Driving in Neutral

The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When attachment and aversion are both absent, the way is clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction, however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

On the Faith of Mind by The Third Zen Ancestor

Yesterday was the anniversary of my father's passing, six years ago. I always get a bit nostalgic around this time.  I am actually wearing a pair of his old wool socks. I  have inherited a lot of his traits including poor circulation to the feet and hands lol. So the socks are a nice, practical way to remember him. 

Anyway, all is well.

More on Clinging/Attachment and Aversion 

Thinking of what I have been writing about in the last few entries about how we are conditioned to cling to that which we assume will bring pleasant feelings, and how we learn to push away ( by resisting, suppressing, repressing, avoiding, distracting, numbing etc) that which we assume will bring unpleasant feelings.  As I was meditating today, the sentence came to mind " Choose to drive in neutral!" It immediately dawned on me what this meant.

"Choose to drive in Neutral!" 

When we are craving and seeking to cling...it is like we are driving a car with the  gear in drive or even overdrive.  We are looking to get to some desired destination in front of us very fast.  When we are resisting or lost in aversion...it is like we have our gear in reverse.  We want to back away and retreat.  We are always shifting our psyches and therefore our behavioral choices.  We are constantly   going forward and then backing up...forward, and back, forward and back. We really are not getting anywhere with this constant shifting.

Well according to Buddhist teaching, besides Drive and Reverse, there is another option on our feeling and reactivity gear shift and that is Neutral.  We can shift our vehicles( body and mind) into Neutral.

Say what crazy lady?  We can't go anywhere in Neutral? 

The only time most of us shift our gears into Neutral is when we are stuck in something, broken down  or when we run out of gas.  At those times we shift our gears and depend on someone or something  to pull or push us  to our destination. Right?

Not Getting Anywhere in Drive or Reverse

Well, aren't most of us stuck now?  Aren't most of us broken in some way or drained of our energy fuel because of this constant craving and resisting our psyches have us doing? ? Are you getting any closer to your destination by constantly switching from Drive to Reverse? No...I guess your present habitual tendencies of reacting to Life are not getting you very far.  And that is what you are doing...reacting.  Life hands you something, it touches something inside you, and you judge it as potentially pleasant making or unpleasant making.  If it is pleasant you want more of it...you drive forward.  If it is unpleasant, you want less of it.  You drive backwards. You are probably going into reverse just as much as you are going forward....all because of these feelings of pleasant and unpleasant. That is fatiguing and crazy making and it gets you nowhere. 

Trying to Control the Drive

Hmm!  You are also trying o control this drive, this journey, as if you know better where you should be going and what you should be doing than Life does.

Now...it is true when you shift into Neutral...you have little control over the drive. You have  to do a lot of coasting and maybe even have to be pushed along by external forces.  Sometimes you don't go anywhere ...but there is no strain...no craving and clinging to the pleasant...no resisting or pushing or backing away from the unpleasant. You are not reacting!  There is just you and Life's road.  You are allowing Life to do the driving and you observe, participate and allow yourself to be carried.  You can still steer but it is not all about you. 

Though it seems counter-intuitive, we will probably get to where we are going a lot quicker and a lot more enjoyably this way...than if we are constantly shifting gears back and forth, exhausting ourselves and driving ourselves crazy in the process.

This is equanimity or what Lao Tzu called the middle way.   This will bring you to where you truly want to go...to the quiet peaceful center of Self.  The Neutral experience is a much easier ride through Life.  

All is well!