2022-08-12 Thoughts and Emotions (5 of 5) Aware but Not Defined

3:52PM Aug 12, 2022

Speakers:

Gil Fronsdal

Keywords:

emotions

entanglements

meditation

perspectives

sati

week

thoughts

place

aware

practice

caught

programs

center

meditation practice

freedom

calm

biggest proponent

reactive

hooks

teach

To talk more than 10, this week on practicing with thoughts and emotions, the relationship between them. And its set felt important to as much as it's important to see that there's an intimate connection between how we think and our emotions, we emote and our thinking. And that by seeing that connection was possible to find a degree of freedom, that but more importantly, I don't know if it's more important, but another possibility is to by knowing and seeing, carefully the relationships, the entanglements, the influence of one emotion, emotions, and thoughts and thoughts and emotions. At some point, what becomes maybe strong is not the emotions and thinking, but the awareness of them. But to be aware, I think, I think that thinking and emotions is often the place that people get hooked up, caught by stuck in reactive in it, but also, it's a very common place to, somehow consciously or unconsciously, to be defined by to, oh, this is who I am. And some people feel it's very important to really be someone, this is who I am, and take a stand there. And some people are very afraid of being someone taking a stand. And there is a third option, and that is to calmly and peacefully. Be aware, be present, be grounded, be centered, in the place where the light of awareness can shine, where we can turn on the awareness, and see what's there, see the emotions, see, the thoughts that we have. Maybe even see, some of the entanglements between them are aren't uncommon to entanglements with them, but to, to be aware of it from a peaceful place. And that's one of the possibilities through meditation is to become calmer than we usually are in daily life. And I say that carefully. They're calmer, as opposed to some high standard of how calm we have to become. But to be calm, or more peaceful and more settled in we usually are, so that we have different eyes to see, we have a different way of looking upon the world. And as we get quieter and Stiller, we were less caught in the world of thoughts less caught in the world of emotions, even the ones they're beneficial, then the eyes can see with greater clarity. And we can see from a deeper place within where we have contact to wisdom to understanding two perspectives, two attitudes that we're not going to have available, when we're caught up in the, in the thoughts caught up in our emotions caught up in defining ourselves by it, and thinking this is who I am. And, and to have that new perspective. And two, then from there may be think about her life. From there, see what emotional connection, there might be. But it's the emotional connection that has a very different feel to a very different attitude, very different effect. Because we're not diff is not doesn't come from the contraction of definition doesn't come from the hooks of reactivity. It's as if that when there's a wellspring or a spring within a vast spring within that of wisdom, of goodness of freedom of peace, that we can avail ourselves of, to when we start, we are no longer so caught in the world of thinking and emotions.

And that also allows us to think in it and have feelings from a very different perspective. Because many of the feelings we have many of the thoughts we have can be very much rooted in definition and seeing this is who I am and this is about me, this is about me. myself in mind, but there's still a quiet place the the calm and the middle of the storm is not you it's not anyone else. But, and, and whether it's you or not, we don't have to think about those thoughts. We don't have to define ourselves by it, we don't have to grab a hold of it and feel like take a stand on it, this is who I am. And this freedom, this peacefulness is calm in the middle of the storm is tremendously useful. Because it'll, it can allow a different kind of thinking, that's made, that's not impatient, that's not reactive, that's not carrying with it as much of the judgments and biases and preconceived ideas that we might have, in the surface mind, the surface mind that's been so conditioned and influenced by society and events. And the same thing with our emotions. So a still quiet place within a calm in the storm, the awareness that is like a light bulb, with a when it's turned on the light doesn't have preferences, where the light lands, it lands on everything equally. And just sees it. That's all. So I hope that this week on thinking and emotions, has given you some new perspectives to really look at your life and look at yourself, understand yourself. That and certainly, that's part of the My hope was that you would, too is to provide new perspectives that would be freeing to new perspectives that will be useful to break out of old perspectives that maybe are not so helpful. So I hope it worked somewhat for that. And so thank you for this week. And then a couple of announcements, the I'll be going away next Thursday for to teach back east and the east coast at the very center for Buddhist studies. And, and I've become a little bit confused exactly about my substitutes coming to teach for me. And at some point in that those two weeks Matthew bread silver will come. And since I'm leaving on Thursday, I might be able to be back the first days next week and, and maybe Meg Gawler, will teach the end or something else will happen. I'm not quite sure there's next two weeks, so So please, just be aware that there's a certain unknown at some point, it'll be put in properly in that calendar, IMC calendar. And, and then a couple of things, announcements that may be a little bit relevant for some of you. Way back in the beginning of the year, we did this series on this sati Putana SUTA discourse in the four foundations of mindfulness. And I was struck by how meaningful the instructions were on the different parts of the body 32 parts of the body 31 parts of the body meditation that we did a little bit and the friend of mine is one of the Bob Stoll is one of the probably the biggest proponent of this meditation practice in our Buddha's scene, and does a lot of teaching of it practice that a lot was kind of 32 parts of the body kind of a systematic way of connecting to the body in a very deep way. It's a very important practice and Theravada Buddhism. So we invited him to come and do a class, but it's through the sati center. And so if you go to sati sa ti sati.org

You can find his class there. It's think it's maybe in September it starts maybe it's an eight week class. And I think there's information about the SE center programs on the What's New section of IMCs website. And the other thing that's happening in beginning of October's I do a year long programs for people who have fairly established practice or practicing for some time. And I think you'd have to have four years of prac tested a number of retreats, silent Vipassana retreats. But for those of you who have done that you might be interested. So one day a month, for about eight, nine months. And this year, the topic is meditation and the program is called deepening meditation practice. And then you can read a bit more about it in though again, the WHAT'S NEW section of IMCs website, which is on the front page of IMCs. website, the box in the bottom. Right. And there's applic applications for the for both programs. And, and so I think the applications for the deepening meditation program is, is in September 1. So thank you, everyone. And and maybe I'll be here Monday, maybe not and, and certainly look forward to our next time together.