Via The Tricycle Community \\ Three Teachings on Embracing Uncertainty

 

Browse our online courses » June 26, 2025 What Happens When We Stop Asking “What If?”   The wisdom in uncertainty is timeless, but these days it certainly bears revisiting. Uncertainty isn’t just illuminating; it’s essential to the Buddha’s worldview and teaching. When Siddhartha Gautama left the comfort of his life in the palace, he went into the unfamiliar setting of the jungle, and it was only when he was without a home or guarantee of his next meal that he achieved enlightenment. This liminal state set the stage for his awakening to the impermanence and interdependence of all phenomena—to the truth that everything is forever in motion, and never a sure thing. “What a predicament!” Pema Chödrön says. For all of us who crave certainty, the truth of impermanence can be unsettling. But recognizing this truth and our resistance to it is precisely the antidote.  Experiencing the present without asking “what if?” can relieve anxiety around uncertainty. Connecting with the groundlessness of reality without clinging to the illusion of solid ground can help us welcome possibility instead of fearing it. “The dharma’s true home is neither here nor there,” says Kurt Spellmeyer, and so is ours. This week’s Three Teachings reframes uncertainty as an insight on the path and an opportunity in daily life.   Forward today's teachings to a friend » The Fundamental Ambiguity of Being Human By Pema Chödrön American Buddhist nun and author Pema Chödrön reflects on the central tension of grasping for certainty, in ourselves and our daily lives, and helps us think about living beautifully with uncertainty and change. Read more » The Wisdom of Uncertainty By Kurt Spellmeyer Some historians emphasize Theravada Buddhism’s description of enlightenment as knowable, opposed to Mahayana Buddhism’s focus on the liminal, but Zen priest and English professor Kurt Spellmeyer suggests that this oversimplifies the Theravada perspective, and that liminality is common ground among all Buddhists. Read more » Finding Joy in Uncertainty With Jon Aaron Jon Aaron, a teacher at the New York Insight Meditation Center, invites us to embrace the uncertainty of each unfolding moment as an antidote to despair and anxiety. Watch now » Follow Us

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