the awareness of not attaching to any moment within the cycle?
* Note - I have found that Yogacara, and Vijnaptimatrata VIG-NAP-TEA-MUTT-RAH-TA (Consciousness-only principles) unpack the mystery as to how we mistakenly create the barriers blocking us from Nirvana.

1. The Illusion of Separateness
Life often feels fragmented, but recognizing the interconnectedness of all things can help dissolve this illusion. Through mindfulness, you can embrace unity and experience deeper connections with others and the world.

2. The Paradox of Power
True strength lies in letting go of control. By releasing attachment to ego-driven desires, you open pathways to authentic freedom and fulfillment.

3. Living in the Present Moment
The key to joy is living fully in the now. Mindfulness teaches us to release past regrets and future anxieties, cultivating peace and clarity.

4. Embracing Non-Duality
Moving beyond black-and-white thinking allows for a balanced perspective. Non-dual awareness fosters acceptance and reduces inner conflict.

By integrating these principles into daily life, you can cultivate a harmonious existence rooted in awareness and purpose. For more, explore Paul Pettit’s blog.

It is a very powerful moment when we finally realize that we create the results in our life.

However, the majority of us unknowingly create barriers blocking the very thing we seek; for it is in the action of seeking which creates the barriers.

When we reduce the action of either 'trying to resolve life's mysteries' by looking externally, or 'acquiring what we seek' by controlling externally, we begin to discover 'that which we seek' is already present.

THE POWER lies in the control of the desire, not the control of the outcome. When the desire ceases, the outcome arises.

THE PLEASURE is all ‘mine’….says our Ego.
​
FREEDOM AND HAPPINESS is to be found only in each moment as it stands, through clearly seeing each fascinating phenomenon rise, appear momentarily to exist, and then dissolve, returning to whence it came.
They are not an attainable condition to the Self; they are an omnipotent omnipresent condition of the non-self.

Once discovered, this answer to the question: “who am I” cannot be unseen; for I am that which is at one with all things simultaneously, experiencing each interdependent segment concurrently if i choose.

When the illusion of duality is shattered; pure Freedom and Happiness exist.....this is who I am.

Any moment  in time offers One the gift to experience an emotion; thus the opportunity to develop wisdom and compassion.

Take the emotions of frustration and anger as examples. Beneath the waves of these emotions lies an ocean of grief; and all too often we take action from a place of frustration and anger, using them as weapons to fight against the frustration and anger we feel. There-in lies the cause of the problem. We fight fire-with-fire; we exacerbate the anger and frustration by viewing ourselves as 'separate' from all.
 
THE ACTION OF 'OTHERING'.
The fires of separateness can be fueled unintentionally, when we fall into the trap of 'othering'.
The terms 'they' as opposed to 'we', 'them' as opposed to 'us', 'you' as opposed to 'me'.....the list of nouns is vast and varied.

However, when we practice to draw upon compassion during moments of discomfort (such as anger or frustration), we quell the flames of reactivity and indifference. The spell of 'separateness' is broken. The opportunity arises for the development of wisdom, compassion and harmony by merely pausing in any moment, and asking the Self: "where am I 'othering' in my actions, words, or thoughts?

As a child, there came a day when I packed away my toys once-and-for-all.
It was time to cease participating in the illusion of make-believe, and start interacting with the real world around me.
Fifty years later I realized that I had merely substituted one world of make-believe for another.
All that I had grasped, and was grasping, was the barrier that blocked me from finding what I was truly seeking.

In meditation I discovered...'That' which I was looking for, was 'This' which was looking.
The self-created obstacles blocking my view of this truth were instantly dissolved.
There is no longer a seeker, for there is nothing to be sought.

Humans may be compared to a river, which retains an identity, though the drops of water that make it up are different from one moment to the next.
​No 'river' exists in and of itself.