Blog 3
June 5, 2023
“As a man thinketh, so is he [or she, or them]”. (James Allen, among others…)
The logical sequence of this blog should follow what Trungpa is saying in Shambhala, which would mean a focus on both meditation and synchronizing mind and body. In fact, his approach to synchronizing mind and body is via meditation, so I should say a word about all that before I plunge into the topic that interests me today. But having used two “shoulds” in the first two sentences, I’m just going to dive in to something more relevant to me in the here and now. I figure if I can apply what I’m learning in my studies, I will be practicing what I preach. Otherwise, I might as well just tell you to buy the book. I’ll get back to the other stuff eventually, or you might get there ahead of me. No biggie.
So this is what I want to focus on:
“In working with ourselves, cleaning up begins by telling the truth. We have to shed any hesitation about being honest with ourselves because it might be unpleasant. If you feel bad when you come home because you had a hard day at the office, you can tell the truth about that: you feel bad. Then you don’t have to try to shake off your pain by throwing it around your living room. Instead, you can start to relax; you can be genuine at home. You can take a shower and put on fresh clothes and take some refreshment. You can change your shoes, go outside, and walk in your garden. Then, you might feel better. In fact, when you get close to the truth, you can tell the truth and feel great.” (Trungpa)
That well-describes my day yesterday. I came home saddled with various disappointments and frustrations that would normally be projected onto the people or things around me. But having just read the above, I took a page from Trungpa’s notebook and made up a charcuterie board, quickly hopped into the shower, put on clean clothes from top to toe, and took this mini feast outside to share with my hubby on our freshly landscaped balcony. The result was nothing short of miraculous, or at least wonder-full.
By the time I was ready to share my truth, I was well past the frustration, sadness and negativity that had clung like burrs to my psyche.
From this “stepping away” I could better see what was happening in and around me, and communicate my truth clearly and succinctly. Which turned out to be unnecessary, because in the absence of any action on my part, the problems that dogged me were solved. As some part of me knew they would be!
Which brings me to James Allen’s observation: “As a man thinketh, so is he.” I had initially let my thoughts run away with me. I had witnessed a problem that tugged at my heart strings, and from which I wanted instant relief. I found that relief in a change of pace: a shower, clean clothes, some charcuterie, a glass of something pink and bubbly. Relief came with this simple engagement in the minutiae of my life. And with this change of pace came a shift in perspective. As I sat outside observing the world around me — the people coming and going along the sea wall, the boats and freighters swinging slowly around their anchors — I sensed a shift in me. It seemed that all of nature was telegraphing a message that there is a natural order to the world, an ebb and flow, and that I can trust in that natural order and let go. Trust in the basic goodness of Trungpa’s rising sun vision (more on that later) and let those natural rhythms shift the tide of emotions in my mind.
Om shanti, shanti, shanti. Peace, peace, peace.