Treating Difficulties With Patience

 During the study group tonight, I heard a very interesting expression, about beings who give blessings to Buddhist practitioners by way of difficulties. I interpret this to be that when we apply the practices of non-abiding, no-form,and no thought, difficulties can certainly be transformed into teachers. On the other hand, if we are always grasping at the self, everyone appears as an obstacle who is in the way of an elusive something else.
  I consider this to be the problem that we should always keep to the idea that "problems" are forms of grasping at an imagined result. What would life be like if the problems were seen as teachers? I think that we would have much more faith that the people who seem to create difficulties have something meaningful to say that can enrich one's presence and engagement in a practice. But the key point is that there needs to be a practice in order for such a "lesson" to become engaging and meaningful. Without a sense of practice, it becomes impossible to think that anything in this moment can speak to who we are.Instead, we continually keep hearkening to reflections of the past and future.