A Path With Heart by Jack Kornfield

"A Path with Heart", by Jack Kornfield, and master Baptiste teacher Elizabeth Huntsman. This compassionately written book was given to me this weekend. I also had the good fortune of attending a Baptiste workshop at Salt Pond Yoga by Elizabeth Huntsman. They weaved together beautifully. They both speak about courage and strength. "Things will come up," as Elizabeth said, and Kornfield's compasssionate writing speaks to our hearts about accepting these emotions and letting go. "Only as a (spiritual) warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge. A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse." Kornfield, quoting from "Tales of Power." Kornfield on meditation: "What is your relationship to unusual and altered states in meditation? As you read about these experiences notice which ones touch you, notice where you are attracted or what reminds you of past experiences. How do you meet such experiences when they arise? Are you attached and proud of them? Do you keep trying to repeat them as a mark of your progress or success? Have you gotten stuck trying to make them return over and over again? How much wisdom have you brought to them? Are they a source of entanglement or a source of freedom for you? Do you sense them as a beneficial healing, or are they frightening? Just as you can misuse these states through attachment, you can also misuse them by avoiding them and trying to stop them. If this is the case, how could your meditation deepen if you opened up? Let yourself sense the gifts they can bring, gifts of inspiration, new perspectives, insight, healing, or extraordinary faith. Be as aware of what perspective and teaching you follow, for guidance in these matters. If you feel a wise perspective is lacking, where could you find it? How could you best honor these realms and use them to your benefit?"