Exercises in Mind Emptying
There is a ‘real’ world of which we are a part. It has no intrinsic meaning, and is therefore ‘empty’ of meaning. We interact with everything through our senses. We’ve mentioned this before. Sensory data also has no meaning. We interpret the sensory data. Thus, the world you perceive is not the world - the world you perceive is your interpreted version of the world. Our interaction with ‘the world, then, is always subjective, as we take the raw data and judge (interpret) it.
The Mind’s Cobwebs
We’ve been conditioned by our families and tribes to ‘fit in.’ Making positive change is therefore difficult, as many changes go against our ‘tribal’ rules. We explore how we set our values, and how to begin the process of questioning everything.
Ask yourself, “What can I do, in this moment, to bring peace to this situation?”
How I view my reality is solely and completely a result of my upbringing, experiences, and history. The only authentic question is–is the way I am interpreting my reality helping or hurting me? If my interpretation is hurt-filled, I can continue to try to force the world to see it my way, or I can bring peace.
Have your feelings. Act responsibly in spite of them.
Emotions arrive unbidden. Infants / children experience them without the filters later applied to them. Soon, the tribal ‘take’ on each emotional state is force fed to the child. “Big boys don’t cry.” “Sugar and spice and everything nice…” “What have you to be angry about?” or “I’ll give you something to be angry about.” “If you keep pouting your face will freeze that way.”
Now, you may think that this is unimportant, but I can guarantee that you have a whole list of internal and not-thought-through ‘rules’ about emotions.
The Top 5 Ways to Get Your Act Together
It is possible to have a full, rich and meaning-filled life. It is just not easy. Here is a list of 5 ideas that just might get you further along the path to “Getting a Life.”
The Myth of a Self
Consider: How often do you find yourself miserable, judging your life to be awful or meaningless, and what happens then? Do you not find yourself asking some form of this question: “Why is this happening to me? Why is my life like this?” Is it possible for you to explore the possibility that this is the wrong question? It is the wrong question because there is no “you” that has a life.
Zen Based, Present Living
