Calming the Mind, Simplifying Our Lives The 37 Practices of - TopicsExpress



          

Calming the Mind, Simplifying Our Lives The 37 Practices of Bodhisattvas, Verse 3 By avoiding bad objects, disturbing emotions gradually decrease. Without distraction, virtuous activities naturally increase. With clarity of mind, conviction in the teaching arises. Cultivate seclusion— This is the practice of bodhisattvas. Cultivate Seclusion Disturbing emotions—such as attachment, anger, resentment, vengeance, belligerence, laziness, concealment, deceit, and pretension—gradually subside when you are not surrounded by the objects that provoke them. When we look at what triggers the arising of disturbing emotions, we see that it’s usually because we have encountered some kind of “bad object” that triggers our habitual emotional reactions. The designation “bad object” doesn’t mean the objects are bad in and of themselves. Rather, it indicates that our mind is very reactive when we’re in the proximity of certain people, situations, or things. In such cases, our old habits come up strongly and our mind becomes uncontrolled. We might be going along very smoothly, and then we encounter someone that we had a quarrel with five years ago. Just seeing or thinking of that person brings the unpleasant experience flooding back and we become upset, depressed, and angry. Although nothing happened at this present moment, we get angry. Our response is not the fault of the object. This point is important to understand so that we do not blame the people or things that we react to. Although we often say, “You made me angry,” in fact, no one makes us angry. The anger comes from within ourselves. Yet, because we are beginners and our mind is uncontrolled, when we’re around certain people or objects or in particular situations, our destructive emotions can arise easily. Knowing this, we choose to put ourselves in a different situation. If we don’t put ourselves in situations where the objects of attachment or anger are, or where we are around people who are a bad influence on us, then certain afflictions will not arise so much in our minds. This is not running away from the situation. Rather, we’re giving our minds some space from the objects or people that act as triggers for our disturbing emotions. We do this so that we can investigate how these emotions arise and practice the antidotes to them. Having developed the antidotes to those mental afflictions, later, when we face the same situation again, we will be less reactive and more balanced in our response. For example, if you’re attached to ice cream, you understand it’s bad for your health, and know you don’t feel good about yourself when you eat it, then don’t go to an ice cream parlor to meet your friends. This doesn’t mean the ice cream or the ice cream parlor is bad. It just means your mind is uncontrolled. Initially we stay away from those things that provoke attachment in our mind. If we avoid the objects that incite our ignorance, anger, attachment, resentment, and laziness, our disturbing emotions will gradually decrease. This happens because we are now actively hearing, thinking, and meditating on the Dharma to cultivate the antidotes to those disturbing emotions. Similarly, let’s say we are so attached to someone that every time we’re near him or her, our mind is filled with craving and we can’t think clearly. To be able to develop the skill needed to counteract our craving, we need to keep some distance from the person who brings up our strong attachment. We are not rejecting this person, but giving ourselves some time and space to reflect on impermanence and the faults of cyclic existence in order to make our mind calmer and more balanced. At the beginning, and for a long while, our minds are totally out of control, so we need a secluded environment. Seclusion doesn’t mean we go live in a cave. It means living in an environment where we aren’t exposed to all the things that push our buttons, so we can have the time and space to cultivate the antidotes to our disturbing emotions. Here, seclusion refers to the environment. However, real seclusion is mental seclusion. When our mind is secluded, it is not reactive to external objects or our internal thoughts about them. A person who has a stable Dharma practice and has trained his or her mind in the antidotes to the afflictions can maintain a balanced mind in situations in which previously she would have become very angry or attached. This is a real benefit that comes from integrating the teachings with our mind. Because the mind is now secluded from afflictions, there is more space for positive emotions and deeds. Ven. Thubten Chodron, Sravasti Abbey
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 09:16:23 +0000

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