a different stream of consciousness

A Different Stream of Consciousness

The Buddha described his teaching as "going against the stream." The unflinching light of mindful awareness reveals the extent to which we are tossed along in the stream of past conditioning and habit. The moment we decide to stop and look at what is going on (like a swimmer suddenly changing course to swim upstream instead of downstream), we find ourselves battered by powerful currents we had never even suspected--precisely because until that moment we were largely living at their command.


-- Stephen Batchelor in The Awakening of the West
from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book

many blessings,
lora

Hey Lora,

This quote describes the approach I have been trying to take in my practice since I recently discovered how much influence events of my past have on how I act now. I always knew they did but never had a sense of the full effect and probably still don't! For now I just try to sit when I can and see where my thoughts go. While I knew the road was rocky I had never before noticed the rocks themselves and what they represent. It has been very unsettling as I go through this process and feel so far away from a place where I won't be so troubled by what occurs to me, but I set my course into the wind anyway because I know it is the way for me to go.

Thanks for sharing this.

Gassho,
Scott