We are taught to be goal-oriented but clinging too rigidly to that orientation can actually undermine our progress, not to mention our happiness. My long-suffering meditation teacher, the brilliant and very patient Joseph Goldstein joined me as a guest on the Ten Percent Happier podcast for a conversation about Nirvana. Check out link in bio for the full episode. #josephgoldstein #meditation #nirvana #nibana #danharris4ever

I sometimes say that meditation is this crazy video game where if you want to move forward, you can't move forward. You have to put your mind into a neutral position in order to achieve progress. And that is so hard for a modern striving-oriented person to grok. I think there's a distinction of between two different mind states that when we understand it can really help us hold enlightenment or awakening or nirvana, nibbana as a goal without getting caught by striving. And the distinction, which I found helpful, is understanding the difference between aspiration and expectation. Because an aspiration sets a direction. You know, we can have something that we value and that we're aiming for. So it sets the direction for our path, for our work. Expectation has to do with wanting something to happen now and then being frustrated when it's not going the way we want. Growth in any discipline never goes like that. It's always up and down and up and down, but we know what direction we're going in, which actually gives a lot of meaning to our lives.