Allowing Elephants to Pass Through

     Blockage or stagnation of energy (qi) is the fundamental cause of illness according to Chinese & Japanese traditional medicine. Energy which is normally "fluid", becomes pathologically "reified" & stuck.
     Western psychology & psychiatry has similar metaphors of "being stuck" re mental illness: wallowing, catastrophization, circular thinking etc.
     A common dysfunctional & ineffective way of (not) dealing with difficult issues is pretending that they don't exist - avoidance. It may be a major problem that's quite obvious to everyone except those who refuse to see, accept & skillfully let go of "the elephant in the room."

     In meditation, we learn to become increasingly porous.
 
    "When you sit,
     you leave the front door open,
     you leave the back door open,
     and you don't serve tea."                   Shunryu Suzuki 

      Zen talk by Koun Franz: "Beyond Words – December 19, 2013": http://zennovascotia.com/dharma-talks/

Equanimity, No Preferences, No Worries, Life Remains Challenging

     It's interesting how some of us worry about becoming equanimous and having no preferences. Much like patients who worry that antidepressants might be a "chemical straight-jacket", some meditators fear they're heading for a dull, monotone life. However, as we continue practicing, we find that our path is not at all linear, but more spiral or onion-layered. 
     As challenges (barriers, buttons, demons) keep revisiting us, they seem less and less coarsely daunting. But since our perception is becoming more refined, and our protective armoring thinner, we feel these challenges with the acute sensitivity of sunburned skin. At the same time, these same challenges become less and less overpowering. So somehow, we appreciate life's traumas even more fully than before, so they're very clearly happening, yet we're able to accept them more objectively.
     Very importantly, these are happening to all of us, not only to me. It's less and less about me suffering, and more and more about "there is suffering."
     As we gradually drop all defenses: magical thinking, avoidance, suppression, anger, hatred, catastrophization etc, we embrace reality like a rose, thorns and petals.

Photo: Steve McCurry   http://stevemccurry.com

Just This Moment - as it Actually Is - OR - Perseverative Cognition

     “… it takes a bit of meditative presence to be with what is – just as it is – without being distracted by all the evaluations and comments that habitually arise about our situation. We suffer more from our stories than from the actual situation as it is.”         Toni Packer 

     “My life has been filled with terrible misfortunes – most of which have never happened.”        Mark Twain


Perseverative Cognition: Brosschot JF, Verkuil B, Thayer JF. Conscious and unconscious perseverative cognition: is a large part of prolonged physiological activity due to unconscious stress? J Psychosom Res. 2010; 69(4): 407-16.
Psychology of Stress: http://www.guidetopsychology.com/stress.htm

Montreal, Canada