“The art of living is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive”. Alan Watts.
Buddhists use the practice of sitting mindfully as a fearless presence in the face of sorrows and fears. Such a practice enables the practitioner to feel the flood of emotions, such as anger, grief and fear, that we can experience from moment to moment and to allow them to be released. In this process mindfulness does not reject our experiences it simply allows us to feel and let go. It is in such a state of innocence and vulnerability that we can learn about ourselves and release tensions that manifest physically in our bodies giving rise to dis-ease.
The process of mindfulness transformation is often referred to as “RAIN” –
- recognition
- acceptance
- investigation
- non-identification
With recognition we begin with a desire to see the truth behind our denial and ask the question “what is really happening here?” To the extent that we deny what is really happening we will suffer. When we experience conflict, sorrow, pain, anger and so on and recognise these emotions for what they are we bring these into the light and free ourselves from being stuck in the darkness of denial.
With acceptance we avoid the usual reaction to avoid and resist and problems that seemed insurmountable now seem solvable. It means to accept what is so right now. Through acceptance is the opportunity for transformation.
With investigation we look deeply at the nature of the experience by foussing on our body, feelings, mind and truth. We firstly develop an awareness of where in our body our difficulty is held through observing where there is any tension, tightness, heat, hardness or other discomfort. In bringing mindfulness to these areas we can investigate what feelings are part of the difficulty. We next consider what thoughts and visual cues are associated with this and in doing so we become aware of the stories and beliefs we are holding on to. When we see that these are only stories we can loosen their hold over us. The final part of the investigation is to consider what laws and principles are operating here. These may include expansion, contraction, changing, resisting, controlling, self-perpetuating …….what is our relationship to these? Does it make us happy of does it cause us to suffer and how much do we identify with it?
With non-identification we stop identifying with the experience as “me” or “mine”. We see how identification creates dependence, anxiety and inauthenticity. It requires letting go and resting only in awareness.
The culmination of this process is the release of difficulty.
Why not try a little singing in the rain?