As Master Nan Huajin once said, ‘Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.’ This still applies after regular sitting meditation. You must stand up and play an active role in the world, you can’t get stuck in passive contemplation, especially if you’re a layperson.
And this world can get rough. Not only do you have your duties to keep up with, you must also coexist with lots of callous, insensitive people who are that way for a reason and they will take advantage of and walk all over overly mindful and compassionate people. The mental malleability, the openmindedness and enhanced capacity for learning reminiscent of childhood that comes with meditation is commonly used by all kinds of cultish groups to impose their ideologies upon the inexperienced more easily.
I know martyrdom is idolized in many religions and belief systems including buddhism, but my honest view is: it doesn’t make you any holier to let them have their way with you. And it doesn’t make you a better person to be passive and afraid to express yourself in case you inconvenience others either, that’s always bound to happen, even by merely existing.
Remember, you’ve got a right to act and make human mistakes, and mindfulness is the perfect stepping stone to live your best life. It’ll calm your mind, it’ll make you less reactive and pacify your habitual tendencies, and more. You can then rest at ease knowing you’ve done your best to act from a clearer place.
This now takes us to the heart of the matter, when it’s time to be in the world. This is when you must take the leap of faith that is being yourself. Relinquish control, let others know you and accept the consequences! But how does this relate to mindlessness? It’s in the sense that we function so much better and more naturally when we’re not self-aware, when not questioning what we do and not paying too much attention to other people or our surroundings. This is the state of flow, of absorption in the task at hand. And it’s surely preferable to mindfulness at certain moments of our day. Not only are we more authentically us when we don’t let our environment determine us, it’s also so much easier to let ourselves be carried by our good habits rather than consciously decide everything for the whole day, and in that process let these habits strengthen and multiply. Picture a machine or a highly trained martial artist. Neither really think about what they do, their programming works through them and that makes them so much more efficient. They’re committed every time they move and are very hard to stop until they accomplish their purpose. In short, mindfulness is for learning, and mindlessness for performing.
Here’s a study on this: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F1076-898X.8.1.6 . As for learning when mindful, think about deliberate practice.
So mindlessness can be a wholesome form of submission to one’s true nature and good habits. If you’re a christian or a daoist, it can also be seen as submission to God, the Dao, or the plan of the universe. It’s like being possessed, channeling, you may feel in autopilot yet childlike and innocent, and you partially let go of your critical reasoning. For that reason, it’s very important that you’re in a clear frame of mind, otherwise you won’t be happy with the results, all kind of dumb habits will come through. When done correctly, it’ll allow you to be soft inside yet very resilient outwardly. You’ll be shielded just right and have more of a presence and impact in your daily life. It’ll be easier to accomplish your goals and still remain humble and compassionate at your core.
If you feel this is addressed to you, then you’re probably deeply understanding and empathic, and meditation practice has helped you spiritually, but not so much materially. I encourage you to practice having faith in yourself and your unique, inherent goodness. Do your best to act from there and not here. Stop caring so much about others and their wishes or feelings. It’s fine. You’ll inevitably hurt these, just like you’ll be walking and step on ants and even snails. It’s not wicked, because in your heart you never intended it. They’ll try to tell you otherwise, but very often you’re not responsible for their feelings, it’s they who are. So instead, care about honesty and truthfulness.
And lastly… be mindful again. Just like breathing.
I hope this makes sense and it’s helpful like it’s been for me. With love.
Submitted July 15, 2022 at 11:28PM by Sattv https://ift.tt/BIEVT9Y
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