Practicing Peace In Times Of War
This book by Pema Chodron is quite a gem of a collection from her teachings. The book is also relevant today when the world is at war, both on a personal and public stage. I liked her idea of softening what is rigid in our hearts. War begins when we harden our hearts, in minor way and often in major ways like hatred and prejudice.
She also shows how our own fundamentalism's is a sort of hardening. There's an uneasiness and then a tightening, a shutting down, and that leads to a chain reaction where we became very righteous. We became fundamentalists, self righteous about our own view point.
She then goes on to talk about patience, as the antidote to aggression. Patience can also dissolve mean heartedness and it is a great way to deescalate aggression and the pain it leads too. Patience is slowing down at the point of high conflict, just pausing so that you don't act out your habitual response. I like how she says that patience is not suppressing emotion. Instead it is waiting with your anguish, frustration and vulnerability. Patience requires the gentleness and courage of fearlessness. Patience teaches us that things cannot be predictable and secure like we like it to be. Instead impermanence and groundless nature of all things is more real.
Shenpa is getting hooked. It is the charge behind the tightening, behind the urge, behind the story line or action is Shenpa. Meditation and working with our thoughts and catching them before we act on them is the idea. Train in keeping it simple. Pause, breathe and start with the unsettling energy. When we open ourselves to the constantly changing, impermanent, dynamic nauture of our being and of reality we increase our capacity to love and care about other people, and our capacity to not be afraid.
She also shows how our own fundamentalism's is a sort of hardening. There's an uneasiness and then a tightening, a shutting down, and that leads to a chain reaction where we became very righteous. We became fundamentalists, self righteous about our own view point.
She then goes on to talk about patience, as the antidote to aggression. Patience can also dissolve mean heartedness and it is a great way to deescalate aggression and the pain it leads too. Patience is slowing down at the point of high conflict, just pausing so that you don't act out your habitual response. I like how she says that patience is not suppressing emotion. Instead it is waiting with your anguish, frustration and vulnerability. Patience requires the gentleness and courage of fearlessness. Patience teaches us that things cannot be predictable and secure like we like it to be. Instead impermanence and groundless nature of all things is more real.
Shenpa is getting hooked. It is the charge behind the tightening, behind the urge, behind the story line or action is Shenpa. Meditation and working with our thoughts and catching them before we act on them is the idea. Train in keeping it simple. Pause, breathe and start with the unsettling energy. When we open ourselves to the constantly changing, impermanent, dynamic nauture of our being and of reality we increase our capacity to love and care about other people, and our capacity to not be afraid.
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