View Run The World
Recently, when doing volunteer work, some technical glitches happened.
Before the mind was able to fully compose itself, I found myself on the keyboard trying to rescue the situation, just to ensure things would not go haywire. My teammate was quietly looking at me, noticeably with unpleasant surprise.
In the past, I would have been proud of myself for smoothening things up. But on that day and the next, I was feeling uncomfortable and restless at best.
In the same week, an act deemed playful seemingly was not well-received and within seconds I found tears in my eyes.
Instead of hiding and brushing it off as 'that is who I am', I was open to just be with the unpleasant feelings and interest to understand. And it did not take long before part of that "stuff" that was hidden behind the scene was revealed to me.
It was the fear of conflict, the view/idea of vulnerability, the sense of guilt, shame and all their "relatives" that set me up to react so quickly. It was a convoluted "making" that was shown just as a swift moment of understanding.
And with that, the uncomfortable feelings dissipated. The mind was set free.
Although I have been told many a time, only then it occurred to me real time that views and ideas have been running our lives, conditioning our thoughts and deeds, with or without us knowing. We may have some "good" views about which wholesome acts should be advocated, or some "not so helpful" views about our self-worth and the like. Even between wholesome and unwholesome there is underlying separation, that something out there is the baseline or the cause for our behavioural patterns, together with many "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts".
In life, how often have we pondered what underlying views exist in us that we are not aware of? How often do we stop in the midst of a happy or unhappy experience to recognize how it taps into our core beliefs despite its fleeting nature? How often do we not seek outside for the cause but turn inward to uncover the true cause of our sufferings?
Recognition and the wrong views are being undone on its own, as well as elimination of the unwholesome tendencies that have been running our system. And that, to me, is the beginning of a meaningful and happy life, which is also the spring board to explore higher Truths of existence.
And with the little experience and understanding that I've gathered, only by walking the journey of diving deeper into mind-works such reality will unravel, layer by layer. Because all of our experiences and reactions manifest within and between our mind and others'.
Complex as it may sound, and indeed a life-long journey, it starts with simply being aware without ignoring nor interfering with the experiences. You may be a meditator who has travelled a distance, or may be new and struggling, but the principle of the path is always the same.
Wherever you are, come join WISE in our weekly and monthly events, to uncover what is hidden in you and how you have made meanings amidst the meaningless.
In grace,
Linh
on behalf of The WISE Team
Newsletter 29 September 2020