Leave the Day Open

When we look forward to the coming day, if we’ve already written in what we expect to achieve or what we expect to experience, then we’ll make that happen. We create the world out of our expectations, fears and hopes.

We limit our experience by the patterns of what we anticipate. Instead of following this habit, we try to open the mind and ready ourselves for everything. We don’t know how today will be - the future is always mysterious to us. The heart which is open and ready will be capable of learning from everything. It will be able to make use of whatever it is that arises, however things turn out to be.

We recognise those particular things we hope for, those things that we fear, but hope and fear happen right now. Leave the day open, leave the future open as an infinity of possibilities.

This reflection by Ajahn Amaro is from the book, Silent Rain, ePub pp.24-25.