Monsters?

"There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them."  

~Andre Gide

One of my favorite teachers, Erich Schiffmann, often uses an analogy during his training workshops that has really stuck with me over the years.  He talks about how we, as spiritual beings, live in "houses" with dirty windows.  He says that our windows to the world have become so dirty and caked with filth that we are unable to clearly see anything that is going on outside ourselves.  

With his typical dry humor, Erich paints a mental picture for us: We're inside our house, very little light is coming through the dirty window, but suddenly we see someone trying to peer in.  But because the window is so dirty, our vision becomes distorted, and from our perspective it appears that a monster is looking in with a grimace.  We recoil in fear… a monster!  EEEEEEK!  

Having dirty windows makes the world seem like little more than a background to our ceaseless thinking; a blurry landscape that passes before our eyes as we focus on - most likely - our wrong perception of things. When we get up the courage to wipe the window clean, we see that in reality there is not a monster outside the window, but some saintly person (Erich used Jesus as an example, but you can insert whoever your idea of a peaceful, friendly, loving person or spiritual teacher may be).  Because our view was so warped, we actually saw this vision of peace as a something ugly and harmful: a monster!  

Erich says our practice gives us the tools of a handy dandy "mental squeegee" and spiritual Windex, and with practice, patience and compassion, we learn to first clean off the lense of the mind, then to keep it clean.

The Buddhists call this "Right View".  Right View supports wisdom, and they believe that the capacity to wake up and understand things as they are (washing our inner windows as it were), is present in each of us.  Thich Nhat Hanh writes: “Our happiness and the happiness of those around us depend on our degree of Right View. Touching reality deeply — knowing what is going on inside and outside of ourselves is the way to liberate ourselves from the suffering that is caused by wrong perceptions. Right View is not an ideology, a system, or even a path. It is the insight we have into the reality of life, a living insight that fills us with understanding, peace, and love.” (The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, page 51).

Imagine how living in the moment, without constantly evaluating, analyzing and being fearful, would change your perception of yourself and your life. To practice Right View takes courage.  We start by looking deeply at what is causing our windows to get so dirty. This takes patient exploration, asking ourselves the big questions and answering them honestly, such as: "Why does this person bring up anger in me?", "Why does this situation spark fear in me?", or "What makes me resist taking responsibility for ____?".   As perception arises we have to ask ourselves again and again, "Am I  sure?".  Until we see clearly, our wrong perceptions will prevent us from having Right View.  Right View is the big squeegee that clears the window of the mind, heart and spirit and allows us to live more peacefully.

We practice so that we can take back this moment.  Not just to experience it, but also to discover the reality of who we are.  What we begin to see as the windows get cleaned is that we are more than the thoughts and perceptions that bind us.  Until we clean the windows and observe the truest nature of things without opinion, we will not find ourselves as we were meant to be… compassionate, loving and kind. 

Grab your squeegee and a big ol' spray bottle of Windex and I'll see you on the other side of the window :)

Until next time...

"I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations."

(From The Five Mindfulness Trainings in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh)

perception |pərˈsep sh ən|nounthe ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through thesenses : the normal limits to human perception.• the state of being or process of becoming aware of something in such a way : the perception of pain.• a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression : Hollywood's perception of the tastes of the American public | we need to challenge many popular perceptions of old age.• intuitive understanding and insight : “He wouldn't have accepted,” said my mother with unusual perception.
Halloween Playlist:The Shankill Butchers-The DecemberistEnter Sandman-The Buddha Lounge Ensemble Rama Lama-Sons and DaughtersHell-Squirrel Nut ZippersDevil's Haircut-BeckLittle Ghost-The White StripesLake of Fire-NirvanaPeople Are Strange-The DoorsI Put A Spell On You-Creedence Clearwater RevivalZombie-The Cranberries25 Minutes To Go-Johnny CashDevil Town-Bright EyesEvil-Howlin' WolfKarma Police-FlunkHouse of The Rising Sun-Cat PowerSkeletons (Acoustic)-Yeah Yeah Yeah'sWitch-BellyInto Dust-Mazzy StarShaman's Fire, Navel-Jonathan Goldman

No Distinctions (Monastery Visit-Part Two)

“The Sangha is invited to come back to their breathing. Let the whole Sangha breathe as one body, chant as one body, listen as one body and transcend the boundaries of the delusive self, liberating from the superiority complex, the inferiority complex, and the equality complex.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh)

One of the most profound moments of realization from our recent trip to Magnolia Grove Monastery came when, during a question and answer session, a young girl named Quin asked Thay:  "I wanted to ask how I can relate to another person and love the person with my whole heart and not feel superior, or inferior or equal to the person.  It's a very hard concept for me to grasp because sometimes I feel jealous or inferior than another person and it makes me suffer a lot."  Thay answered gently: "When we see the other person, we should recognize that in him or her there is suffering also.  There is suffering in us for sure, but there is suffering in him and in her too, so you have something in common - both of you suffer. Based upon that it is possible to help each other to suffer less. And you forget about that you are equal to him or better than him or are worth less than him.  To suffer is not a bad thing.  Suffering is an ingredient with which we can make happiness  The practice consists of learning how to make good use of the suffering in order to create happiness.  We know that comparing and these other complexes create suffering, so we give priority to the practice of recognizing the suffering in us and in the other person.  The first thing we do is to help them to suffer less, because that person may look like she does not suffer, but that's not true... that is not true.  That person may look very fancy, but there is one thing that is certain; there is suffering in him or in her, and if you can touch that compassion in you it will arise and it will protect you from afflictions such as jealously, superiority, and inferiority."

When we meet or see others, there is often a tendency to compare.  There always seems to be a part of us that is summing up whether we are superior, inferior or equal to the person we see or meet.  Our practice helps us to free ourselves from all distinctions, to understand that I am in you and you are in me.  No distinctions.  No separation.  Just inter-being as Thay calls it.  This has helped me immensely in the few days it's been since Thay talked about it.  When a situation arises that causes either of these complexes to surface, I come back to my breath and remind myself that there are no distinctions between myself and the person in front of me.  

When we look deeply and touch the heart of our suffering, we recognize and connect with each person we come into contact with on a profound level.  This is how we open the door to our heart.

Next time you find yourself confronted with feelings of superiority, inferiority or even equality, look deeply at the person in front of you and with your whole heart, recognize their suffering, remember you suffer too and know that you both share the capacity to create happiness out of this shared suffering.

Until next time...

 

(photo by John Cotterman, one of our work family members on the retreat)

Please Call Me By My True Names

Portion of a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh

My joy is like a spring, so warm

it makes flowers bloom all over the Earth.

My pain is like a river of tears,

so vast it fills the four oceans.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can hear all my cries and laughter at once,

so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

Please call me by my true names,

so I can wake up

and the door of my heart

could be left open,

the door of compassion.