So here on the fifth talk on mindfulness of emotions, where we've talked about release, to release in relationship to emotions. I think I said this at the beginning as well, that some emotions are a product, or arise together with the stress with tension. And some emotions, of flow with the lack of tension, the lack of stress. And generally, the unwholesome emotions, the ones that are afflictive, that are painful to have, or which motivate kind of harmful activity in the world, that those come with stress. And so the as we release the stress, release, the tension, the tightness, those afflictive unwholesome emotions tend to have less energy, less juice, less nourishment to keep going. The emotions, the sense of well being that we can have when there's no stress, no tension, that then that that tends to support and make room for the wholesome movements. And so the absence of stress tends not to result in more afflictive emotions, but rather, the beneficial emotions, supportive emotions and nourishing emotions, love, joy, delight, happiness, care, compassion, contentment, gladness, tranquility, and calm and a whole slew of things like this. And the, so this release, to really learn how to release and let go. It doesn't leave us kind of emotionally neutral, kind of black. What it does, it might be initially that way for a little while, as a transition. Because if we're really used to swirling in fear, anxiety, swirling and anger, resentments, swirling and desires and ambition, that were comforted, some people are comfortable with that. And so when they let go of that, there's the energy that motivation, this, the charge that they've been living their life on, is lacking, and nothing has replaced it yet, they can feel blank for a while. But it's kind of like, you know, giving up coffee and having spent three days adjusting to that until a kind of a natural vitality comes back. Same thing with as we switch from spending a lot of time with afflictive difficult emotions. It's maybe a lifetime, there's a transition. But as a transition unfolds, and then the lack the lack of tension and stresses there, that makes room for these beneficial emotions. And then they know so I think it's kind of I find it kind of humorous or delightful, that as these beneficial emotions arise. Any movement to cling to them to resist them or want to hold on to them is stress. And is the very opposite. What moves us in the opposite direction, from what they're all about. So it's kinda like, you know, rubbing a cat, pitting a cat against the, against the, the hair, the way the way hair lays down. And all the hair it gets kind of bunched up and raised up rather than flat down, or going against the grain of the wood. to cling to these emotionally good emotions, so it's kind of like that tendency to want to hold on to them or do do with them, is there but at the same time, you know, you can't do it, it doesn't make sense to do it, it's not appropriate to do it, it's actually and so it's kind of I find it kind of humorous to be in that in that middle spot there. And, and, you know, and then just, you know, just delight and that, oh, I can't do anything with it. I can't hold on to it. That's a let go. I can't make it mine. I can't, you know, be in charge of it in a certain way or claim it. It's a there's that there's freedom in relationship to them. But some people don't understand or haven't been told or learned that as we practice goes matures, and as it letting go deepens
the connection to our inner life deepens to life deepens, that there's also joy and well being and happiness. It doesn't have to be dramatic sometimes has a quiet feeling to it. But to avail ourselves that to make room for that release is not only about what we let go of, it's also what we make room for. And, in in that making room for, there's a lot of peace. And I think the two words, two concepts of the Buddha most commonly used to describe how someone is when there's been a deep letting go, deep release is peace and happiness, and peaceful happiness, happy peace, peace and happiness. And I don't think we can go too wrong with those in the forefront, especially when those are the very conditions that allow for our deep best, or fullest forms of care for the world to operate as well. Because nothing interferes with it, there's no blocks to it. So to let go deeply, and in relationship to emotions, to let go of the stories we have about it, like over the preferences we have about our emotional life, to be able to tease apart all the different component parts of what's happening when we have emotions, and find a place of holding, and sometimes the clinging and the holding, is not in the emotion itself. But in the, in the way in which we relate to the emotion, the knowing the directedness of attention, the the attitude we have about it, the ways we thinking about it. And so sometimes we have to kind of turn away from the emotion per se, and look more at the attitude or at the directness of mind, or the the engagement of the mind in the emotion, to find a place where something can let go and relax. And to let go, to relax, to release. And to appreciate every moment of release. So it it becomes that's kind of a positive reinforcement. For release, we start recognizing that release, letting go is a healthy thing, a good thing, to learn to let go enough. So we learn the skill of letting go we learn when it's appropriate to let go to learn, we learned how to let go appropriately. One of the things I had to learn was, if I let go, but there was I was, that was kind of emotionally neutral, it would come back and bite me I didn't really hadn't really let go to really have let go in a healthy way that there had to be some modicum, some degree of joy or lightness that came in the wake of it. So to release, let go. And you might try it, you might try when you have emotions of all kinds, especially when you're in the grip of them a strong, maybe you have to kind of pull yourself away from the situation you're in, go for a walk or sit down or something and, and just kind of maybe go through these, you know, just letting go in a deep way maybe go through these five hours. And some people will be like going through a systematic process that keeps them engaged and focused and so to relax, recognize, respect, restore, and then release. But all those are a form of letting go. And, and, or involve some degree of letting go to release. So thank you for this. In my experience, my practice life, one of the byproducts of the release, letting go of releasing, releasing the stress is profound gratitude. It's a tremendous feeling of gratitude. And, and it's one of the I think I've been one of the great gifts of this practice. And it's a gratitude, which often I haven't, sometimes I feel grateful for particular things that practice the Buddha, the community of practicing with many things. But the one that kind of gratitude that I find the most, I don't know, somehow meaningful or satisfying or profound or something joyful is the gratitude that just grateful for no reason. Just grateful. That just just the feeling of gratitude, gratefulness and
so emotions without a week on emotions, and I hope that this has given you a new perspective on how to live with emotions, practice with emotions, appreciate emotions, and and that it supports You and brings you a greater sense of well being and maybe even some gratitude for this life of ours so thank you all very much
