Anger, depression, anxiety... metabolic, psychological, and emotional dysregulation... the internal thunderstorms of mind. They emerge and appear below the horizon of consciousness and awareness, in relationship to our sense of turmoil and distress. Why? Because the survival aspect of mind has zoomed in on something at 10,000X magnification, assessing that it doesn't have control in the way it would prefer, or the sensation of having its sense of comfort overthrown.
The next thing that happens is it goes into projection of possible outcomes, doing a risk analysis and not liking what it sees. Our survival instincts' GPS assumes that we lack the internal and external resources to meet the challenge. In that dysregulated and contracted state that thinks and feels like "Shenpa"... being hooked in a disorientated way... we react. The notion of response doesn't seem... appear... to be an option on the menu of self. Oy vey!
Now what? Will we fall into foxhole prayers hoping sky-daddy will come rescue us, which is functionally the same thing as when Terry Bradshaw, the famous Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, would get in a jam, scramble out of the pocket, and just wing the ball at the end zone, hoping that someone would miraculously catch it? He appeared to be one of those rare, "fortunate gamblers," who, as it turns out, wasn't gambling on the invisible but his very visible teammates on the ground who were also highly trained and skilled. Buddhistically, this was his version of sangha... community... people working toward a similar and unified aim. But to understand that reality... We can't zoom in on him. We have to zoom out on the totality of the game. And this is where meditation practice comes in.
Through meditation, we harmonize the four aspects of self: the physical, the mental, the emotional, and the attention, which is the user interface for consciousness and awareness, some might say the spirit. With the intentionality of meditation, we shift our weight and zoom out 10,000X application through intuition, not only seeing the totality of our experience... but experiencing ourselves as the Universal nature of Loving Presence, experienced through our personhood... we are none of us alone.
Connection, connection, connection, connection. We need each other. Our life is a "Team" sport. Then we're clearer about our limitless and vast resources, which are always right here, and right now. My sponsor refers to 'This' as "Pronoia," that the Universe is conspiring to help us, not hurt us... We could just look at where we are so fortunate to be able to live in a very big universe. Astonishing! There's literally more than meets the physical eye's limited capacity to see. Causes and conditions... karma... too! All of this is far beyond egoAI's range of ability.
Without a meditation practice, we'll never know It. Without a meditation practice, we will never know our authentic nature, squarely and authentically. Without a consistent and meaningful meditation practice, It will only appear as a kind of energetic shadow or glimpse through our peripheral vision. Zazen, Zazen, Zazen. Please consciously and intentionally unify attention to our True Nature... Universal Identity of Loving Presence. Then, rather than having an obsessive need for control, we manage our responses to what is... then no suffering.
一We Are the Practice Itself
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