While many of us have been conditioned to perceive rest and activity as opposites, Radical Rest invites us to consider their sacred partnership. In this way, we can celebrate the dynamic interplay of dark and light, restoration and engagement, and form and formlessness in everyday life.
Here is an excerpt from Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown:
"To rest in the dark often, without trying to reach the light, is wisdom. Only when we are willing to remain in the dark do we realize that we’re okay there.
Life’s intelligence arises from darkness. Possibility, healing, and fresh insight form in the dark. New formations and new connections are made in the dark, beyond anything our ego could imagine.
There are so many ways that we try to avoid the vulnerability of that which is unformed. Although we all seek to be coparticipants in this divine orchestra of life, we have been conditioned to believe that it is weak to cease control and let life show us the way. Perhaps the greatest joy of being human, however, is our lived experience of participation and moment- to-moment cocreation and sharing in life. Here are a few suggestions for doing so:
When immersed in a creative project, patiently bring that project into the restful state of incubation. Do not dishonor creative energy with undue force or excessive mental assessment.
When in conversation with one another, allow yourselves to
rest in the spaciousness from which connection arises. Beyond the assumption that words are better than silence, beyond any pressure to connect, beyond fear of awkwardness, trust the empty space of intimacy without trying to fill this space.When making love, slow down radically and let go of the script. It is the meeting point between spaciousness and erotic curiosity that allows every move, touch, and expression to be electric and healing.
In meditation, do not exert unnecessary effort to try to attain the light. This, too, is a way of filling space. The light was never lost, so it cannot be found."
From Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown by Deborah Eden Tull
© 2022 by Deborah Eden Tull. Reprinted in arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.
