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Nonduality Highlights: Issue #3975, Saturday, August 7, 2010, Editor: Mark
Faust - It's a Bit of a Pain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Yfe1-Ge2A&feature=related
As long as we live in this world we are bound to encounter
problems. If, at such times, we lose hope and become discouraged,
we diminish our ability to face difficulties. If, on the other
hand, we remember that it is not just ourselves but every one who
has to undergo suffering, this more realistic perspective will
increase our determination and capacity to overcome troubles.
Indeed, with this attitude, each new obstacle can be seen as yet
another valuable opportunity to improve our mind!
- H.H. the Dalai Lama, posted to DailyDharma
You are responsible only for what you can change. All you can
change is only your attitude. There lies your responsibility.
- Nisargadatta Maharaj, posted to ANetofJewels
There is a joy and a love for all of creation that is there when
you fall out of your head into the stillness of your pure heart.
It permeates everything with the nectar of Self. When everything
is welcome here, your life begins to flow and flower with well
being, ease and an intimacy with all of life.
- Solane
Whenever I catch sight of others, By thinking, "It is
through them, That I will reach awakening," I'll look with
sincerity and love.
- Shantideva, from The Way of the Bohdisattva
Question: How do I maintain a sense of presence when I'm in the
company of another person? How do I bring presence into
conversation?
Eckhart: It's not easy. The moment you start talking, the two
minds come together and so they strengthen each other. A flow
starts, a stream of thought. A moment ago you were present, and
then somebody starts talking. What applies here is the loss of
space during the conversation. Both participants of the
conversation have lost any sense of space. There are only the
words, the mind, the verbalization, the stream of thinking that
becomes sounds. They are taken over by that. It has its own
momentum... almost a little entity, a stream, that doesn't want
to end.
Often, it generates emotions in the body. That strengthens it,
amplifies it. If the mental stream triggers emotions, which it
often does, especially when talking about other people, what they
did, failed to do, did to you, did to others, criticisms, gossip,
all kinds of emotional [things], the ego comes in. When you can
criticize another, the ego feels a little bit stronger. By
diminishing another, in the delusional system of the ego, you
have enhanced your own self-image a little bit. Any criticism of
another is a part of that energy stream. And then emotions come,
and they amplify thethoughts. It's the loss of space.
For you to regain space, without saying "I'm not talking
anymore," one thing is necessary for you - which is the
realization that you've lost space. Without that, there's nothing
you can do - when you're so taken over by a stream of thought,
that you don't even know you've been taken over by a stream of
thought - there's nothing you can do. "Forgive them, for
they know not what they do." They are unconscious. They are
the stream of thought. And as the stream of thought, you don't
want it to end - because you don't want your own end. Every
entity wants to remain in form for as long as possible.
If there's the slightest realization that you've lost [space], at
that moment you have a choice. What is your choice? Your choice
is to bring some presence, some space, into the stream of
thought. But how do you do that?
It's coming at you not only from within your own mind, but it's
coming at you from the other person too. The awareness is there,
and it may only last three seconds, and then it's gone again. So
you have to use those two or three seconds, where you realize the
loss of space, and do something in that space where you have some
freedom to act. By a conscious choice, you take your attention
out of thinking - but you have to anchor it somewhere else,
otherwise it won't work. So you choose your breath, or your body,
or some other sense perception around you that you become aware
of. When you are actually talking to another person, it's
probably easiest to either use your breath or your inner body.
Practice this beforehand, when conditions are easier, so that you
can do it once it's necessary. Go into your inner body, feel that
your energy field is alive. And you'll notice, you're not
thinking anymore. You can still listen. The amazing thing is that
you can listen to another person, without thinking, easily,
beautifully.
You are listening, but part of your attention is on your energy
field - so you've taken attention away from your thoughts. There
is a sense of aliveness in the background. It's ultimately
formless; it's already the doorway into the formless. Feel that
while you sit there and listen, and you've stepped out of the
stream of thinking. Then, the quality of the interaction
immediately changes. The other person may not consciously notice
what's happening, and may carry on for a while. It also does not
mean that you cannot respond anymore. But how you respond and the
quality of your response changes, too. You are no longer
contributing to the negative nature, which is often the case, in
conversations.
A certain amount of stillness, then, will also be a part of the
words that you speak. It's so subtle that the other person
probably will not notice it, consciously. So hang on to the inner
body, let it be the anchor, and then you become present. If you
lose it again, if the other person says something challenging,
then after a little while you remember - and you go back into the
inner body. That's a powerful anchor, and then everything changes
from there. It takes continuous practice.
- Eckhart Tolle, posted to The_Now2
Whenever you meet anyone, no matter how briefly, do you
acknowledge their being by giving them your full attention? Or do
you reduce them to a means to an end, a mere function or role? A
moment of attention is enough. You are no longer acting out a
script, you become real.
- Eckhart Tolle, posted to The_Now2
Eckhart Tolle on Being Yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j42cTkiGdXY