Emptiness

I'm reading "The Joy of Living" by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.  In a nutshell, the book discusses emotional and psychological problems facing folks in modern times, and how these are explained using both Buddhist and scientific methodologies.  It's a interesting read, to say the least.

One of the fascinating concepts discussed in the book is "emptiness".  You all know this already, rest your mind, quiet your mind, empty your mind, stop thinking, just rest ... and this will clear a pathway to overcome stress, anxiety, etc.  I really didn't know what this meant, to be honest with you.  I always thought if I just shut my mind down, hit the "power-off" button if you will, then I could let things settle and rest.  Turn it off.  That's what I thought it all meant.  Of course, turning off your mind is virtually impossible, at least, for any length of time.

While I wasn't "wrong" per se, the concept of "emptiness" according to Rinpoche was vastly different.  It doesn't mean "the absence of thought" or "hitting the power-off button".  Rather it means "space" or "infinite possibility".  A blank sheet of paper, a vast ocean, an artists' canvas if you will.

I was in San Francisco the other day, just hanging out, spending some "ME" time.  I found myself sitting on a bench across Bryant and Embarcadero, overlooking the piers, the Bay Bridge, and the boats in the Bay.  Between the piers was a "sheet of water" if you will.  And for whatever reason, I thought of that sheet of water as emptiness.  Maybe the waves, boats, etc. dancing around are the thoughts that race to and from my mind.  But the sheet of water was the "space" that encompassed it all, the medium that allowed everything to occur.

Given that and applying it to my situation, thoughts and ideas that cause stress and anxiety shouldn't be turned off or powered down.  They should be allowed to exist, like a boat in the water, dance in the medium, and then dance out of the medium.  They should be observed, felt, and then let go.  The mind, being so complex, has many boats dancing through it's sheet of water. So by treating the ones that cause pain and suffering with the respect they deserve, and then letting them pass along like all of the others, we can begin to deal with hard pressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas with a sense of peace and balance.

If you are experiencing a "tight mind" where you're trying to block out thoughts or ideas that are bothering you, or a "fighting mind" where you are hyper-analyzing those very things, consider giving the book a chance, and take the nuggets of wisdom for your benefit.  I wish you peace and balance and an "empty" mind.