One of the nice things about being ill is that the circumstances of your life are rather different from ‘normal’, and as a result, it gives you a different vantage point from which to view how things are.
Health and Illness – 1857 Lithograph by Armand Gautier
Instead of the usual routine, you are forced into a different one, one which may well disrupt your preferences, or choices. And with that change, comes the precious opportunity to see afresh.
How wonderful indeed to be shaken by illness, and given the chance to see life from the side, instead of head on!
To use Chogyam Trungpa’s phrase – all situations are workable. After reading part of a teaching by Trungpa Rinpoche on a forum today, I’ve been thinking about how easy it is to label situations as either easy or difficult from the point of view of practice. And, beyond that, how easy to label certain situations as basically being unworkable.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
How often do we seek to move away from situations that we don’t like? We justify it with all sorts of rationale’s, such as ‘this is not conducive to my practice’, or ‘this one encourages me to loose mindfulness’, or ‘this one has a negative effect on me, and I loose momentum or perspective’. So we decide that certain situations are basically best avoided, as somehow that would have a negative effect on what we view as ‘our practice’.
The Hinayana approach
How is this? Well, from a Hinayana point of view there is certainly some merit in saying that we should not keep too close company with either those that are unskilful, or those situations which encourage unskilfulness.
But, within the Hinayana teachings are those on Vipassana which encourage us to not get entangled in whatever arises, and caught up in either pushing away or pulling experiences towards us, but instead to see their true nature – especially in terms of their being impermanent, suffering, and not-self. Allowing things to be as they are, we practice non-preference, and examine the nature of what is, not trying to find happiness through choosing what we want.
The Mahayana approach
And moving to Mahayana, where the emphasis is more on transformation, rather than avoiding that which is harmful, the first and fundamental perfection is that of generosity. So ideas of ‘my practice’ as being a guiding force, or being around this person is detrimental to me are fundamentally opposed to the Bodhisattva path.
If we are on the Mahayana path, then should we prioritise ourselves in this way? There are needs, and we respond to them. Where there is suffering, our compassion moves to help. No longer hypnotised by what arises in our mind, we see the nature of things as empty – without enduring substance, like a rainbow. Watching what arises, we see no ‘me’, no owner of the experiences, just a play of insubstantial phenomena. No longer bound by ‘me’ and ‘you’, we are freed from attachment and able to respond to need wherever it lies. Standing our ground, wherever we are, we do what needs to be done, without favouritism or fear.
The Vajrayana approach
With the Vajrayana, we no longer need to transform anything, as all Dharmas are seen to be self-liberating anyway. Instead of either backing away from difficult dharmas, or seeking to transform them by applying antidotes, we allow them to be, see their nature as they play, and utilise their energy for our work of liberating all sentient beings.
As all phenomena and circumstances are just empty arisings of mind, what need is there to discriminate between them in such a way that we try to keep ourselves out of certain circumstances or away from certain people. Different apparent arisings in mind have different textures, or different flavours, as it were. But all reveal the nature of mind, all appear to arise, all are empty of any substance, and thus all are one taste – inseparable emptiness and clarity.
Moving beyond fear – taking everything as the path
If we no longer fear emotions, then we no longer have to move away from those that we label ‘emotional’. If we no longer fear different views, then it does us no harm to be around those who differ from us. If we are no longer afraid of ourselves going out of control, then we no longer have to try to keep the lid on our minds, and constantly worry that unskilful emotions or thoughts will take us over. Whatever arises can be taken to the path, becomes the path, is the path for us. Whatever arises, however it is, is the fuel of our apparent journey, our journey that takes us to where we already are.
No longer fearing dharmas, no longer enslaved by fleeting experience, we gain the courage and confidence to take a stand with life, and allow it to be what it is. And ourselves – we can be what we are – more fully each moment we open to and embrace what arises.
Each moment provides the flavour and the fuel.
Each moment is what it is … the ground on which we awaken.
All situations are the path – right here, right now.
Looking at beings, you see beings rubbing up against how things are, and the resulting sufferings caused by ignorance. Not seeing how things truly are, we try to grasp stuff, or we push stuff away, or we remain untouched by that which doesn’t trigger our attachments.
In a family or work dynamic, we experience things we don’t find pleasant, and often seek to move away from that. The person who reacts differently to how we want them to – we experience a ‘need’ to get them to change. That may stem from wanting to change the uncomfortableness of the situation or behavoir, rather than through seeing that being creating unnecessary suffering for themselves and others through their behavoir based on ignorance, and a spontaneously compassionate response to that.
Compassion
Family places a stake in the ground
One of the beauties of a family is, like in a monastery, you have placed a stake in the ground, and said “this is where I stand, and this is where I now practice”. Rather than seeking the grass that is supposedly greener elsewhere, you have commited to being in this particular circumstance, however that plays out.
The great beauty of this is that it encourages you to see how things truly are, and to work with it, rather than to give in to the compulsive need to want to move away from that which you find unpleasant. In a marriage, you’ve let go of the idea of wanting a ‘perfect person’, and have commited to being right here, right now, with this very person. With children, you can’t move them away if they no longer suit you – this is the ground with which you work.
And why should you seek to be elsewhere? Why seek a different partner due to the sufferings that arise from not wanting your present one to be as they are? Things are as they are. Situations give rise to pleasant and unpleasant. People are in part as you would wish (at a particular moment) and partly not.
Pleasant? Unpleasant? All a play of mind
A pleasant sensation arises …. how is that? An empty arising in mind, no more, no less. Not something to make a great story out of, a ‘song and a dance’, and then to start grasping after. It’s just what it is …. utterly without substance, yet a play of mind.
An unpleasant experience arises … how is that? Again, just the minds luminosity, momentarily ‘holding’ that flickering appearance, an empty conjuring trick which plays and goes. Why seek to push it away, to change what we think is ‘out there’ and causing it? It just is what it is, a shadow play of mind.
No longer caught in the push-pull of compulsion, no longer projecting an ‘other’ out there to be ‘perfected’, we can allow things to be as they are. Truly at peace with the world, we can let go of manipulating and forcing.
And out of that letting go, that allowing things to be …. what arises?
Compassion
Compassion – the desire to help and alleviate the sufferings that appear to appear. Wherever they arise, seemingly in others, or seemingly in ourselves, we can gently offer what needs to be offered. Is it out there, or is it in here? Does the suffering occur in others, or in ourselves? No longer seeing ‘me’, no longer seeing ‘them’, we no longer get caught up in balancing our needs and the needs of others. No longer a juggling act, with limited resources. The play of mind is just that … empty appearances seemingly arising. Where they arise in such a way that inspires compassionate action, then that action occurs in the way that it is needed. Where does ‘you’ or ‘I’ come in to it?
The unbearable suffering of seeing beings caught in delusion, grasping and pushing at what they experience, thinking they will find release in holding and excluding. How painful indeed to see that needless suffering, when the shadow plays of their minds are no more substantial than your own?
Playing to the wrong game plan, how painful to see …. compassion reaches out, to help where it can. Not caught up in trying to make them ‘right’, to make them ‘see’, to again change the world into how it ‘ought to be’ – filled with beings who no longer self-cause suffering. Just gently offering help where help can be given, helping, and holding, and allowing their blossoms to gently bloom.
Yet there are infinitely more needs of suffering to relieve than our current capacity to help. This desperate unbearable suffering of feeling others’ sufferings, and not having the capacity to help them all drives our desire for realisation, so that we may have the unlimited capacities of an Enlightened One.
Helping illusory beings with illusory suffering
Illusory beings creating illusory suffering, yet the dream is so vivid, so real, so entrancing.
Just what it is, a play of appearances. Not mesmerised by the shadowplay, and then freed to spontaneously be. Be-ing in the best way, be-ing of benefit. Needs appear to arise, and just responding as can. No longer caught up in ‘me’ and ‘their’ needs.
Seeing the nature of mind allows the delusory dualisms to fade. Not caught up in delusion, compassion can arise. Freed from forcing, letting go is the ground.
