With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
There are times when, like a tidal wave striking a shoreline of thatched huts, we are completely undone by an emotion. Such emotions are the great caps of the wave. We become so saturated that all things take on their feel.
It is catastrophic to a human being, as it separates us from others. The very essence of human being is social.
I have a dear friend who has been overwhelmed by anger. The hurt which caused it was like an earthquake. Everything he had worked all of his life for was rejected, the ground he walked on sank, and he found himself in a great darkness.
Responding to his pain with anger, he fanned its flames, colored nearly every event with its brush, and with each stroke, worried his friends.
In such catastrophic states, everything is made far too simple. Threat, no threat. Friend, foe. Its as if we are on a combat mission deep in a jungle all alone. Every sound is suspect.
As he suffers, I suffer. My love for my friend is deep and built through real life struggles. I sit in my Zendo and listen to my heart. I offer incense. I practice for him. This allows me to be open to his suffering, rather than to close it off in order to protect myself. The heart of our practice is in such a willingness.
Step out into the light.
Be well.
2 comments:
I once experienced a protracted despair that only ended when I prayed for "the truth vouchsafed to me". Having prayed, I felt immediate relaxation and fell asleep. In the morning, I slowly became aware that my prayer had been answered and felt ... well ... "leapt out of bed"!
Landing on my feet, I noted that I had no way to verbalize the answer given me, but I was not worried. Many hours later, words came to verbalize the answer. They were "I have X emotion now". I rejoiced and shortly wanted to share it with others.
This proved to be nearly impossible because the people to whom I told it could not perceive what I could perceive in this linguistic -- one that I suspect was commonly used in the Royal Courts of 13th Century England. This is that an authentic "I have X emotion now" is simultaneously the subjective truth of the moment for the one who articulates it and an objective truth for any who witness it, and being inoffensive truth, both these experiences are vitalizing and trust-building for all present.
This "eureka" moment happened to me about 17 or 18 years ago. I have since evolved IHXEN practice into a coaching practice for entrepreneur and other clients.
Because "I have X emotion now" is a cumbersome term, I call it by its acronym, IHXEN, and because IHXEN is clumsy to pronounce, my clients, friends and I call it "Eye-Zen".
"Eye-Zen" English, based on the IHXEN linguistic, has become a set of principles for practising empathically authentic communication in aid of rational problem-solving from the heart. I believe the principles are applicable in any language, being, in effect, a sort of "mathematics of the energy of emotions".
If this interests you, dear Roshi, please feel free to visit the following URL ...
http://www.authentixcoaches.com/IHXENOverview.html.
I would love to hear from you at angusc@authentixcoaches.com.
May you be well and your day full of heartfelt joy.
Angus Cunningham
Thank you for your work and deep insight. I will.
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