Tuesday, June 2, 2015

How to deal with emotions (2)

Thay's message in the following video is very useful. 
(from 12:00)

And if we know how to train ourselves for a few weeks, and when the emotions come, we will not be victims of it any more. We know how to protect ourselves from the storm of the emotions. But the basic understanding we have to remember is that we are much more than one emotion. There is no reason why we have to die because of one emotion. One emotion is something that comes and stays for a while and will have to finally go. Why do we have to die because of it? We have to remember that, we have to tell the young people that, ask them to remember that. It's like a storm. The storm can come, play for half a day, one day or two days but it has to go. And that is based on our experience. So, we don't have to die because of a emotion. 

Our practice is that when the emotion is about to manifest, we go back right away to ourselves and prepare. And we are not afraid because we know how, we don't panic because we know how to deal with our emotions. In a sitting position, the best posture is the sitting posture, a half lotus or a lotus. And you begin to concentrate on in-breath and out-breath and not allow your attention to dare on this level (head), but bring it down to the level of the navel. And through focus 100% on our in-breath and out-breath, the rising and falling of our abdomen. It's very important. Don't go up there (head)! Stay there (navel)!

So, during the time of a emotion, don't stay here (head). This (head) is not safe. We should not allow any thinking. Because that kind of thinking brings the intensified emotions. That is why we stop the thinking by just focusing on our in-breath and out-breath. And in a firm sitting meditation, just follow your in-breath and out-breath. And focus your attention entirely on the rising and falling of your abdomen. And you are safe. And the emotion can last for three minutes or four or five or even ten. But we have a capacity of breathing, stay in that position and breathe. And after that, the emotion will die down. And we know we are capable of dealing with our emotions. 

If your son or daughter is still very young, you can already train him or her to practice. Darling, hold the hand of Mummy. Let us breathe in. Breathing in, I see my berry rising. Breathing out, don't you see like me, darling? And we channel our energy of mindfulness to our child. And we don't need to wait until the child has a crisis in order to do so. In our daily life, we practice with him and with her. And training him or her to breathe in and breathe out and observe the moment of our abdomen. And if you can do it, if you can tell the young people to do it, you saved their life. They will have to go to difficult moment with strong emotions. And if they have guarded the practice from you, they will be safe. It's very important. They should be done in the context of the family, school and in the hospital. And of course, the parents and teachers have to master the practice. 

I think you can talk to your congress men, your senators, members of the parliament. We need a kind of law in order to help us bringing that kind of learning of practice into the family, into the school. And this is not about a religion, not about Buddhism. This is about the health, survival and peace. If you a writer and write an article about it and urging your senators or your congress men to do something, urging the parents and the teachers to do something, you don't wait until you have an emotion in order to practice, in order to begin learning the practice. Because at that time, you will forget. And if every day you practice for ten minutes, and after 21 days, you are used to it and when an emotion comes, naturally you remember the practice and you can protect yourself. So, it is our duty as practitioners to explore the sutra, the teaching  and offer the practice that can help ourselves, help our family, help our schools, our hospitals, help our people. And I think the psychotherapists have to master these practices in order to better help the clients right away. 

(Cf.) http://www.slideshare.net/compassion5151/mechanism-of-mind

Dolphin at Sea World, Australia Photo by Darren Song Ng

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