By comparing, you detach yourself from
the flow of what's happening
in you and around you
and become preoccupied with evaluating and judging, thinking and worrying.
(Chungliang Al Huang)
Authority
It is ever so tempting to rest back in the arms of authority and let
someone else tell you what to do.
But this is also dangerous and naive.
People offer authority in all forms: government, companies, family,
organisations, religions, beliefs, cults, groups, masters, gurus, experts and
even friends.
Do not be so quick to allow someone authority over you.
Consider a doctor...
You visit the doctor and they determine what is wrong with you.
A series of questions and tests provide the doctor with enough information to
make an educated guess.
Sometimes they may know for sure.
Then, a course of treatment is suggested.
Occasionally, a drug is prescribed.
Yet, is that drug specifically tailored for you? Does the doctor know how it
will interact with your own chemistry?
Can they be sure of the effect? Of the side-effects?
Comfort
People seek comfort in food. In having. In belonging. In meaning. In
responsibility. In authority.
Instead of being integrated inside, people look outside themselves for security.
And this need is catered for.
Society supplies prescription medication, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, recreational
drugs, shopping, holidays, status, prestige, sport and television.
There are countless distractions.
We are encouraged to lose ourselves in an ever-widening range of diversions that
take us away from our true nature.
You do not need a prop. You do not need things to lean on.
If you rely on something else for stability, it will slowly own you.
Wellbeing
So many adults dye their hair. They dress young. They deny their aging,
their vulnerability, their frailty.
Some people have cosmetic surgery in an attempt to appear young.
This is all so facile.
We age. We deteriorate. We die.
There is no security to be found in chasing eternal youth. The only security
lies in knowing that you will eventually die.
Pretending to be immortal and invulnerable is stupid.
Exercise, meditation and diet exist to improve the quality of our lives. We
cannot halt aging.
Seeking immortality is a fools endeavour.
Unknown
Is there any security? Can we find anything substantive and real?
This is what meditation addresses.
Meditation aims to bring us back to reality. It shows us the nature of what is.
Life contains so many unknowns.
We have so little control over what will happen to us.
Our lives are flotsam - floating on an indifferent, gargantuan ocean of
activity.
Things affect us all the time. We are acutely vulnerable.
No matter how hard we scrabble for security and comfort, we will never stop the
changing nature of things.
Fear
The unknown is frightening. It brings surprises. We cannot anticipate all
outcomes or prepare for every eventuality.
Nor can we stop the changes from happening.
We do not actually fear the unknown. That would be a contradiction in terms.
What we fear is the loss of the known.
Meditation teaches us to relax. To stop searching for fixity.
Instead, we look inside ourselves and hold fast to our centre, our being.
You can think of it as your soul, your nature, your essence - whatever works for
you.
Here is something that does not change.
Integrated and whole, we move with what is happening. Our stability lies within.
Fear can be addressed by coming to terms with what is. By accepting the way of
things. By ceasing our struggle.
Conflict fades once we learn to stop
fighting and simply flow.
Page created 11 August 2002