Does Your Relationship Ever Get You Down?

Shortly after we were married we went to India and spent our honeymoon in monasteries and ashrams. We also had a private meeting with the Dalai Lama at his residence in McLeod Ganj, in the foothills of the Himalayas. As Ed recalls: After some thirty minutes of talking with him I was feeling so moved by this gentle and loving man that I didn’t want to leave! I was completely in love with this delightful being. He was so ordinary, sitting between us and holding our hands. Finally, I said to him, ‘I don’t want to leave! I just want to stay here with you!’ I knew he would understand my sincerity and would say yes, how wonderful, I can see you are ready for the teachings. But, instead, he just smiled and said, ‘If we were together all the time we would quarrel!’

So relax, if the Dalai Lama can quarrel, so can we! Inevitably there are going to be times when relationship is not easy, when differences collide, when egos clash, when my needs seem more important than yours, or when your needs are not being met. For relationship creates untold problems. Sitting in solitary bliss with our hearts wide open and love pouring out of us towards all beings is relatively easy, but as soon as we come in direct contact with another person everything changes. Our ability to stay open and loving, our selflessness and generosity, all this and more is immediately confronted by someone else’s own wants and needs, by their capacity to accept and love or not.

Relationship is not just an integral part of being alive, it is also the most vital and challenging teacher we can ever have. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, If you can make friends with one person, you can make friends with the world.

Difficulties in relationship show us the many ways our ego-selves try to be right, which can be a cause for either conflict or laughter. Once we were sharing some of our marriage issues with our meditation teacher, and he looked at us quite puzzled. ‘Why not just laugh?’ he suggested. And he was right. Laughter really is the best medicine. When we see the absurdity of two ego’s knocking heads and trying to outwit each other it is very amusing. So often a disagreement is about seeing the same thing in two different ways: one sees a white ceiling, the other sees a flat ceiling, but it’s the same ceiling!

Sometimes, it can be healthy to have a good quarrel, if we can then just let it go and come back to loving. There are bound to be times of flow and times of discord but we don’t need to hold on to either. Difficulties arise because we cling to our own opinion as being the right one and it’s this holding on, with the ensuing shame, blame and hostile silences, that causes so many problems.

In fact, those people we have a difficult time with are really our teachers. For without an adversary—or those who trigger strong reactions such as annoyance and anger—we would not have the stimulus to develop loving kindness and compassion. So we can actually thank our exasperating relationships for the chance to practice patience. What a gift!

We are not alone here, each one of us—both directly and indirectly—affect each other; everyone and everything is dependent on everything else. As Mother Theresa reminds us: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten we belong to each other.

*****

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Vanessa F.

7:43AM PST on Feb 21, 2012

I am wondering if i weren't better off being alone, I know anything worth having requires work! I guess i have just been disillusioned my entire adult life thinking with Love nothing else is needed this so not true! I'm depressed not saying it is his fault but i don't like this feeling at all worrying about what you say, how you say it, is driving me crazy........................

send a green star

Nyack C.

12:29PM PST on Feb 9, 2012

Lovely photo- we all know relationships are for the hetrosexual.

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Past Member .

2:49AM PST on Feb 8, 2012

I am so grateful to be single.

Julie F.

12:55AM PST on Feb 5, 2012

Its good to hear direct from the Dalai Lama. Also good to get others comments. Thanks.

Sandi C.

10:47AM PST on Feb 3, 2012

NOT IN ONE AT THIS TIME!

Brenda T.

4:04AM PST on Feb 3, 2012

The rough patches should be the time you learn more about each other. They should strengthen the relationship in the end. It takes a lifetime to grow together.

Kathy P.

10:15AM PST on Feb 1, 2012

people will always argue. if your relationship never has rough patches, how can you ever know they will stay with you in troubled times?

C.M P.

10:45PM PST on Jan 31, 2012

Even the most perfect couple will quarrel once in a while.
But what I can't stand is being in a relationship with someone that strives on it. When one is is in a relationship where they find themselves complaining about their mate more than they speak favorably about them it is time to end the relationship.

Ryder W.

9:26PM PST on Jan 31, 2012

my relationship never gets me down =) being around my gf always lifts me up! she's the best part of my life. i think it's important to choose somebody who has similar opinions and values as you do. we've never had an argument or disagreed on anything major. i could never get mad at her anyway, she's too cute.

Marie W.

8:55PM PST on Jan 31, 2012

All relationships have ups and downs.