Genuine Acceptance

 

 

We often hear that acceptance is what helps us face our lives with peace of mind.  But what is genuine acceptance?

Well, firstly we should know what is false acceptance. False acceptance is understanding our lives through a filter of perceptions, and embracing it as such. This is when we use our internal commentator to describe and analyze our experiences, fit them into a neat box, regard them as fixed. “Oh, my situation is like this and that…my family is such-and-such, my mind is always like that… I always feel this way… this is just the way it is.”

With false acceptance we may feel a bit of relief because we are not struggling internally with our thoughts. Yet, in this way, we conform to a delusive view of life, based on a string of perceptions. We mistake these perceptions as ultimately real, representing the objective situation. We’re then trapped in a mode of thinking, and unable to see past it. We then lose sight of the reality of our present situation, and lack the clarity to make wise decisions.

With genuine acceptance, we see the delusive nature of our thoughts and ideas, and embrace the ever-changing, indescribable life of this present moment. We experience our lives fully, baldly, without the layers of commentary and mental fabrication. However, we do not have blank minds, and can make judgments and evaluations when necessary. Yet, with the immediate awareness of our condition at hand, we do not become trapped by views.

In this way, we accept that our real situation is unknowable and un-graspable by our intellect–and that’s fine. We can relax into the moment with a clear and reflective mind, flowing along with the conditions at hand.

There’s true joy and ease in this un-created, genuine acceptance.