"Become adept at distinguishing the perceptions of your own mind." - Buddha
The teachings of the Buddha have one purpose, to end suffering. In fact, when the Buddha himself was walking around, if someone wanted to engage him in an intellectual or philosophical discussion, he would flatly ignore them.
Most people today believe it to be some untoward set of circumstances that cause the suffering. They also believe that the way to end suffering is to change the circumstances. But the Buddha's teach about suffering is not that.
Suffering is NOT a condition or situation. Suffering is a mindset. It is how we react to any circumstance, not the circumstance itself. It is the meaning we give it. Suffering is in the meaning and not the circumstances.
That means that suffering is completely a product of the mind.
Like our giraffe friend in the picture above, we need to go beyond our beliefs about... well... everything! We need to come to see things the way they are. When we see things the way they are we recognize that, it is simply the state of mind that is interpreting those things that causing so much suffering in the world.
This realization empowers us to end that suffering.
In some of these blogs I have chosen to use the subject of money as an example because right now, it is causing an enormous amount of suffering in the world.
Pretty much everyone I know is feeling at least somewhat pinched and many people I know have completely lost their livelihood and are truly struggling. None the less, if it is true that it is the meaning we give things (the mindset) and not the circumstances themselves, then how does this apply to money?
Money, wealth, the pursuit of luxury and riches has become so divisive right now that it would appear that greed is the number one cause of all of the major problems facing humanity. Yet we all want to have a bigger, more prosperous life. We are all in a state of INNER CONFLICT when it comes to money.
Many will say to me "Oh no G, I am very clear about what money means!" Really? Here is a little litmus test.
Think of a large amount of money that you would love to have, an amount larger than anything your current circumstances could provide.
Picture what you would do if you had that. Something you may have wanted but haven't had the money for. Something you may have wanted for a long time. Something you may even have given up on ever having, but a desire for it remains.
As you hold the picture of that amount and what it would bring in your mind, put your attention into your body and notice how you feel.
Is there any feeling of tension, constriction, subtle anger or sadness?
Is there someone you think of that has it and how does that feel?
Have you ever been jealous of someone who has it? (Maybe even dismissed that feeling with some spiritual platitude)
Do any thoughts of why you don't have it pop up?
Is it hard to even hold the image in your mind?
Do you get distracted?
Is blurry or keeps changing?
Does your mind keep focusing on how to get it?
Is there even a tiny feeling of impossibility, unlikely or even it's not important?
All those are the symptoms of an inner resistance or inner conflict.
The conscious part of you is saying "Yes." The more subtle energetic part of you is saying "No way!" And it is very, very subtle. Learning to read the language of the body, the energy system, karma or what is termed the unconscious takes practice, patience and a cultivated a willingness to allow yourself to feel things you would rather not feel.
OK, so I recognize the resistance, now what do I do with it?
Let me give you an initial practice. I call it the Yoga of Allowing. It is extremely simple. In fact, it is the simplest thing you can possibly do. You don't do anything at all. You simply let yourself feel.
Notice that, when you feel something uncomfortable, you immediately want to fix it or get it to go away or sedate it in some way or just distract yourself. But the first step is to just feel it. How is that going to help? Well, if you let yourself feel it, without trying to get rid of the feeling you have stepped out of the inner conflict. You are not resisting your own feelings. That is where healing and inner reconciliation starts.
After a while it will get easier and you will find yourself just watching what it happening. Be it thoughts, emotions or sensations, you will be engaging with them as a curious observer rather than an opponent.
Now if you are no longer in conflict with your feelings what happens to the defensive mechanism of your nervous system? It lets down some defenses. You will feel that as a lightness or calmness in. your body. Then think of that amount of money that triggered the resistance before and see if the reaction in your body is different.
At this point there are three things happening:
You are letting the defensive mechanism respond without fighting it
You are allowing yourself to have a desire without going to battle about it
You are sitting an a third position that I call the peacemaker, the observer who does not take sides
I call this process Inner Reconciliation because it reconciles two (or more) opposition parties and brings them into accord. Obviously there is a lot to the process. It is a life's practice and not a quick fix.
But what I wanted you to see here and now was that the world is nothing other than the mind. You never see something as it actually is. You only see through the lens of your perceptions. Hence Buddha would put it forth as a deeply profound and critical practice.
"Become adept at distinguishing the perceptions of your own mind." - Buddha
When you do, you find the world is created by those perceptions that insight empowers you to become the master of your life.
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