It’s been said that we have three main emotions: happy, sad and mad, which isnicely illustratedin this2 minute video. Buddhist psychology teaches that, when we are visited by these emotions, the first step is to pause and notice: “This is how my body feels; it’s unpleasant; I’m in a bad mood; it’s natural; it’s not about me.”
I hope to explore this process in the coming weeks.
SN
Goenka, a pioneer
of Vipassana meditation, after
14 years of study, brought
it
back to India.
Hesaid
that Buddha was the greatest spiritual super-scientist
the world has ever known. The
Buddha
taught the science of how the mind influences the body and the body
influences the mind. And
that
because we are not
aware of what is happening within ourselves, impurities start,
multiply and overpower us. The
Buddha taught
us to observe this.
When
a
sound comes, then a part of the mind recognizes
there is sound. Another part of the mind evaluates it as good or bad.
A third part of the mind feels the sensation generated by the sound
coming in contact with the body. Then the fourth part of the mind
starts reacting. This all happens very
quickly.
With two adolescent children in my life, I am often caught up in difficult emotions. My training in meditation and my practice has equipped me with tools to feel the feelings through felt-sense, as well as ways to cope with those feelings. This is a direct knowing, a present–moment touching of my emotions. Remembering is the challenge. Based on the Buddha’s Satipatthana Sutta (the Four Foundations of Mindfulness), I found the Mindfulness of Body (the sense realm) the fundamental tool for the practice.
When a difficult emotion arises, the sensations give a clear, direct path to connecting with what’s happening in the present moment. My tendency is to start judging, followed by commentaries such as: this person is making me feel like this, I shouldn’t feel like this and so on. Or analyzing - why do I feel like this? Or solving - how can I get rid of this feeling and get on with a better feeling, like happiness? When I think about my feelings, the thoughts themselves trigger more feelings, because I’m in conflict with myself and I go deeper into a painful mood. By focusing on the body, I take myself out of the thought realm—there are no words in my body—and I can break this negative cycle.
Yogic breathing eases this process. Instead of trying to dive right into the middle of the feelings, I start by feeling the breath, then gently moving my attention toward the emotion. By following the breath, as if breathing into the tender spots in the body where the emotion - anger, sadness or hopelessness – rests, often in the chest and belly. I notice that the sensations are always moving.
In
this delicate process, mindfulness of the breath followed by some
soothing words: such as “I’ll be okay”, “I can be with the
feelings without being overwhelmed”. I found placing my hand on my
heart very helpful too. If I trust in the power of the practice, then
I know that I don’t have to get rid of the emotion. I also need
acceptance and forgiveness of myself, so that I’m not judging my
own feelings.
Clearing – Martha Postlewaite
Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue.
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