Our practice is designed to help us bear that which is difficult or overwhelming—not to find the solution or fix the problem. It’s designed to help us be with the difficulty, to have the capacity to hold it, understand it, and learn to distinguish between what is human existence and conditionality and then what is my added layer on top of that? The Buddha’s Middle Way is to accept the truth of the human condition—that it’s difficult and painful, rough and messy. We live in a world based on greed, hatred, and delusion, but wishing it were not so brings an added layer of pain that makes the whole thing stressful.
Tuere Sala
Spirit Rock Residential Teacher
Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Retreat Center and has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere has been teaching since 2010, assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice.