In Love with the World
In Love with the World
"The Tibetan word for meditation, gom, means 'to become familiar with': familiar with how the mind works, how it creates and shapes out perceptions of ourselves and the world, how the outer layers of mind-the constructed labels-function like clothing that identified our social identities and cloaks our naked, nonfabricated state of original mind, whether that outerwear consists of business suits, jeans, uniforms, of Buddhist Robes" (3-4)
"I knew that even though these social categories play a dominant role in our personal stories, they coexist with a larger reality beyond labels. Generally we do not recognize that our social identities are molded and confined by context, and that these outer layers of ourselves exist within a boundless reality" (4)
"Because awareness is as present in our lives as the air we breathe, we can access it anywhere, anytime" (5)
"Tibetans have an expression for deliberately increasing the challenges of maintaining a steady mind: adding wood to the fire... Adding wood to the fire deliberately brings difficult situations to the forefront so that we can work with them directly. We take the very behaviors or circumstances that we think of as problems and turn them into allies" (5)
"When we add wood to the fire, instead of trying to smother the flames of our fears, we add more fuel, and in the process gain confidence in our capacity to work with whatever settings we find outselves in. We no longer avoid situations that have disturbed us in the past, or that evoke destructive patterns or emotiona outbursts. We begin to rely on another aspect of mind that exists beneath our reactivity. We call this 'no-self'" (6-7)
"But when our perception shifts to meditative or steady awareness, it is no longer narrowed by memory and expectation; whatever we see, touch, taste, smell, or hear has greater clarity and sharpness, and enlivens our interactions" (8)
"Despite the difference between them, both types of awareness exist within a dualistic construct: There is something watching and something being watched-the experience of awareness recognizing itself" (9)
"I would burn up the coarse, outer social protections and strategies in order to be free-not of life but for life, for living every day with a newly born engagement with whatever would arise" (10)
"I had set off on my own to intentionally seek this disruption through what I had been thinking of as an ego-suicide mission" (10)
When this first chapter finished, I knew I was beginning a special book in my life. Each book plays a different role in the kaleidoscope of ideas within a specific genre or direction and this book was a great divergence away from the practical guides of Buddhist practice that, frankly, lack so much humanity to them.
Mingyur Rinpoche's vulnerability combined with his reflective depth separates this novel from any of the others I have read. It is a surprisingly layered and dense read for the content, and the novel is not afraid of letting itself dive deep into the abstractions that would, in many cases, put some readers off or cause them to dismiss the read. The novel is filled with abstractions and contradictions that, with those familiar with some of the basis of Buddhism, shine brightly.
That said, I am already gaining a few wonderful tools for my own practice. Mingyur Rinpoche describes Throwing Wood into the Fire, a Tibetan expression (5). The goal here is to reveal and expose the stressor and bring "to the forefront." I will also note that the wood, itself, will burn more quickly should the fire burn hotter; our exposure of the problem poses the negative of heat and oppression with the positive of a more short-lived experience.
Yet this phrase works in the reverse, too: should we 'throw wood into the fire' for a positive experience, we might burn out the exact thing that is causing us to feel pleasure and sensory joy from it. Similar to how one might ruin their appetite by consuming too much chocolate or drink too much alcohol, we might spoil an experience through our desire to experience it more intensely.
I often enjoy running this 'reverse' experiment with certain thoughts. If I am worried about an experience going away, what if I were to try and make it go away as quickly as possible? If I am worried about experiencing a pain, what if I wanted that pain to linger? Often this reverse reveals the truth of impermanence and the reality of all experience: how quickly it all fades.
To close this first reflection, I will note that I do not feel necessarily comfortable or fully understanding of the various stages of awareness. Mingyur Rinpoche mentions 3 different types, but he also mentions that they do not always have clear edges or divisions, and layers within them too. This reminds me of a reality all too often experienced and lived: in the desire to make sense of the world, we classify it, judge it, and separate it only to create a dedalian maze that only torments us further. Sometimes, it is best to avoid classifications and language entirely, which I feel Mingyur Rinpoche would agree with.