It is one of acceptance of reality — right here, right now.

Imagine you have a small area of land that is bare dirt and your vision, your quest, is to improve such a space by creating a garden. You put your whole body into it and spend many months of toil to build that garden. It gives you great pleasure. People come to view your creation and laud you for your efforts.

In your mind the garden is never complete — there is always something more to change, more to do. And you forget to sit it the garden and simply be within the space. You forget that in that magical moment of experiencing the garden, it is perfect and there is nothing more to do.

If we are being creative entirely in the moment, there is no volition to change things. No thoughts of betterment or wanting. We sacrifice the need to be different and are at one with the universal mind. That is truly to be.

If we run with this Taoist sentiment (as I always do) then the notion that you can better yourself is an illusion. You can’t improve your life now in this ever present moment. Any thoughts of improvement means you are in the process of ‘doing’ and not ‘being’. And so therefore improvement is retrospective. You can only do what your are doing now and maybe or maybe not you will look back at this time and say or think my life has improved.

No doubt a big statement. You may ask then: Why do we strive to do difficult things or imagine ourselves as better human beings through some endeavour, project or something that is dear to us?

Because this is a physical dimension and we can see our actions as a part of who we are. It does not mean that we don’t go out into the world with a heartfelt or mindful vision to create something special or desire to better ourselves in some way, or have a willingness to help another. Such aspirations are a part of the release of energy and the restriction of living in this enlightening and often grubby dimension; of the pain of being separate from the living spirit.

Yes dear reader, you are likely to have heard such things before and I am sure that all of us at times have come to an understanding that within ourselves all is perfect now and we live in that moment of perfection. We accept the reality the way it is without any need for change or atonement or betterment. At that moment of letting go we then move forward, but we may not be aware of taking that step.

As I said very much a Taoist sentiment. But it fits.

And when we go out and push for something different, some change, some repentant action; we do so in the knowledge that through yearning, through friction, through adversity; we are sacrificing ourselves for something for which we truly don’t know the implications. We are pushing up against nature or others and creating resistance for which they may or not be grateful.

That is why ultimately we have to accept where we are before any change can actually take place. Because accepting where we are is embracing the moment.

That is true peace — the nature self. The uncluttered acceptance of all that is; of another, of yourself. That is true love.

The triumphs and great disasters in your life have gotten you to this perfect place. Joy, anxiety, pain, compassion; it’s the all singing all dancing spirit of the world.

Feel the peace in that.