The Dalai Lama’s message for today’s meditation is that the biggest cause of our unhappiness is our own mind, “the mind is the only trouble maker”, he says:
“Everyone wants a happy life without difficulties or suffering. But we create many of the problems we face. No one intentionally creates problems, but we tend to be slaves to powerful emotions like anger, hatred and attachment that are based on misconceived projections about people and things.” – Dalai Lama
“If you have peace of mind, then when you meet with problems and difficulties they won’t disturb your inner peace. You’ll be able to employ your human intelligence more effectively. But, if your mental state is disturbed, full of emotion, it is very difficult to cope with problems, because the mind that is full of emotion is biassed, unable to see reality. “ – Dalai Lama
When our inner world lacks a sense of peace, then we are often hijacked by our emotions.
Should we try to get rid of emotions then?
It seems that whatever we try as a tool to avoid having the experience of these emotions, doesn’t actually make emotions go away but suppresses them. This can be quite effective for a time (or I should rather say that it can “feel” really effective) but experience shows that emotions suppressed always causes a build up of “something”, and down the road this “something” WILL erupt, whether it is destroyed relationships, disease, a nervous break-down or any one of many more examples.
So if we can’t avoid emotions, then WHAT?
There is a part of me that really IS this vessel that I’m living in. This flesh and blood human that is deeply invested in the survival of this meat-suit, and all of its fight-or-flight thinking. But then there clearly is also the part of me that is able to take a step back and take a look at this vessel and be a witness to what this human is thinking and doing.
This part of me – call it soul, call it higher-self, call it inner-wisdom, call it SELF – is not scared by emotion and understands that emotion is not necessarily “truth” but often a fear of what “might” be true. This part of me has the ability to lovingly hold whatever emotions arise, until it feels better.
To put this in different words: when my “scared human” is triggered I don’t need to change or DO anything but step into my soul and hold this scared human until he/she feels less scared.
So no more slave to emotions then.
The solution is not to stop having emotions, but to overcome the fear of sitting with emotions. When we develop this skill, we can have the experience of emotions without being controlled by them.
We need to exercise this muscle though! We don’t acquire this skill by just wishing for it, but like any skill, everything we practise we become better at. And if we want to be able to survive any storm, we’re going to have to put in a lot of preparation during fair weather too!
“Developing inner values is much like physical exercise. The more we train our abilities, the stronger they become. The difference is that unlike the body, when it comes to training the mind, there is no limit to how far we can go.” – Dalai Lama
“A tree with strong roots can withstand the most violent storm, but the tree can’t grow roots just as the storm appears on the horizon.” – Dalai Lama
To successfully overcome significant challenges, you need to have a solid foundation built beforehand, because you cannot suddenly develop the necessary resilience once the difficulty arises. Preparation is key to weathering storms, so practise, practise, practise! Everything that you keep practising, you WILL become better at.
Today’s meditation is an opportunity to practise growing strong roots while the weather is good.
Mantras for self-reflection:
- Embrace the Storm: Allow yourself to feel your emotions fully, without judgement.
- Be Kind to Yourself: Treat yourself with the same compassion and understanding that you would offer a friend.
- Practice Gratitude: Focus on the positive aspects of your life, no matter how small.
So, let us commit to nurturing our inner peace. Let us practice mindfulness, meditation, and self-compassion. Let us embrace our emotions, not as enemies to be defeated, but as teachers to be learned from. By doing so, we can transform our lives and experience the profound joy of inner peace.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Come to your senses.