They pop up in my mind, just like that. Flashes of clarity in the midst of unpleasantness. Words of wisdom that spell it like it is: 'greed', 'restless', 'fear', 'anger', 'depressed', 'envy', 'self-pity', 'craving', 'aversion', 'lust', 'wanting', 'anxiety', 'dullness', 'doubt', 'addicted' . . . Labels with the power to free the mind from its own trappings.
Earlier, I saw the arising of envious thoughts. 'Envy', this is 'envy', I told myself, a bad weed to be eradicated at once. Being mindful, I could actually see the effect of 'envy' right now, right there, in the form of mental and physical unease. I could also remember all the other times before when I had felt 'envy', and the waste of happiness that had ensued. That was enough to drop the troubling thoughts.
All day long, watching the arising of hindrances in the mind, and this process of mind disentangling itself. And each time, reaping the joy.
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Marguerite I enjoyed reading this. Trying to make friends with the hindrances seems the only way to deal with them. They ceartainly don't go away! Putting labels on them may help but perhaps its best just to accept them as conditions that arise and cease like friends that come to visit then go away again.Easier said than done of course!!
ReplyDeleteMichael, sure, we can watch the hindrances come and go. I also believe we can help ourselves by interjecting wisdom and also exerting the power of choice at our disposal. By clearly seeing the hindrances for what they are, we are more likely to part way with them. Seeing envy, I can choose to not indulge mind in more envious thoughts. The hindrance may linger a bit, but not as much as if left alone. At least, that has been my experience so far . . .
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