A discussion of wondering thoughts as we abide in the experience of flow and change.
What the Hell
Hell is the opportunity to learn about experience, acceptance and forgiveness.
What Is Forgiveness? Psychologists define forgiveness as a deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they deserve your forgiveness.
Resentment or vengeance imprisons you in your past. And forgiveness opens your future.
“A conscious decision to release feelings of resentment.” This is the key.
- What is hell? Hell are the feelings of resentment resulting from an experience. An experience is based on one’s misperceptions and misunderstandings.
- The experience of hell can be the signal or cue to acknowledge, accept, and learn your responsibility of being.
- A person’s feeling hell is the opportunity to acknowledge, accept and the responsibility to do something about it.
The experience of hell encourages us to do something. Mostly we run away, which results in being chased all over hell by our fears, demons and anxieties. Failing to recognize our fears, demons and anxieties; are aspects of ourselves. This hellish existence continues until we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. So how does one get out of hell?
- First is to acknowledge and accept that one “feels” like they are in hell. The practice is to cultivate empathy, avoid judgment and practice forgiveness. Using the gardening metaphor, it is the daily practice of weeding, tending and watering the garden.
- Cultivating Empathy: Seeking to understand both your and others’ perspectives and experiences. And being empathic in your interactions and relationships.
- Avoid Judgment: Refrain from passing judgment on both you and others. It is the practice of observation and insight. Recognizing the patterns of where things come from, how things appear and where they go. It is learning about the opportunities of the flow of existence.
- Practice Forgiveness: Forgiveness is a verb, action, and flow. It is an action of you opening the door so that energy, i.e., you and the other are released to flow.
Acceptance:
Acceptance is deeply feeling the pain… for yourself, the other person and/or the situation. It is difficult to change something if you don’t conceptually understand it and emotionally feel it. Empathy is “to go into the pain.” The pain will tell you difficult things that are unspoken but deeply felt. What are you accepting and forgiving… how and for whom? It is the opportunity of the transformative or healing process. It is difficult to transform or heal something that you don’t know and feel. There is empathy, Vipassana, and grace/blessing.
The Vipassana of How
Vipassana is a more of a conceptual and mindful approach which is an accessible and applicable form or technique of meditation. Think of it as a two-stage operation. The first mode is basically observing your breath. Observing one’s breath helps trains the body to become non-reactive. Helping the mind to become one-pointed (i.e., focused awareness or attention). It also helps soften or readies the heart to become open. This mode is like turning on and controlling the laser of emotions and pain. A laser that can penetrate or burn through the superficial crap of things.
The second mode is about equanimity. The ability to observe the forming, release and transforming of phenomena or experience. However, remain in an observation awareness without judgment, attachment, or reactivity. It is the calm equanimity observation of what you just blew up with your laser-focus. You calmly observe the release and transformation. Vipassana notes this is the insight mode. It is a clearer sight to understand the thing is that you just blew up. It is a meditative technology of clear light or sight. But it is not the supreme clear light. Vipassana is a very useful tool, much like a hammer used to smash illusions and see what is inside. Mindfulness is a popular notion of equanimity but needs to be taken apart. In Vipassana, mindfulness has two aspects. There is the one-pointed mindfulness of focus and that of observation. Laser-focus is active, penetrative, and male. And the other position of mindfulness is being open (non-judgmental or gracefulness), receptive, and female. Both modes, are required to understand what is happening and to make something happen.
The Head and the Heart
Being able to understand and feel the pain, i.e., having deeply experienced the situation. You are in a position of acknowledging and understand what has happened, why it happened and how. This develops a position or posture of compassion and grace. It is easy to forgive, because you have recognized the fortune of being blessed with the opportunity to learn, discover, and expand your compassion; healed, released, transformed and blessed. Then it is your decision to do what you may. Being compassionate, graceful, or some other action… such as encouraging and supporting the other party to forgive themselves. Or merely bless with gratitude for them being a master teacher on your path.
Side Note: There is the distinction between experiencing pain and releasing it versus feeling the pain and attaching or becoming engulfed or encapsulated in it. We are taught; we are our experience. Which is true if we attach ourselves to the illusionary phenomena of experience. Experience, i.e., our interpretation or understanding of an experience changes. This is nothing new, we rewrite our understanding (history) of an experience all the time. For example, people often note “why is this happening to me? Which is an encapsulated victim position. Verses why is this happening “for” me (a lesson); is an empowered and sovereign position that begs responsible action. And thus, the question, “what are you (and/or we) going to do about it?”
For the healer, therapist, first responder, parent, friend, etc. It is the difference between burnout, compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma; versus the ability to be impactful. I only mention this because in great change there will be folks dealing with these symptoms. Yet the core issue or boundary is about your sovereignty and responsibility. I.e., “who am I and what shall I do?” (A whole other rabbit hole for another post.) https://semo.edu/faculty-senate/_pdfs/burnout-vs-compassion-fatigue-handout.pdf.
The Express Way of the Heart… Grace, Blessing, and Being
Grace, blessing, and being is the approach of the heart. Otherwise known as the feminine approach. There is only being in a state of grace and abundance. It is accepting, equanimous, receiving and surrendering. Recognizing the abundance of opportunities and potential. Literally being wide-open; flowing possibilities, potential and existence of all. It is a state of flow or abundance; a blessing of what is. At a developed or mature existence, it is a state of endless “flow or blessings” of “infinite compassionate and grace.” Compassion is a directed action. Whereas grace is “being,” a non-specific action of shining or recognizing that there is no separation or distinction between self and other. Nor the need to do something because it is already done and exists. It is the existence of BE without the subtle distance, separation, or distinction of the “ing.”
The Serenity Prayer
This post like the serenity prayer. Enormous change is happening; The good, bad, and ugly are being revealed. In revelation, we can run away, face, feel, acknowledge and recognize the opportunity to change. Each person choses if the events that happen; if they are lessons and opportunities (or not). The opportunity to “be”… to respond differently. To recognize and gather up ourselves… to rise and be. Creating a loving, joyful, and abundant existence for all of unity.
Flow
Another way to understand this is via “flow.” We flow from the source, divine, universe, or God. Flow is you flowing to you, for you and through you… Thus, being conscious of this flow is a hell of a lot of fun, quite wonderful. Anyway, we are just beginning to realize this grand adventure that we have been on.
Yin and Yang
Female experience is being, yet flows to I am.
The male experience is I am, yet flows to being.
Both Yin and Yang flow, become, and are an endless moment of Being. It is the way.
Enlightenment Isn’t Personal
Enlightenment isn’t personal; it’s universal. If it can be measured, weighed, or defined, it is not love, sovereignty, compassion or grace. If attached to a sole person, it can’t be enlightenment. Enlightenment is unconditioned, free from conditions. There is no one to be found. The endless myriads, whether pain and suffering or joy and bliss are illusions. Innocence is birthed. Flow becomes. And being (i.e., love) is all that exists.
Sink in to
the still of the night.
Conception comes in the dark
Rise.
Dawn births all.
Blessings,
Tim