The great way is not difficult for those who have no preferences.
Third Zen Patriarch
"Sensory perceptions", "Thoughts", "Feelings", Emotions", "Judgements", "Views", and "Actions".
Instead...
Wouldn't it be great if, instead of getting lost in the story and drama of the mind when things go wrong, we could just notice and group whatever comes up under one of these categories of mental formation/modification? Instead of allowing the narrative to take off when someone, for example, stands you up, instead of allowing yourself to get lost in the starring role of that drama with, "I can't believe they didn't show up! How rude! Man, they are so inconsiderate. I have been such a good friend and they treat me like this??? Imagine! That is so bad, so wrong. It shouldn't be!", you could simply watch and label it as "Thought! "
Wouldn't it be awesome if instead of getting all worked up when you form judgments, you could just say "Judgement!" ?
Wouldn't it be cool if when you feel the drama build up in your body...a knot forming in your gut, hands closing into fists as you begin to pace back and forth, when there is the feeling of agitation and discomfort , you could just say "Bodily Sensation!" ?
When you notice the typical anger and resistance towards the incident brewing inside, you could just say, "Emotion!"?
When you call someone else just to complain. "They didn't show up! They always do this...they are so inconsiderate." You could just say "Reacting!"?
When you catch yourself looking for pity and validation for your "self" in the starring role of this drama as righteousness victim, you could just say "seeking to strengthen ego identity".
When you get what you want from the other and it is giving you an identity, a certain power, you could just say, "Wrong Collective View! " ?
When the anger builds as you tell yourself you have a "right" to it, and you call the person who didn't show up. When they do not answer you hear your mind saying "Oh they forgot about me, did they? Of course, that is just like them!", prompting you to leave a nasty, nasty message on their phone and storm off....you could say "Wrong Action."?
Normal To React
We don't tend to do that though, do we? Instead of just noticing the tendency of the mind to react a certain way, instead of noticing the conditioned reaction to sensory perceptions, instead of noticing the bodily response, the thoughts, the feelings , the emotions and the judgments as an objective observer and "learning" from it...most of us allow ourselves to get pulled right in. Ego-self often gets louder than our calm, wise Self. We get pulled in and we close off the connection to wise Self.
Another Story...
Now, after you spend hours fuming and lost in the drama your mind created, you find out that the person who was supposed to show up got in an accident on their way to you, how would you respond then? You would lose yourself in another drama, another reaction wouldn't you? One where you are the villain, not the victim.
Normal but Not Necessary
Do not beat yourself up for this reactivity. It is a very "normal" conditioned tendency most of us have within us. You are not alone and most people would empathize and sympathize with your plight, agreeing that you are indeed the victim or the villain. But it serves absolutely no one when we react in this way when things are not as we prefer them to be.
Preference Is The Problem
It is our preference, and our desire for things of the external world to be a certain way that leads us into this mess.. When we slip from observer to victim or villain in our mental stories, we do what most of the population does but it is so unnecessary and so unwholesome.
Learning When Things Go Wrong
The good news is we can use this reactivity as a learning opportunity! When things go wrong, when things are not as we prefer them to be, we can take a step back and observe how the mind is working. We can simply watch it and at some point instead of closing up to the experience with our perceptions, thoughts, feelings, emotions, judgements, views and actions...we simply "don't close!" We allow it all to be exactly as it is and simply observe. We learn!
We can learn to stop reacting, to go deeper, to stop preferring from every less than preferrable situation we experience.
All is good.
Let's be grateful for all those occasions when things go wrong. They are always an opportunity for going deeper....It is always miraculous to suddenly realize you can be free of externals, as far as your inner state is concerned.
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle () Staying Present When Something Goes Wrong: A Meditation With Eckhart Tolle.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXXmvcYCG34.
Michael A. Singer. What Do You Really Want? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-9j3AjdO3E
No comments:
Post a Comment