The last thread I found on this topic was, I believe, from 2010 perhaps. So I am just starting my own.
Today in transit for work, I was listening to two podcasts: Jundo's talk that discussed the priest training program at TreeLeaf, and how Buddhism needs to fit your life in all aspects (or why practice it?), and also a talk from Secular Buddhism (Noah Trevor, I believe) that spoke on "Dealing with Difficult Emotions". Both of these talks got to the heart of something I've been struggling with for a very long time.
I don't think I am wording this correctly. But I will try.
The concept of "being present" and not fighting or resisting one's emotions, or labeling an emotion as bad, or wrong or "shouldn't" is very new to me. My background is one of being labeled - weird, odd, emotional, needing to be fixed, etc. So listening to Buddhist talks about accepting emotions as is, being present with emotions, but recognizing that we are not the emotions and the emotions are not us - this was mind-boggling for me. It was also rather liberating and a relief, and I spent the afternoon ...... feeling peace. Was quite strange. Nothing had changed. I just saw my circumstances and my emotions differently, and did not feel imprisoned by them in that moment. I just felt peace, and acceptance - of myself.
After I got home from work, I decided I was going to sit, for as long as I could. I got my errands done, cleared everything out, and did my longest sit yet (laying down, due to unrelenting back pain), but being present within all the muck I've been dealing with. "Thinking not thinking" of the lotus and its symbolism, and of the rakusu.
My practice today took on a whole new meaning for me - because it can go to those dark places, and BE in those dark places, and walk (sit?) me through to the other side.
Gassho
Kim
Sat today _/\_
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Originally Posted by allwhowander
