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Don’t Bring a Gun
Don’t bring a gun.
I listened to a talk recently from Tara Brach about ‘radical compassion.’ In it, she tells the story of primate biologist George Schaller, whose renown came from gathering more intimate and compelling information about gorillas than any scientist at the time had ever gathered.
“How did he do that?” she asked. “How did he get intimate with the gorillas?” Answer: He didn’t carry a gun. And then she took us gently to the next logical step, asking, “How do we get intimate with ourselves?”
Don’t carry a gun.
In my quest for self-awareness, I’ve engaged in decades of therapy. I’ve explored countless spiritual paths — everything from Christian Science to Scientology, from Roman Catholicism to Silva Mind Control, from The Work of Byron Katie to Wicca. And for the past twenty-one years, I’ve been a practicing Buddhist.
My ultimate aspiration is to uncover my true nature — to strip away everything that obscures it, and free the awakened heart within me so I can free it in everyone around me. But for any of that to happen, I must take the first step: familiarization. I must become aware of my habits, all my hiding places, all my kneejerk reactions.
