The Fear of Letting Go (Pt. 3)
It is so easy to misunderstand our form of practice as just learning to be still and silent of mind and then expect wisdom to arise from this state. If your understanding of the training is along these lines then this is a misunderstanding and a grave error. You certainly needs stillness as a basic foundation and platform for wisdom but to really liberated what is your inherent wisdom requires commitment to change your stream of habitual attachments, through observation, investigation and restraint, all through practice within the four postures. These three talks highlight the need to be careful of retreating into your comfort zone that stillness can encourage but challenge this danger by willingly engaging with the whole of life.
Comments:
This is such a helpful talk for me – to look at emotions as habits, how to bear with their power and intensity, and how to work on finding “the gap” and catch them before they take me away. Much easier to say than to do… It is scary to start to see how much energy I put into maintaining my defences and protecting my self-identity. This training is about learning to open, and truly engage with everything. The Q&A at the end is really useful too, with extra advice at a practical level on day to day challenges.