You are the Boat

I hope you all had a good week. I have been struggling a bit these past few weeks with my own inner critic. I have noticed it has been especially loud so I have been leaning more heavily on my meditation practice to help me quiet it. This reading by Mark Nepo entitled Integrity has also helped me soften the critic inside and therefore I shared it with students. Here is an excerpt: 

Integrity

Integrity is the ability to listen to a place inside oneself that doesn’t change, even though the life that carries it may change — Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man

This brings me to a parable of a troubled man who, exhausted from his suffering and confusion, asked a sage for help. The sage looked deeply into the troubled man and with compassion offered him a choice: “You may have either a map or a boat.” 

After looking at the many pilgrims about him, all of whom seem equally troubled, the confused man said, “I’ll take the boat.” The sage kissed him on the forehead and said, “Go then. You are the boat. Life is the sea.” 

As we have discovered so many times, we have everything we need within us. This ability to listen is our oldest oar. You are the boat.

On the mat we can practice being the boat and we don’t need the map. Our practice is not about achieving something or “getting somewhere”, rather it is about navigating the journey with understanding and compassion. 

Off the mat we have the power to practice the same. When we remember we are the boat we have the understanding that we can navigate difficult waters and enjoy smooth seas. My favorite line is “As we have discovered so many times, we have everything we need within us. This ability to listen is our oldest oar. You are the boat.”  Our oldest oar is our ability to listen to our truth inside, to not let our own false stories or anyone else’s impede our journey. It is a practice; one we find difficult at times. However when we can connect to the deep understanding that “we are the boat”, we can be free.