Radical Acceptance
Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha
Chapter One
The Trance of Unworthiness
You will be walking some night ...
It will be clear to you suddenly
that you were about to escape,
and that you are guilty: you misread
the complex instructions, you are not
a member, you lost your card
or never had one ...
Wendell Berry
For years I've had a recurring dream in which I am caught in a
futile struggle to get somewhere. Sometimes I'm running up a hill;
sometimes I am climbing over boulders or swimming against a current.
Often a loved one is in trouble or something bad is about to happen.
My mind is speeding frantically, but my body feels heavy and
exhausted; I move as if through molasses. I know I should be able to
handle the problem, but no matter how hard I try, I can't get where
I need to go. Completely alone and shadowed by the fear of failure,
I am trapped in my dilemma. Nothing else in the world exists but
that.
This dream captures the essence of the trance of unworthiness. In
our dreams we often seem to be the protagonist in a pre- ... read full excerpt from: Radical Acceptance ebook
