This is the FINAL session of the Off the Cushion, Into the World series! We’ve shared some pretty deep wisdom teachings, and I’ve heard people have been having some great insight. But…now what?!
This is the question that every practitioner eventually faces: how the hell do I actually live this in my life?
Because no matter how many teachings we’ve heard, if they stay in our head, they can’t transform our lives.
That’s why this week is all about integration – where our inner work meets the outer world. And it applies not just integrating the teachings in the Off the Cushion series, but ANY insights (post-reteat, post-journey, post-wilderness solo, post-meditation…)
As we know, there’s always a paradox in this spiritual stuff, so here it is for this episode: the deeper we go in our spiritual practice, the more ordinary it becomes.
I know… kinda boring, but hang in there with me 😉
In fact, you might have experienced this for yourself. Maybe after a meditation retreat, or even a really grounded week of practice, there’s often a moment when you go back to “regular” life with all the emails, cleaning, family drama. And it kinda feels like, “What happened?! Did I lose it?”
Where did all that peace go? The presence? The open-spaciousness?
You didn’t lose it, rebel one. What happens in that moment is that we’re just being invited to integrate it.
And integration is the tiny, quieter revolution of remembering that awakening doesn’t happen apart from our lives. It happens within it. And in our integration, we will hit walls of resistance, of backsliding, and it can feel disheartening. But it’s just the rest of us catching up to the part of us that had the insights!
It helps when, instead of being pissed about this seeming backsliding, we meet that part of you that resists change and newness with kindness and compassion.
In that way, our nervous system starts to trust that staying present – that presence itself – is safe. This is a big one. I remember my first experience of ego dissolution. It was like whoa ok…so that happened… and I’m still safe.
And that’s when insight becomes embodied, right? When it drops from the intellect into the cells, into muscle memory, into our BONES.
So if you’ve ever thought, “Why does it feel like I’m going backward after so much growth?” you’re not. We just need to let our body catch up with our mind and vice versa.
Another thing to remember with integration is that the real test of practice isn’t in the silent retreats or quiet meditative moments. It’s in the grocery line. It’s the inbox. Or the 2am text from your partner or your kid (or the one you’ve been waiting for but didn’t get).
The dharma isn’t to help us transcend life. It’s to help us more skillfully STAY with the human experience.
So really, integration means remembering that our life is the retreat. Right?
I mean, this series is called Off the Cushion, Into the World for a reason – it’s about taking it off the cushion and into the real and messy world.
Our greatest practice isn’t going to be on the cushion, peeps.
Maybe it’s with our aging father, meeting his memory loss with tenderness instead of frustration.
That’s not a distraction from practice even though tending to them may take up most of our time and energy.
That is practice.
Integration happens when we stop separating the sacred from the mundane.
It’s why in Buddhist stories, it’s so often that they mention how things like washing dishes can become meditation.
When forgiving someone is our loving-kindness practice for the day, not saying metta phrases in the mediation hall.
When the line between “practice” and “life” disappears, that’s when you know integration is working.
Integration also means accepting that forgetting and remembering the teachings are part of the same dance.
Sometimes, after deep insight, you’ll feel waves of contraction, doubt, grief, confusion. That’s not regression; it’s the body catching up to the mind and vice versa.
Our psyche is integrating new truths and metabolizing what used to define us.
So instead of thinking, “I thought I was past this,” try: “This is the next layer.”
A spiral, right? Revisiting a theme again, but with a new perspective.
That shift in attitude is what keeps the path alive.
So let’s come back to where we started in Week 1 of this Off the Cushion series: freedom. Remember? We talked about freedom from suffering and freedom to live fully awake.
After weeks of diving into all this, how does that word feel now? F R E E D O M.
Less abstract, maybe? More lived.
Because freedom isn’t about escaping difficulty; it’s about meeting difficult experiences differently.
It’s when we stop needing life to be a certain way before we can be okay.
It’s when we respond instead of react.
It’s when we stop outsourcing our peace.
That’s the fruit of integration: freedom that doesn’t depend on circumstances.
Awakening isn’t some far-off state, but remembering – over and over – what’s true in this moment.
And if you ever doubt your progress, look for the small signs:
The extra breath before reacting.
The softness where there used to be armor.
The compassion where there used to be judgment.
That all counts!
That’s how freedom shows up. Quietly, steadily, through you.
May you keep practicing, keep questioning, keep softening, and keep showing up for this wild, beautiful life.
You are the path.
You are the refuge.
You are already home.
You’ll Learn
// What integration actually means (and why it’s the most advanced practice of all)
// How to bring mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion into ordinary moments
// Why resistance shows up even after big insight — and how to work with it
// The role of community and lineage in sustaining the path
// How to embody the freedom you’ve been studying all along in a daily practice
Resources:
// Episode 122: Come See for Yourself – Ehipassiko
// Episode 100: How to Know You’re Making Progress
// Did you miss any of the Off the Cushion Series? Check them all out here:
// Episode 278: Off the Cushion and Into the World – Intro and the Three Jewels
// Episode 279: Reality Check
// Episode 281: Wisdom In Action
// Episode 282: Remembering Our Humanity – A Lesson of the Ages
// Episode 283: The Still Point: Where Freedom Begins
// Episode 285: 5 Self-Sabotage Patterns ALL Brains Have
// Episode 286: The Concept of No-Self (and Greater Intimacy)
// If you’re new to the squad, grab the Rebel Buddhist Toolkit I created at RebelBuddhist.com. It has all you need to start creating a life of more freedom, adventure, and purpose. You’ll also get access to the Rebel Buddhist private group, and tune in every Wednesday as I go live with new inspiration and topics.
// Want something more self-paced with access to weekly group support and getting coached by yours truly? Check out Freedom School – the community for ALL things related to freedom, inside and out. We dive into taking wisdom and applying it to our daily lives, with different topics every month. Learn more at JoinFreedomSchool.com. I can’t wait to see you there!
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