The world goes on the way it does. We have no control over these conditions – just as we cannot escape diseases of the body. But waking up is not beyond us. Bowing to the present moment is  our homage to awareness, to pure presence that transcends all conditions. We see what is true – all else is a sham, arising and falling away. If we hold onto any of it, we have not yet shed the myriad faces of the ego. Mara will dance on our bones, pull out our hair, cut us to pieces or throw us off a cliff. But seeing the masquerade of Mara, we rise above all brokenness. For what is there to get – compared to what we already are? The ego dies at the feet of true sanctuary. Sati Saraniya Hermitage, Sept. 30, 2024