Post by ankupka on Apr 17, 2014 20:20:40 GMT
Close your eyes and just sit. Feel your emotions. Feel what’s happening inside your body. Just feel, don’t analyze, don’t label. And here it where our conditioning begins: we have learned to label our emotions, to analyze and to re-frame them. We try to manage our emotions. (I only speak about the so-called ‘negative’ emotions here as we typically don’t have issues with the pleasant ones). Typical scenarios that arise when we try and manage our emotions:
Scenario 1 (for those who have immersed themselves in self-help and positive thinking books):
The first layer that we put on top of our emotions is to give it a label. I personally find this very difficult as I can often not really tell what the emotion within me is. I can only sense the bodily sensation that it causes; trying to label it causes me immediate stress. However, some speak of the panic that arises in them, others of the fear that paralyses; others again are being shaken by anger etc. .
Then comes the second layer: ‘This emotion feels unpleasant, I shouldn’t have unpleasant emotions, I should be positive, so how can I turn this negative emotion into a positive one?’
Third layer: ‘I really don’t want to have this unpleasant emotion. Why do I have these emotions? Let’s try and come up with some positive thoughts, which will override these negative emotions.’
Fourth layer: ‘I’m so happy now, life is beautiful etc. etc.’ (nagging doubt at the back of your mind: ‘is life really stupid enough to believe my thoughts or will it find out that I’m fooling myself?’ Immediately a quick correction takes place: ‘I’m not fooling myself, I’m not! Life IS beautiful and I AM happy! REALLY, I am! HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY. Pehw, I hope my mind didn’t hear this little doubt, I hope it now believes me. Surely if I repeat that I’m happy often enough, my mind will eventually start believing me’
Fifth layer: ‘So, now I have positive thoughts. Life is beautiful and I am happy. Those proclaiming positive thinking would be proud of me. Now I just have to wait for the effects to take place’ (while continuing to desperately trying to suppress the still existing negative emotion which will – that I promise you – keep knocking and knocking on your door until you let it in).
Scenario 2 (for the spiritually trained ones):
First layer: Same as before. I label my emotion. I’m feeling fear.
Second layer: I’m closing my eyes and I’m really feeling the fear. I’m not running away from the fear. I’m truly feeling it.
Third layer: As all spiritual books tell us, unconditional acceptance is the key to enlightenment and to a suffering-free life. So I’m accepting this emotion, I’m deeeeply accepting it (nagging thought in the back of your mind: ‘why is this bloody emotion still there, I just accepted it, it’s supposed to leave now. Accepted emotions are supposed to transform into love, so why is the damn fear still lingering around. I have to try harder to accept. I should really be better at this acceptance thing by now.’ Trying harder to accept, much harder. ‘Damn, the bloody thing is still there, I’m such a failure.’) Well, it seems both those scenarios don’t work too well. How about
Scenario number 3:
Know: ‘I’m the vast space, in which everything is allowed to happen (I’m vast enough for all of this). That’s the only important thing to understand in our lives. Knowing who you really are prevents you from identifying with your emotions and from thinking that you are them. It shows you that you are much vaster than your emotions and that they cannot threaten you, no matter how big they seem (the same applies to life circumstances etc.).
Feel: My emotions are raw energy and I have generated this energy. My emotions are simply an energy form. I close my eyes and I feel the energy. I really feel it. I don’t label, I don’t judge, I don’t analyze, I don’t try and push anything away, I just feel the bodily sensations happening in my body. I’m fascinated by this energy in my body. I am deeply fascinated by this raw, primordial energy, I watch it in amazement and I feel the sacredness of life. This is better than any movie; this is raw, first-hand, immediate experience … this is life.
And then watch the transformation begin to happen …
Scenario 1 (for those who have immersed themselves in self-help and positive thinking books):
The first layer that we put on top of our emotions is to give it a label. I personally find this very difficult as I can often not really tell what the emotion within me is. I can only sense the bodily sensation that it causes; trying to label it causes me immediate stress. However, some speak of the panic that arises in them, others of the fear that paralyses; others again are being shaken by anger etc. .
Then comes the second layer: ‘This emotion feels unpleasant, I shouldn’t have unpleasant emotions, I should be positive, so how can I turn this negative emotion into a positive one?’
Third layer: ‘I really don’t want to have this unpleasant emotion. Why do I have these emotions? Let’s try and come up with some positive thoughts, which will override these negative emotions.’
Fourth layer: ‘I’m so happy now, life is beautiful etc. etc.’ (nagging doubt at the back of your mind: ‘is life really stupid enough to believe my thoughts or will it find out that I’m fooling myself?’ Immediately a quick correction takes place: ‘I’m not fooling myself, I’m not! Life IS beautiful and I AM happy! REALLY, I am! HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY. Pehw, I hope my mind didn’t hear this little doubt, I hope it now believes me. Surely if I repeat that I’m happy often enough, my mind will eventually start believing me’
Fifth layer: ‘So, now I have positive thoughts. Life is beautiful and I am happy. Those proclaiming positive thinking would be proud of me. Now I just have to wait for the effects to take place’ (while continuing to desperately trying to suppress the still existing negative emotion which will – that I promise you – keep knocking and knocking on your door until you let it in).
Scenario 2 (for the spiritually trained ones):
First layer: Same as before. I label my emotion. I’m feeling fear.
Second layer: I’m closing my eyes and I’m really feeling the fear. I’m not running away from the fear. I’m truly feeling it.
Third layer: As all spiritual books tell us, unconditional acceptance is the key to enlightenment and to a suffering-free life. So I’m accepting this emotion, I’m deeeeply accepting it (nagging thought in the back of your mind: ‘why is this bloody emotion still there, I just accepted it, it’s supposed to leave now. Accepted emotions are supposed to transform into love, so why is the damn fear still lingering around. I have to try harder to accept. I should really be better at this acceptance thing by now.’ Trying harder to accept, much harder. ‘Damn, the bloody thing is still there, I’m such a failure.’) Well, it seems both those scenarios don’t work too well. How about
Scenario number 3:
Know: ‘I’m the vast space, in which everything is allowed to happen (I’m vast enough for all of this). That’s the only important thing to understand in our lives. Knowing who you really are prevents you from identifying with your emotions and from thinking that you are them. It shows you that you are much vaster than your emotions and that they cannot threaten you, no matter how big they seem (the same applies to life circumstances etc.).
Feel: My emotions are raw energy and I have generated this energy. My emotions are simply an energy form. I close my eyes and I feel the energy. I really feel it. I don’t label, I don’t judge, I don’t analyze, I don’t try and push anything away, I just feel the bodily sensations happening in my body. I’m fascinated by this energy in my body. I am deeply fascinated by this raw, primordial energy, I watch it in amazement and I feel the sacredness of life. This is better than any movie; this is raw, first-hand, immediate experience … this is life.
And then watch the transformation begin to happen …
