2021-11-11-Mindfulness of Mind (4 of 5) Waking up to Non-Clinging

11:28PM Nov 11, 2021

Speakers:

Gil Fronsdal

Keywords:

awareness

mind

wake

sky

healthy

restoration

stickiness

clinging

mindfulness

preoccupied

ripples

practice

messenger

clarity

stuck

agenda

heavenly messenger

teflon

lotus leaf

mindful

I think what we're learning to do in this practice is to recognize the challenges we have the way we get stuck and attached as messengers, as opposed to, as you know, as enemies. And as a messenger, you don't want to kill the messenger, but you want to learn from it, you want to use that an opportunity to wake up. And this idea of waking up is such a beautiful one, this concept that waking up, when you wake up to something, you're not nothing changes in the world. But you now see, clearly, you now understand clearly. And so and so maybe there is attachments in the mind clinging in the mind. But you wake up to it, and you kind of it's kind of like you've become bigger than it. And you kind of oh, that's what's happening. I see it. And there's something about the clear seeing of that. There's freedom there, there's the big the process of moving into Teflon, and is there. So, the analogy I'm using is that sometimes the mind can be more like Velcro, more like Teflon, sometimes awareness. And for this week, you know, I'm using these kind of synonymously Mind Mind and awareness of mindfulness a mind mindfulness awareness for this week, are the same thing. And and it's closely connected to mindfulness of the attitude or the, the way in which we relate to experience. And what's happening is we practice. We're restoring, there's a restoration process of the simplicity of awareness, the most simple form that's accessible to us, and some people would, might want to call it and that the natural state of awareness. It's a little bit philosophically dangerous topic, thing to claim, but it's kind of like that. We're just feel so healthy. So Right. This is home, to have awareness, which is doesn't stick to anything, but allows things to arise and pass through. And, and so as become mindful of awareness, of mindfulness, mindfulness of mindfulness, mindfulness of attention, it becomes clear that attention is operating with a certain level of porousness transparency, non stickiness, non clinging, that's really it, there's a clarity to the fact that, yes, there's a sound outside, and it just comes through without any waves or ripples in the mind. It's true that my knee hurts. And there's no ripples, no contractions, no, no stories, no agendas around it, it's no unclearly. And we're awake to it, meaning we've kind of become larger than any story agenda, reactivity judgment. And the awareness can just be with it, to feel it with some kind of clarity like is Teflon like, if things just roll off, are allowed to just float. So the so as we do mindfulness practice, and this is not automatic for beginners, but as we do it and get deeper into the practice, at some point, we become aware of the nature or the quality or the characteristics of how we're paying attention, the attitude, the engagement, the the extra kind of baggage we have along with it. And one of them that's particularly significant for Buddhists is to become aware of the clinging that has us lingering on things, holding on to things pushing against things wanting things. And the end so the

so we have to have this as we see that clearly. And and you will certainly let go of it. But it's also possible to wake up to it. And this waking up to it is the restoration of this healthy liberated mind. And so so we certainly get relief. By letting go, and that's, please let go when it's easy enough to do. But there's a whole other process that has to do with this. Waking up the restoration of, of a clarity, in which whatever happens can occur can pass through. And so one image that sometimes used for this is a mind becomes like an endless sky, and the sky, and things, you know, clouds, birds, all kinds of things go through the sky, but they don't stick to the sky, is the idea, they just, there's the sky doesn't interfere with them doesn't stick to it doesn't hold on to it, the air or the, the air of the sky just is just, you know, kind of just let everything go right through. So, there are times when awareness can be like that. And, and it is not necessarily so far away that possibility, if we associate that with this waking up. So So rather than saying, How can I be mindful of this thing? We can sometimes ask ourselves, How do I wake up to its presence? How do I wake up to it here, and, and what's the difference between being mindful knowing it, and waking up to it. And as I've said, it kind of associated with certainly kind of a expansion of awareness, where awareness kind of somehow seems to be, have lots of capacity to know, without reacting to what is known, lots of capacity to allow things just be there and the floating in the sky of awareness, without doing anything, have any agenda, wanting anything about it. And, and this, you know, and so, as we practice, this restoration of healthy mind, have a free mind of a, of a, you know, a teflon mind, or, if you prefer more natural, is a lotus, lotus leaf mind where the water just water drops, or just rolled right off a lotus leaf, or a sky like mind. And, and this is a very different orientation, than how most minds are operating, where in most minds are operating, focused on what it wants or what it doesn't want. It's focused on the on objects of attention, objects of thought, and sometimes blinded by that are completely preoccupied with that stuck on it. And now we're turning the attention. Not exactly doesn't have to be away from the objects of mind. But we're shifting the focus to something that in a kind of way is bigger than our larger than any particular thing that we're thinking about. wanting or not wanting. And in that spaciousness of mind, openness of mind, stillness of mind, smoothness of mind. That there is there is a degree of freedom, there's a degree of space, there's a kind of a healthy feeling of, of being alive and breathing. And then we can feel with that as a reference point, it becomes clear, when the mind gets stuck. When the mind gets caught. In something when the mind gets preoccupied, it's the stickiness there. And, and this is one of the great functions of this practice, as we get more and more sensitive, are more attuned to when we get attached when we get stuck when we get contracted, when we get preoccupied in a way that's not so healthy and useful. And, and that heightened sensitivity, ideally doesn't lead to more stickiness doesn't lead to more judgments and self criticism being caught, but becomes almost a delight. Oh, I see it here. And and this is good that I see it great. This is the Heavenly Messenger as was said. And then and then to

you know, maybe ask yourself the question, you know, and you know, how do I wake up to this now? What is it like to be awake with awareness? So relaxation that supports more Oh, bring awareness, the recognition of awareness itself respecting awareness and now the restoration of this wonderful capacity of awareness. And then tomorrow, the release the release of awareness. So thank you very much