The Process of Awareness
There is a special quality of mind called "awareness." It is being present in the moment, or as recently popularized by Eckhart Tolle, to have the "power of now." This awareness is being cognizant of all things in the immediate environment, inner and outer. It is not dealing with past, future, fantasy, or preconceived notions of the present. Paradoxically, it is a fully engaged detatchment. It is an intensely involved witnessing. It is to approach all encounters with a centrated consciousness.
This psychological perspective allows a spaciousness to develop between the immediacy of things and the reaction to them. With total control, one no longer re-acts, but chooses the route within the realm of possibilities to embark upon. With trust and surrender, the choice is no longer made, but intuitively grapsed and performed with no deliberation involved.
As with any new behavior, conditioning must occur for it to persist or it will become extinct. When attempting to train oneself, it can be difficult to psychologically remove the mind and gain a distanced perspective on one's own inner workings. This is key: to allow everything in the environment to become a teacher. Anytime an undesirable reaction occurs, a red-flag is raised to serve as a reminder to be aware. The flag may not be recognized until one finds oneself in a remorseful aftermath, but sooner and sonner it is noticed until no longer needed. From result to action, emotion, thought, trigger, signs of the impending appearance of the trigger, and earlier in the process, the red-flag is recognized. All things in the environment of a person's perception serve the purpose and will become their teacher to help maintain and retrain awareness.
Even at this stage it is easy to assign blame and not accept responsibility, especially if another sentient being is involved. Understanding the seemingly arbitrary nature of the life-lottery helps remove the need to blame another, as the chain could continue unbroken until all beings are ensnared. The cookie has crumbled for all of us, and it is important to deal with what is, not what "should be."
Establishing awareness and acceptance is a first step. Taking responsibility and making proactive choices is a second. If flexibility is present, then producing positive results will inevitably follow. The process of awareness is a maintenance project which must be habitually engrained, but once sustained, life is inalterably changed.
This psychological perspective allows a spaciousness to develop between the immediacy of things and the reaction to them. With total control, one no longer re-acts, but chooses the route within the realm of possibilities to embark upon. With trust and surrender, the choice is no longer made, but intuitively grapsed and performed with no deliberation involved.
As with any new behavior, conditioning must occur for it to persist or it will become extinct. When attempting to train oneself, it can be difficult to psychologically remove the mind and gain a distanced perspective on one's own inner workings. This is key: to allow everything in the environment to become a teacher. Anytime an undesirable reaction occurs, a red-flag is raised to serve as a reminder to be aware. The flag may not be recognized until one finds oneself in a remorseful aftermath, but sooner and sonner it is noticed until no longer needed. From result to action, emotion, thought, trigger, signs of the impending appearance of the trigger, and earlier in the process, the red-flag is recognized. All things in the environment of a person's perception serve the purpose and will become their teacher to help maintain and retrain awareness.
Even at this stage it is easy to assign blame and not accept responsibility, especially if another sentient being is involved. Understanding the seemingly arbitrary nature of the life-lottery helps remove the need to blame another, as the chain could continue unbroken until all beings are ensnared. The cookie has crumbled for all of us, and it is important to deal with what is, not what "should be."
Establishing awareness and acceptance is a first step. Taking responsibility and making proactive choices is a second. If flexibility is present, then producing positive results will inevitably follow. The process of awareness is a maintenance project which must be habitually engrained, but once sustained, life is inalterably changed.