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When disciples of the Buddha begged him for relief
from their constant sense of inner agitation he wisely
raised his left hand and said: "It just is!"
Same with all that churning inside your heart and your
head: "It just is!" It's neither good nor
bad. It's normal. It's part of being human. It's part
of dealing with a trauma. It comes with the territory.
What is important, however - according to this great
teacher- is that you become AWARE of all that agitation.
Becoming aware of the agitation quickly brings up an
interesting question: who is that entity that is aware
of the 'you that is agitated'? Is there, perhaps, a
'you that is aware of the agitation' and a 'you that
is agitated'?
Going 'in' a bit deeper you might notice that 'THE
YOU WHO IS AWARE' is actually not agitated at all. On
the contrary that aspect of you, which is the true essence
of who you are, is completely calm, completely at peace.
According to the Buddha, in that awareness you will
find:
~ The wisdom to do what is right, at the right time,
for all involved;
~ An ability to reach for the tools that will positively
influence the outcome;
~ Great reserves of kindness towards yourself;
~ Compassion for your ill relative, and
~ A deep sense of inner peace.
Worth considering, worth practicing, isn't it? Try
the visualization exercise below to help you experience
this sense of being with your feelings without being
in them.
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The Northern Lights
 Step
1:
Imagine that you are up in the arctic regions
looking at the northern lights swirling around
in the sky. You are the calm observer who looks
at this incredible display from a distance with
awe and amusement. (Have you ever seen this flickering
curtain of dancing lights against a dark winter
sky? It s truly a spectacular natural phenomenon).
Step 2:
Now, in your mind's eye, picture your thoughts,
your worries, your emotions, your stress swirling
in front of you just like those lights. Thoughts
and emotions going in all directions, back and
forth, up and down, left and right, pleasurable
ones, fear-based ones, confused ones. A spectacular
human phenomenon, really!
Step 3:
Can you be the calm observer of this show, just
witnessing your worries, your agitation, the pressure
you feel to do this or that, to be better, stronger,
smarter? Can you kindly smile at all those manifestations
of your humanity, and say to yourself: it just
is!
Are you in touch with that part of you that is
aware of your agitation? Do you think that over
time you could develop a solid partnership with
that true self, team up with it so to speak, so
you can center yourself more easily during this
period of hardship?
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