During this May 3 session, our thoughts are still on Meditation. There was a question about the Monkey Mind. The consensus was that this state of mind with its multiple thought strings and processes is indeed normal. The author always likes to bring forth the River Analogy. During our waking moments, our stream of thought is like a river, swollen by rain and storm, with a very fast current, and lots of tree trunks, and debris in this rain swollen river. Our being is floating in this river rapidly with all this debris around us. It is tumultuous, turbulent and even perhaps dangerous. Through meditation we can gradually pull ourselves from this river to sit on the bank and watch the tumult. And slowly with time we may be able to even calm the raging torrent and the debris thins out and the currents slow. But at the very least we are able to safely watch this torrent from a bank without threat to our spiritual safety. This is what meditation does and how it might feel to achieve some small degree of enlightenment.
A technique was discussed where if threatened by negative emotions, we can name the emotion or the negative experience. When we have faced this negativity and named it and even embraced it, slowly the sense of negativity decreases. Our amygdala is stimulated by novel thoughts. If you embrace something, it is no longer novel and you will not respond negatively to this thought.
Someone quoted a portion of this Rumi poem (and it was not Sky).
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
The Essential Rumi -- Versions by Coleman Barks
Someone in the group asked" "Should one try to feel the emotion you are trying to embrace or should one observe it objectively?" Well the answer is "You do both." Make friends with the emotions. Remember putting your feelings into rage is not the same as recognizing anger.
Todd said that in therapy, the therapist lets the patient/client label their own emotions. The therapist says -- "You seem to be having strong emotions." This helps them to put it into words. But the therapist does not put the emotions into words for them. This may be the mechanism of how journaling helps. You just don't want what you are doing to turn into brooding so you then can choose to change.
Todd said that in therapy, the therapist lets the patient/client label their own emotions. The therapist says -- "You seem to be having strong emotions." This helps them to put it into words. But the therapist does not put the emotions into words for them. This may be the mechanism of how journaling helps. You just don't want what you are doing to turn into brooding so you then can choose to change.
There was some talk about dealing with anger. The best way is to just state the obvious, "I am angry." Paul said it might be better to say "I have anger." Another very neat way to put it: "My seeds of anger have been watered."
After all pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice. You can chose not to suffer. (That's what the Buddha said.)
After all pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice. You can chose not to suffer. (That's what the Buddha said.)
Buddhists like to make lists and emotions are among those lists. There are about 54 emotions listed in Buddhist writings. Thich Nhat Hanh once counted these emotion lists and got into the 60s. They are divided into wholesome, neutral and negative. Some would surprise you. For example shame is a wholesome emotion because it is an impetus for change. Guilt is regarded as neutral. Some were asking questions about this. Here are a couple of links that might answer those questions. http://www.leighb.com/listlist.htm This website is the Buddhist List of Lists. The following link is an article about negative emotions and how they enter into human behavior.
Professor Irwin Corey said "Hate is a more important emotion than others, because without hate, vengeance means nothing." (Professor Irwin Corey was an actor, and comedian for most of his life and has worked with greats such as Jackie Gleason. For the last 17years, now at age 97, he has been panhandling on the streets of Manhattan; the money he collects goes to mostly relief efforts in Haiti, and also Cuba. He lives in a small home in Manhattan that is worth about 3 million dollars, but panhandles for charity every day for 4 hours on the streets of New York.)
Lily Tomlin said, "Forgiveness is giving up all chance of a happy past.".
Lily Tomlin said, "Forgiveness is giving up all chance of a happy past.".
Some one asked how do you break through the denial when someone is using that primitive defense mechanism during an interpersonal relationship.
Todd said you just have to break away at it like a fingernail on granite.
Paul said one can use so called body work. Ask that person, "How does this feel in you body?"
Eric said to contextualize the denial: "How is this working out for you?"
Sharleen suggested mirroring the other persons anger. Eg. in a conversation where the person says, "Oh, I never get angry." You reply, "Oh you never get angry?" and then wait for them to hopefully open up.
As an aside, some one reminded us that Richard Davidson (see link below) has a new book, entitled The Emotional Life of Your Brain. out in March I think. His website is listed below. On it are all of his publications noted.
Following is a talk that Dr. Davidson gave in Madison on April 13, 2012 talking about his new book and its writing. This is an interesting talk and may entice you to want to read his book.
http://media.cityofmadison.com:8093/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=9f11caedcd464c7bbcbbf52a22c27ae71d
Here is another great site I found: Dr. Richard Davidson participated in this Symposium. I have not watched it all, but think there is some "gold in them there hills" of Colorado where this meeting was held in April, 2012.
http://events.powerstream.net/008/00189/2012_ISCS/index.html#powershow
By the way, the photo in this posting is taken of a Sacred Volcanic Lake in Guatemala, often called the "most beautiful lake in the world." It is in the middle of Mayan territory in the highlands of this country, regarded as sacred by the pure Mayan villages that surround it. It is Lake Aititlan, Guatemala.
Here is another great site I found: Dr. Richard Davidson participated in this Symposium. I have not watched it all, but think there is some "gold in them there hills" of Colorado where this meeting was held in April, 2012.
http://events.powerstream.net/008/00189/2012_ISCS/index.html#powershow
By the way, the photo in this posting is taken of a Sacred Volcanic Lake in Guatemala, often called the "most beautiful lake in the world." It is in the middle of Mayan territory in the highlands of this country, regarded as sacred by the pure Mayan villages that surround it. It is Lake Aititlan, Guatemala.
