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The Science of
Peace
I recently had the pleasure of watching a wonderful documentary called
"10 Questions for the Dalai Lama". The documentary is
narrated and directed by Rick Ray who interviews the Dalai Lama about
the current state of Tibet and the ongoing oppression of the Tibetans
by the Chinese government. The Dalai Lama explained clearly and
unsentimentally the Buddhist philosophy and beliefs of non-violence,
the interdependence of all beings, and the power of compassion and
non-attachment. In the face of brutality, torture and genocide of his
people, the Dalai Lama is able to remain deeply content and devoted to
a life of non-violence and peace. I went away from the movie very aware
of the immense power we each hold to create our reality. This would
involve the practice of mind training as a means towards inner peace.
The Dalai Lama has mastered the power of his mind through compassionate
observation and acceptance of all that arises within him and around
him. We, too, have this ability to transform our mind and consciousness
through actively committing and devoting ourselves to mindful awareness
of our thoughts and actions.
The Interdependence of All Beings
The Buddhist philosophy teaches us that everything that
is happening in the world is interconnected and interdependent. This
teaching reminds us that our efforts to generate peace and acceptance
within ourselves affect all others around us, within our community and
beyond. Everything that we do, think and feel affects the whole. We are
reminded that we are not separate entities living separate lives. As
such, the genocide that is happening in Africa affects the greater
energy field to which we are all connected and affects everyone else
who shares this planet. This teaching offers us the message that we are
wholly connected through our consciousness and subtle energy fields,
like ripples along the same wave, creating the collective conscious.
The energetic fields that we as individuals possess within our own
individual bodies, are similar to the fields and grids on this planet
that draw all beings together. The generation of peace by one affects
many, and thus, the generation of peace by many beings creates a
critical mass for the transformation and healing of all beings
everywhere.
The Dalai Lama was asked by Rick Ray the question of
"When does non-violence no longer work and the need to protect
oneself call for violence in the name of what is right?" The Dalai
Lama replied that any act of violence against another is an act of
violence against oneself. He responded that because we are all
interconnected and interdependent, in the long run, peace can be the
only answer.
The Power of Compassion
As humans, we are born with both Spirit and Ego. We are
born into duality as part of our nature. There is really no getting
around that fact. The struggle between light and shadow has been the
focus of humanity and many religions for as long as humans have
existed. The adopted western belief by many over the centuries has been
that to be "good", or in some Christian denominations "a
non-sinner", means that one must be rid of their shadow or
negative energies. This leaves a whole part of our essence as humans
unclaimed, denied and in the dark. The message we are being offered
today is to wholly love and accept all that we are. We are guided to
not take personally the fact that we have egoic needs and strivings.
This is part of our biological need for survival as humans. We can
compassionately accept that we are human and that ego, shadow and karma
are an aspect of our being without needing to act out the shadow.
Instead, we can take responsibility and accountability for these parts
of our being by accepting their presence in our lives and through
spiritual practice awaken to that which is beyond duality.
One important aspect of developing a life of inner peace
is that one's desire for peace and equanimity in one's life must be
greater than one's desire for drama, chaos and pain. That may sound
strange to some of you, but this truth is also part of our current
reality. The need for drama, chaos and opposition have been imprinted
in our cellular memory from very early on through the media, through
our environment and even through our own genetics. With this, we as
westerners have to be even more aware and conscious of the energies and
motivations driving our ego and shadow. We can do this and still be
entirely loving and compassionate towards ourselves.
The Transformation of Negative Emotional or Mental
States through Mindful Awareness
The following simple meditation practice has been a
staple for me in my life. It is very simple, and also requires
discipline and practice. The benefits are too numerous to count and I
invite you to give it a try with even your most challenging of states.
Close your eyes and bring your awareness down into your
belly. Feel the rising and falling of your belly as you breathe in and
out. As you are breathing, gently notice and feel into your body if
there is any dominant emotion or thought present. If so, without
judging that feeling and without needing to change it or fix it, just
be with its presence by becoming aware of the sensations of it in your
body and by naming it.
For example, if you are feeling anxiety, easily notice
the anxiety in the body. Notice how it feels in the body, and
where you feel it in your body. Become aware of the sensations of that
anxiety such as warm or cold, pulsating, pressure, heavy or light. Get
to know how this energy of anxiety shows up in your body. By neutrally
observing and noticing the sensations of anxiety in your body, you are
freeing yourself from identifying with the anxiety as being you and
freeing yourself from the storyline of what anxiety has meant to you in
the past. Instead, you are being with the feeling and experiencing it
in this moment as a form of energy and sensation in the body. As you
are following the sensations in your body, try to remember to feel into
the body and let go of any thinking about it. Just feel the sensations
and let the mind go.
As you are sensing into how the sensations feel, the
next step is to easily name the anxiety. You can first name the feeling
you are having in your body, as in "Anxiety, anxiety,
anxiety." Also, while you are neutrally observing the sensations
in your body, you can name the sensation as you are feeling it.
"Pulsating", "Heat", "Lightness". The
general practice is to name whatever you are feeling 3 times, as in
"Pulsating, pulsating, pulsating." The naming of the
sensation 3 times offers you the opportunity to really be with the
sensation.
As you are discovering these sensations and energies in
the body, give the sensations space to show up. Just as if you were
walking down a path and you came upon a beautiful flower and you said,
"Oh, what a beautiful flower." You would observe that flower
and notice its beauty without stepping on it or taking away from its
presence in any way. You would most likely want to admire and respect
it just as it is. The same goes for the energies in your body. We want
to compassionately give them the space they require to manifest without
crowding them or needing to change them. So lightly and gently observe,
notice and name. What you may find is that the energy sensations begin
to shift and change. You may even find that the
sensations dissipate altogether.
This practice, also called Vipassana, or Mindfulness
Meditation, is so helpful in reminding us that we needn't be attached
to even that which arises in the body. We can just be with the
sensations of energy as they show up in the body and we can let go of
the storyline of whatever that energy has meant to us in the past. The
magic of Vipassana is that it is like going through a gateway. As you
are experiencing and being with energies in the body, you go through
doorway after doorway of discovery, insight and awareness. You find
that you have entered a new universe within your being by just opening
to the sensations and experiences in your body. Over time, the
experience of life becomes a series of interconnected energies and
sensations moving within you and all around you, and your experience of
life as duality begins to shift.
I invite you to enter the realm that is beyond the mind
and discover the magical universe that is you!
Spiritual Medicine for Healing
www.spiritualmedicineforhealing.com
415-794-2882
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