Emotions and spirituality

[Bindi]

Lama Yeshe gives an introduction to Buddhist psychology in this excerpt from "Becoming your own therapist."

 

Dealing with negative emotions or delusions when they are present is most effective, but the situation does not always allow us to sit down and look inwards. When everything fails during the actual situation; learn from your mistakes by "sitting on them".

One of the main things is to intensely try to relive the situation again, usually the emotion will come up automatically.

Later, one can do an analytical meditation to find out where the emotion comes from, whether it is valid and correct, or if we prefer to think and act differently next time. As with all analytical meditations, do not accept your first answer to any of the questions, but search for a second and third underlying reasons.

To the end of the analysis, try to make a brief summary for yourself and make a very short conclusion: like: "no answer, need to do more analysis" or: "I must learn to control my anger" - any conclusion is valid.

Next, try to take one or two minutes to intensely focus on your conclusion: do not analyse it further, just "look at it". This will help to actually change our mind and to make decisions.

http://www.viewonbuddhism.org/summary_delusions.html

[RigdzinTrinley]

Bindi, I think you might really like Reich and his theory of body armor and body segments and also his therapy system (and what developed out of them; except Mr.Lowens Bioenergetics - I don't like them as much)- Ok Dr.Reich went a "bit" nuts - how nuts is for each one to figure out (I give him from "a bit" after relocating to america, to at the end of his life "pretty"), but his Body based psychotherapy is very much in line with what you are discussing and a very strong method to melt the body - armoring.

also he discovered that when you change the body and open the body then the charackter of the person fundamentally changes (most of the change happens in your dreams and then it flows out into your waking life) - it is very deep psychosomatic work.

 

I feel this man was ahead of his time - probabaly thats why "they" (the Nazis and the FDA) burned his books two times during his life

 

maybe reading about reich and some of his books will be interessting for you - I really love this system of bodywork a lot, and I feel it is much more direct and transformative then many therapies that are based on talking

 

also in my experience certain blocks don't go away through yoga and meditation (I tried for years) - for example the jaws(anger/creativity), throat(swallowing feelings/expression of feelings), neck(being in control/letting happen), reichian therapy works wonders on those areas, it take its time but usually after a few sessions with a therapist it gets much much better and more creativity, joy and energy are felt in the body/mind

 

also reichian therapy immidiately makes "Being emobied" a more blissfull experience (I mean it happens quickly that being in a body feels nourishing and good, instead of somthing to escape - because I am so stuck!!!) - how that helps for meditation I don't have to say

Edited October 27, 2015 by RigdzinTrinley

[Horus]

Very similar for me Bindi.

 

All I'd care to add is to try TLM (seach it on DDB), and also to see the reflective relationship between thought and emotion, 5th dimension reflecting the 4th, 5th chakra reflecting 4th and or vice versa.

 

Also not accepting all thought and emotion as yours - when you have said unconscious content in your own system it will be a sounding board for others thought and emotional content - playing through as if it's "yours" - thus the matrix hold plays through us.

 

 

 

 

[Bindi]

Very similar for me Bindi.

 

All I'd care to add is to try TLM (seach it on DDB), and also to see the reflective relationship between thought and emotion, 5th dimension reflecting the 4th, 5th chakra reflecting 4th and or vice versa.

 

Also not accepting all thought and emotion as yours - when you have said unconscious content in your own system it will be a sounding board for others thought and emotional content - playing through as if it's "yours" - thus the matrix hold plays through us.

 

I tried to search TLM on TDB and got no matches. I then tried to google it and got TALISMAN MINING LIMITED, The Leprosy Mission, Télé Lyon Métropole, The Lego Movie, The Little Mermaid, Thetis Lake Monster… You get the idea.

 

Any more info for my TDB search would be much appreciated

[Horus]

 

I tried to search TLM on TDB and got no matches. I then tried to google it and got TALISMAN MINING LIMITED, The Leprosy Mission, Télé Lyon Métropole, The Lego Movie, The Little Mermaid, Thetis Lake Monster… You get the idea.

 

Any more info for my TDB search would be much appreciated

 

Haha! You are a hoot!

 

Try copy and paste the below text and search it on Google (ie in the Google Search Window:

 

TLM site:thedaobums.com

[AussieTrees]

Emotions can be difficult,depending on how reactive we are.

Maybe there is room to be less reactive.

 

Stop understand what you are feeling,this is helpful in understanding ourselves.

Dwelling in patience,observing situation unfold,these are tools that help us see beyond the emotion.

 

Sometimes emotions continue,like daily reruns,can last many years.

Letting go can be helpful,this is a choice to move on.

 

Yesterday is history,the future will unfold without need for anxiety.

Now is the time of your life,enjoy.

[Bindi]

Emotions can be difficult,depending on how reactive we are. Maybe there is room to be less reactive. Stop understand what you are feeling,this is helpful in understanding ourselves. Dwelling in patience,observing situation unfold,these are tools that help us see beyond the emotion. Sometimes emotions continue,like daily reruns,can last many years. Letting go can be helpful,this is a choice to move on. Yesterday is history,the future will unfold without need for anxiety. Now is the time of your life,enjoy.

 

Having set out on this path, my best bet is to see it through, extending how I deal with emotions rather than trying to reduce emotions hold on me. This may require my consciousness to shift into ajna chakra, ajna as the 'lotus of command', controlling all the lower chakras.

 

 

 

Quote

 

Emotions, in themselves, are unbiased. They are a form of energy that can serve us positively or negatively, just as fire can be useful but also destructive. With the assistance of the Ājnā (third eye) Chakra we can learn to control and guide this inherent energy positively.

 

http://www.chakras.net/energy-centers/agya

 

 

I believe that where emotions can flow freely, unconditional love will follow. So my path becomes an experiment, one that I am happy to see through to its end.

[AussieTrees]

Having set out on this path, my best bet is to see it through, extending how I deal with emotions rather than trying to reduce emotions hold on me. This may require my consciousness to shift into ajna chakra, ajna as the 'lotus of command', controlling all the lower chakras.

 

 

 

 

I believe that where emotions can flow freely, unconditional love will follow. So my path becomes an experiment, one that I am happy to see through to its end.

Use or feel whatever emotion you happen upon.

Understanding emotions,observing oneself under differing emotions is developing insight.

 

These understandings do not impede what you choose to experience emotionally.

Best wishes.

[Bindi]

"Buddhahood is attained through the gradual process of transforming oneself into the body of perfect enlightenment by overcoming and finally eradicating one’s destructive emotions that are veils concealing one’s true nature."

Venerable Chöje Lama Phuntsok

http://www.dharmadownload.net/pages/english/Natsok/0014_Leksheyling_teaching/leksheyling_teachings_0012.htm

[3bob]

on another hand we wouldn't want to inflate ourselves into thinking we could transform ourselves into the body of perfect enlightenment would we?   For oneself can do nothing without the power of Spirit also choosing them...its a two or three way street for a long ways.

[Bindi]

on another hand we wouldn't want to inflate ourselves into thinking we could transform ourselves into the body of perfect enlightenment would we?   For oneself can do nothing without the power of Spirit also choosing them...its a two or three way street for a long ways.

 

I think I read in the last couple of days that Buddhist monks were allowed one illusion, and that was the illusion that there was anything to attain, but I have no idea where I read this.

 

Sure on the two or three way street. Perhaps somewhat tangentially, your post did make me think quite a lot about how ego relates to 'destructive emotions' though.

 

 

 

 

 

[3bob]

"attain" can be tricky in meaning if it becomes getting in an egotistic sense, while I think the idea and or term of 'synchronizing' (to Spirit) has advantages compared to it.  Also getting down on ego can be tricky since it can be said we need to have an ego to surrender an ego or have a will to surrender a will.

 

As for illusion and or delusion those terms are bandied about quite a bit around this site...  one might question and see value in the meanings of faith and hope and their various aspects and degrees without resorting to downer declarations.

[Bindi]

"attain" can be tricky in meaning if it becomes getting in an egotistic sense, while I think the idea and or term of 'synchronizing' (to Spirit) has advantages compared to it.  Also getting down on ego can be tricky since it can be said we need to have an ego to surrender an ego or have a will to surrender a will.

 

As for illusion and or delusion those terms are bandied about quite a bit around this site...  one might question and see value in the meanings of faith and hope and their various aspects and degrees without resorting to downer declarations.

 

For me personally I would say my consciousness is moving or shifting towards my higher self to ultimately join with my higher self, which was always in contact with 'God' as the Father.

 

And I'm always up for an in depth discussion about ego, I find it an interesting and important issue.

 

 

 

[3bob]

well one point I'd make is that ego can't really see all of itself, some parts and angles that are here and there yes, but only a "higher self" as you put it can really see all of ego for what it is and isn't...

 

Btw, I don't think to much about my higher self or my consciousness, it's more like the higher self, the consciousness and the mind being that a "my" or mine is only apparent as revealed by the The, so to speak.

 

Om

[Bindi]

Yes I agree, ego is very tricky to always see, I trust that a higher self would fully understand the true nature of ego and how to accommodate or synchronise with it perfectly. For now I see ego as a grand looking castle that hovers next to me, inviting me to enter it at any or every step, and maybe this is the greatest need for the grace of God, to be aided in not entering there.

 

Though you're probably right about not saying 'my', I acknowledge that I'm simply not at the point where there is no 'my', I do identify as me for now. I trust that this perception might change one day along the lines you suggest.  

[3bob]

yea it's not easy to imagine only one of us at the core of all of us as alluded to in many teachings, for instance in the Upanishads with the term Brahman or Atman. and in the end only Atman can or will satisfy Atman.

[Bindi]

One way of describing the entire journey of spirituality or Self-realization is tracing the manifestations of Shakti, which appear to be ‘I’ or ‘me’ back through the layers of appearances, to the point where Shiva and Shakti are seen as one and the same, as they were all along.

Swami j

 

http://www.swamij.com/tantra.htm

 

 

I appreciate swami j's sense of tracing back through the manifestations of Shakti to finally reveal the understanding that Shakti and Shiva are one. Reality might be that all is unity, but I can only discover this by working through the layers of appearances first.