Expectations based on past experiences tie us to the past. They block us from what is new and, very possibly, more rewarding. Expectations color everything we think and do. Hearing of the wonders of the Pure Land, we diminish them by comparing them to what we believe we know.

Hearing of the trees, flowers, and ponds, we figure they’re like what we have here.

Being told of the learning environment, we think of academic life as we remember it and figure it’s similar.

Reading that we can visit other Buddhas without leaving the Pure Land, we expect it will be like another form of communication.

All these ideas and expectations hold us back!

Letting go of expectations, we can free ourselves of remembered images and begin to feel—to sense—the wonder of things new and beyond our imaginings. And with that, we throw open the door to what is new and truly wondrous.