We don't have to accept things as if we're watching a TV show where the writers decide where the show is going to go, it's more like an interactive video game

"The purpose of the practice is not just to accept what’s happening and to simply let it happen. When you look at the Buddha’s teachings on karma, you realize that what we experience in the present moment is not something that’s beyond our control. We do have a role in shaping it. That’s what allows for a path of practice. If we didn’t have that role in shaping it, we’d just have to accept things, like a TV show. Wherever the writers decide the show is going to go, you have to accept that. You can’t yell at the screen and tell the characters to do something else, or go back and rewrite it. Actually, experience is more like an interactive game. You have some control over how things are going to go. You have some choices that can steer the action in new directions.

The whole point of the practice is to learn how to make those choices wisely, to make wise changes in your mind. That’s what we’re doing as we meditate: We’re here changing our minds."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Change Your Mind"

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