No self and conflict

During the group sharing tonight, we explored the notion of how conflict in the workplace often revolves around the strong sense of self. If I am clinging to the idea of my body as "myself", I will tend to react defensively at all provocation of that fragile self, without really recognizing that the whole room and it's surroundings are truly my experience. It's not "this body" that stands to gain or lose from anything that people say or do, but only the perception of separation that does so. One practice that has benefitted me in particular as of late is that of allowing myself to see how far I can sacrifice the sense of gain without becoming overly anxious. I believe that challenges such as this can allow a person to truly go deeply into practice as well as treat each challenge as a way to deepen awareness.

Even more recently, I have noticed that when I am present and listening to a conversation or discussion without 'contributing' verbally, I am still able to attain the gist of the information and feel that I was truly involved. Before, I tended to 'gauge' my involvement with others by how much I felt I contributed in terms of what to say. But lately I have come to realize that there is no need for me to come into conversation with a grasping mindset. I think this comes from truly realizing that there is no separation of myself from the surroundings in which I am interacting.