I love the analogy of the raft used by the Buddha mentioned in the awakin article by Christina Feldman. The raft is needed to cross the river of life. We carry the raft while crossing the river. We drop the raft after crossing the river. We walk carrying the burden in our minds and we get exhausted by dwelling on the past which, is already gone. We need to relate to the past wisely. We are asked to make wise choices in our life. We need to learn to cultivate wisdom by letting go of the past and not worrying about the future. Wisdom would be to leave the raft behind and to walk on unencumbered, untethered.
A few years ago I read the book Be Here Now authored by Ram Dass. The theme of this inspiring book, is like the theme of the raft analogy: to learn to live in the present, in the Beginner's Mind. The past is gone and we do not need to hang on or be fixated on it. The future has yet to come and we do not need to fill our minds with anticipation, worry and anxiety. I know it is difficult to break the chain of the past and the chain of the future. What has been helping me to live in the present and welcome the moments of wonderment, is the practice of Mindfulness, the practice of non judgemental awareness and daily practice of meditation. These practices have been very helpful to me freeing myself from the grips of the past which is already gone and worries about the future which has yet to come. Namaste!
2 Comments
Elaine noonan
7/1/2023 12:16:21 pm
Namaste. I find that being very committed to events in life with a purpose to create and express is extremely important for joy in the moment and momentum into the next. Meditation is key for a peaceful center where ideas can flow in and out.
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Debbie Podwika
7/6/2023 10:22:44 pm
Hmmm this one I agree with some general ideas,but I disagree with some of it. In a general sense I do feel we need to keep or get back the beginner's mind and continue to see Wonder or Awe throughout our lifetime. I disagree that the expert mind is all bad and one sided to the negative experiences. The expert mind also allows us to recognize Love, Happiness etc. It says, "Yes, I want more of this" or allows us to know what to do to achieve those experiences on purpose. I also very much think there is value of the expert mind recognizing the negative feelings. No, we should not continue to carry them unless they serve the purpose of a lesson, but rather, to know what to do to change them. To go for a walk, meditate and perhaps protesting or doing something to make changes in the world so that there is more happiness. I also do not think this is an "either or" situation as I felt the post was conveying. I think we should have both. We also have to remember even when we experience things 'again" they may not be exactly the same thing and still evoke Wonder or Awe. No two Rainbows or Sunsets are the same. It is the experience of seeing sunsets again and and again that we learn they are not the same. And the expert mind then say "again" does not necessarily mean "same" and we still get Wonder and Awe each time. The beginner's mind would say, 'oh that is just another rainbow, I've seen one and I don't need to see it again." :-)
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