Four years ago I drove my car after the engine warning light came on. I had to get to a meeting. After the meeting I noticed a loud clicking I'd never heard before. I was almost in Asheville anyway so I took the car to the dealer. The engine was practically 'frozen'--which meant part of the engine had gotten so hot that bits of it melted and were now stuck together. $5,600.00 to repair (replace the engine).
I was so frustrated with myself. My feelings and their 'accusations' were so intense.
I called my wife and asked her to come pick me up--an hour's drive--so I had 60 minutes to stew in my own juices. And plenty of juices to stew in.
I begin to do mindful practices--and they were quite helpful. But I wish I'd had the rather comprehensive list posted below--Jack Kornfield's summary of the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness (found in The Wise Heart). They're much more detailed than most of us need most of the time. And they suggest working in ways that seem like overkill to many of us. Kind of like a child wanting to learn how to ride a bike and a grownup launching into the progression of the 30 gears to use climbing Mt Mitchell.
But one day, that child might want to bike up Mt. Mitchell. And then...curiosity and necessity may well open up a whole new area of interest and need.
I'd recommend making a copy of this. Then when something is really stewing in you, pull it out. Read it again. Then work with what's 'cooking' in some of the ways that JK suggests.
I was so frustrated with myself. My feelings and their 'accusations' were so intense.
I called my wife and asked her to come pick me up--an hour's drive--so I had 60 minutes to stew in my own juices. And plenty of juices to stew in.
I begin to do mindful practices--and they were quite helpful. But I wish I'd had the rather comprehensive list posted below--Jack Kornfield's summary of the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness (found in The Wise Heart). They're much more detailed than most of us need most of the time. And they suggest working in ways that seem like overkill to many of us. Kind of like a child wanting to learn how to ride a bike and a grownup launching into the progression of the 30 gears to use climbing Mt Mitchell.
But one day, that child might want to bike up Mt. Mitchell. And then...curiosity and necessity may well open up a whole new area of interest and need.
I'd recommend making a copy of this. Then when something is really stewing in you, pull it out. Read it again. Then work with what's 'cooking' in some of the ways that JK suggests.
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With recognition and acceptance we recognize our dilemma and accept the truth of the whole situation. Then we investigate more fully. Whenever we are stuck, it is because we have not looked deeply enough into the nature of the experience.
As we undertake the Investigation part of RAIN practice (here's a link), we focus on the four critical areas of experience: Body, Feelings, Mind, and Dharma. These are called the four foundations of mindfulness…here's a simple overview:
When we are investigating a difficulty and something is cooking inside, we want first to become aware of what's happening in our BODY. Can we locate where in the body the difficulties are held? Sometimes we find heat, contraction, hardness, or vibration. Sometimes we notice throbbing, numbness, or even a certain shape and color. Are we meeting this area with resistance or with mindfulness? What happens when we hold these sensations with mindfulness? Do they open? Are there other layers? Is there a center? Do they intensify, move, expand, change, repeat, dissolve, or transform?
Next we need to investigate which FEELINGS are part of this difficulty. Is the primary feeling tone pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral? And then we ask—Are we meeting this particular feeling with mindfulness? And what are the secondary feelings associated with it? Often we discover a constellation of feelings.
A man remembering his divorce may feel sadness, anger, jealousy, loss, fear, and loneliness. A woman who was unable to help her addicted nephew can feel longing, aversion, guilt, desire, emptiness, and unworthiness.
With mindfulness, each feeling is recognized and accepted. We investigate whether it is pleasant or painful, contracted or relaxed, tense or sad. We notice where we feel the emotion in our body and what happens to it as it is held in awareness.
Looking next into the MIND, we notice what thoughts and images are associated with this difficulty. We become aware of all the stories, judgments, and beliefs we are holding. When we look more closely, we often discover that some of them are one-sided, fixed points of view, or outmoded, habitual perspectives. We see that they are only stories. With mindfulness we loosen their hold on us. We cling less to them.
The fourth foundation of mindfulness is the DHARMA. Dharma is an important and multifaceted word. It can mean the teachings and the path of Buddhism. It can mean the Truth, and in this case it can also mean the elements and patterns that make up experience. Investigating the Dharma, we look into the principles and laws that are operating. Is the experience actually as solid as it appears? Is it unchanging, or is it impermanent, moving, shifting, re-creating itself? Does the difficulty expand or contract the space in our mind? Is it under our control or does it seem to have a life of its own? We notice if it is self-constructed. We investigate whether we are clinging tight, resisting it, or simply letting it be. We see whether our relationship to it is a source of suffering or happiness. And finally, we notice how much we identify with. This leads us back to RAIN, and to the principle of non-identification.
Looking next into the MIND, we notice what thoughts and images are associated with this difficulty. We become aware of all the stories, judgments, and beliefs we are holding. When we look more closely, we often discover that some of them are one-sided, fixed points of view, or outmoded, habitual perspectives. We see that they are only stories. With mindfulness we loosen their hold on us. We cling less to them.
The fourth foundation of mindfulness is the DHARMA. Dharma is an important and multifaceted word. It can mean the teachings and the path of Buddhism. It can mean the Truth, and in this case it can also mean the elements and patterns that make up experience. Investigating the Dharma, we look into the principles and laws that are operating. Is the experience actually as solid as it appears? Is it unchanging, or is it impermanent, moving, shifting, re-creating itself? Does the difficulty expand or contract the space in our mind? Is it under our control or does it seem to have a life of its own? We notice if it is self-constructed. We investigate whether we are clinging tight, resisting it, or simply letting it be. We see whether our relationship to it is a source of suffering or happiness. And finally, we notice how much we identify with. This leads us back to RAIN, and to the principle of non-identification.
