Hey folks! It's been a minute since I last posted, but I feel it's
time for me to get back to it. I've been spending a lot of time trying
to sort out all the trash in my head, getting really hardcore back into
meditation, and trying to figure out where the hell I left my keys..
well, mostly the keys. Anyways, I've had some really fantastic
experiences, and I felt like sharing them with you guys. If you dig it,
way cool! If not, then feel free to rage with the fury of two suns on
your next bowl of lucky charms.
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| How the heck do keys end up in the most ridiculous spots? aliens. |
So I've been doing a ton of study on the Buddha's teachings, and trying to absorb as much as I can, while kicking my meditation into overdrive to really get some understanding flowing. The other morning, I was meditating and had a very awesome realization. Firstly, an empty pickle jar has over 126 uses, but also, the mind will think whatever it wants to, whether I like it or not, and I don't have to take it personally. I know what you're thinking, you only counted 125 uses. that's what I thought too, at first.
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| really think about it. You'll come up with the last one. |
It seems like a very simplistic, maybe even trivial, explanation of
relating to the mind. But this simple concept brings with it an
incredibly deep understanding that we are not our thoughts. crazy, huh?
There are a lot of us that really take our own thoughts very personally
and don't realize that the emotional reaction we are having is based on
believing something that doesn't even exist. I'm not talking about how
excited you were the first time you got money from the tooth fairy.
I'd like to try a little experiment to explain my point. Try closing
your eyes, and bring your attention to someone you really love. Really
get a good feeling for how you relate to this person. Then imagine that
you and this person get into a very heated arguement. There's screaming
and yelling, and maybe even throwing things. The emotions are high and
wild, and both of you are very upset and hurt. Just sit with that for a
second and really feel it. bring your attention back to the present
wherever you are. You just fabricated some sort of emotion out of
nothing but thoughts. Those emotions are based off of a scenario that
doesn't exist at this present moment, and what's more, because of that,
you missed out on what was actually happening in real life.
I
know that it may seem a little silly, but this is what most of us do
all day, every day. We believe everything that our mind says without
question, all the while completely ignorant to what is actually
happening to us. The point is this, we are not slaves to our thoughts.
It's just how the mind is built. It loves to make plans, prepare for the
future, cover all possible ends, and it's all because this body and
mind are programmed for survival. It's important to not take anything
your mind does personal. We can not control what it does, but we can
control how we choose to respond to it. I believe a wise response is to
just recognize that it's the mind doing it's thing, accept that, don't
take it personally, and focus on what is happening in real life.
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| Research has proven that a swift punch to the brain doesn't help the situation. |
So that's what I have for today! I like to think of the mind like a spaztic friend who shouts the first thing he says, loves to give advice, and can't help himself. Sometimes the advice can be useful, but most times it's a swing and a miss. Have a wonderful day guys, and feel free to comment with your own ideas on the mental process. Thanks for looking!
Oh, cool little tidbit; When you are thinking about atoms, It's just atoms pondering themselves. Mind, blown.
