During tonight's meditation session, we explored Shifu's Dharma talk in which he explored the nature of awareness in meditative practice. Many times, people do reflect that meditation is about being aware; for example, one speaks of "being aware that one is angry". However, is it so simple as simply knowing one is angry, or does awareness entail something more than just "knowing"?
I think that awareness is more than simply knowing. For example, knowing that I am feeling a certain way does not give me the proper space and realization to know that this feeling is temporary and based on salient factors. When I am truly clear about anger, it is no longer seen as the function of a discrete self , but the more complex interplay of conditions. Awareness requires a mental space to contain these phenomena rather than being simply acted upon.
Participants in the discussion also pointed to the importance of using a method consistently to raise an awareness and insight into emotions as temporary. Without the method, we are not truly aware, but are often simply being swept away in the conditions, thinking that they are permanently a part of us. In this way, consistency in using one's method is such a crucial aspect of awareness.
No comments:
Post a Comment