Into the Haunted Ground by Anam Thubten

Author:Anam Thubten [Thubten, Anam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2022-04-26T00:00:00+00:00

6

Cutting Through in Everyday Life

When I started practicing Buddhism, I did not know so much about introspection. I simply practiced to accumulate merit. I practiced with the idea that if I recited mantra and liturgy, my merit, or punya, was being gathered somewhere. Once I started studying more, I began to understand the categories of inner poisons and that gave me a whole new level of insight. I realized that the true purpose of Buddhist practice is to become aware of and purify my own destructive emotions. This was a paradigm shift for me and changed the very nature of my spiritual practice. Spiritual disciplines not only elevate our spiritual life but also impact how we regard our ordinary life and the world around us. If we invest days, hours, weeks into learning to perfect a formal practice such as Chöd but at the end of retreat plunge back headlong into confusion, then the practice has been for nothing. Integrating profound and esoteric teachings into every day life is what makes them meaningful. I tell my students to allow the inspiration and essence of Chöd to infuse their consciousness and stay in the forefront of their minds. This is how they can carry Chöd practice as a journey rather than an occasional spiritual observance.

What is required to practice Chöd in everyday life is awareness. In this context, awareness is a state of intentional observation that monitors what is happening in our consciousness. It does not have to be strenuous. We do not have to be an awareness marathon athlete. This awareness is observant but at ease and nonjudgmental. It can be relaxed and easy. There is a way we can gently observe and see what is going on in our minds continuously. This rests on our ability to catch ourselves whenever the inner demons come out, so that we are not at their mercy. Its basis is a psycho-spiritual development of recognizing our inner demons.

Those who have never done such reflection may suspect that it will not be fun to look into their own minds. They think that all they may discover is the messiness of boredom, worry, or resentment, which they typically avoid by any means possible. Ego has an avoidance strategy, which is to keep the thinking mind occupied with itself by continually churning with busy thoughts and indulging itself in entertainment. When people begin to make the effort to become aware of themselves, their thoughts, and emotions, there is a danger of awareness becoming too tight. They start judging themselves and become uncomfortable. They become self-conscious and rigid, which can prevent them from going along with the flow of life. On the other hand, people sometimes choose not to become aware of themselves, because part of them is unconsciously resistant to becoming enlightened.

The Scottish psychiatrist R. D. Laing said that we are all afraid of three things: people, our own minds, and death. Often when people first practice meditation they feel afraid of their own minds. Sitting and being with their minds can easily cause frustration, boredom, anxiety, and anger to come out.

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