Beyond the Clouds

There was a Japanese priest who lived in the late 19th century called Kiyozawa Manshi. He was a Buddhist priest and a scholar - most were in Japan in those days (and still are to this day). In Japan, studying and understanding concepts intellectually means very little if one doesn't apply what one is studying in one's life: walk the talk. Manshi's life experience is worth reading about, in particular, his effort to live an ascetic life - to push one's self to the limit of one's capacity. The reason I write this here and now is that I think he reached the same point of feeling powerless as many addicts do on starting the 12 step program.

I feel Manshi's experience of striving to achieve something by his own effort only to be met by illness, disappointments, and failures is where self power ends and other power takes over.

Step Two

"Intuit and feel that there is a compassionate force in the world – a mysterious power “Amida” that loves me and wants to help me."

You see, when one reaches this point of complete and utter failure and accepts one's limitations - acknowledges that one can't do anything to cure/heal/save/liberate oneself and that this is how it really is - one finds and experiences a mysterious sense of peace.

As one acknowledges and dwells in this place of acceptance of one's own inability to manage one's life well that is when one can see/feel/intuit that even in that uncomfortable place the sun still comes up, there is still plant life and beauty in nature and the world.