Life can be frustrating and full of obstacles with desires for a different life constantly disturbing your mind; or life can be fulfilling, full of opportunities with a constant flow of gratitude for the gifts you have; the only difference between them is, acceptance, and living in the Divine will.

Stress comes from regretting what was, resisting what is and worrying about what might be. The secret to happiness in this life, is not to mind. To be accepting of the reality of each situation in each moment. Even if we don’t like it. Even if we don’t approve of it. Even if we don’t want it .

Acceptance of what is happening will make you non-reactive, quiet and peaceful. “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them, that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

The reality is that which is actually happening, and we are part of it. It is the truth unfolding before our very eyes. The moment we accept and harmonise with this truth we are free from the power of fear. So, accept the reality of the moment and respond with love, respond with compassion, respond with wisdom. Don’t build a fantasy life around your personal views and opinions as to how everyone and everything should be. They are not the truth; they are only the conditions for your unhappiness. So, let go of this limited way of living and be one with the reality of the moment.

The sting of pain is not in the pain but in our non-acceptance of it. We feel it should not have been so, but it is – that is the sting. There is a saying, “If you accept a situation it is as it is, if you do not accept it is as it is”. Wanting things to be other than they are, causes suffering. Non acceptance is disturbance in mind. If you argue with reality, you’ll lose every time. The moment that judgement stops through acceptance of what it is, you are free of the mind. You have made room for love, for joy, for peace.

Acceptance means it is arising out of your own awareness, not out of the teachings, scriptures and so-called masters roaming all around the world. It is your own understanding. In fact, when it is your own understanding, even the word ‘acceptance’ becomes futile.

This moment – this silence, the birds in the trees, the sunrays reaching to you: is there any question of acceptance? It is simply happening. It is not a theoretical mind discipline. You are not sitting here with a forced discipline. You are sitting here in this enormous silence without any effort. It is so beautiful that any effort will destroy it.

Let me repeat it in another way: Do you love with effort? Are you compassionate with effort? Are you living with effort, breathing with effort? Is there any effort in your heartbeats? Just the same way, the whole of life becomes a spontaneous flow. Your perceptivity, your clarity decides which direction to move. But there is no effort, because effort implies you are divided, one part of you is trying to take you in one direction, another part is trying to take you in another direction. Then comes the effort. And I cannot conceive that a man of effort can ever be in tune with existence. With whom are you fighting? Effort is a fight.

Whatever you resist you become. If you resist anger, you are always angry. If you resist sadness, you are always sad. If you resist suffering, you are always suffering. If you resist confusion, you are always confused. We think that we resist certain states because they are there, but actually they are there because we resist them. Accept it, and don’t be identified. When you accept you remain above, you remain beyond. When you fight you come to the same level. There are some things and situations which can be changed, but there are some things and situations which cannot be changed but only accepted.

Acceptance is the door to transcendence. Non acceptance is pain, as it’s a Resistance. The portal to Transcendence is Acceptance.

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