An exercise in love.

From On Being with Krista Tippett:

This tool that I inherited, that's in my toolbox, is right there:
I carve this little space each day for being,
in the me so I can be there more for the we,
and I am now really conscious of how core it is in an exercise in love,
so that I can be more agile and helpful, 
when more contentious moments happen,
the moment I turn on my phone or open my front door.

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie

A tool for looking closely.

My daughter recently developed a fear of bugs. 

A few weeks ago a bug flew in her eye and now every bug she sees is an eye assailant.  Her response to fear is pretty typical for a toddler, she yells and cries. 

To help her overcome this bug phobia we bought her a toy bug vacuum.  Basically it is a gun that sucks up bugs into a tiny viewing chamber, where you can look at them closely and then release them outside. 

It works pretty well for what it was designed to do, to turn a fear into a curiosity.

The bug vacuum gives power back to the user.  It lets them regain control of their fear and work with the situation, rather than feeling powerless.  Any tool that does this is really valuable to the user, because it not only solves a short term problem (bug), but it also develops an ability to look closely and examine what they are actually afraid of from a safe vantage point.

That is also what makes meditation so valuable.  It is a tool that allows us to work with our thoughts, fears and emotions from a safe vantage point.  It is a tool that gives us power and allows us to regain our ground. 

Once you develop a stable meditation practice, you can start exploring the bugs in your life and you will probably be surprised at what you can dig up. 

Potential.

སྙིང་པོ་
Tibetan: nyingpo
English: potential, seed, womb, essence

Never having existed as anything whatsoever, 

it arises as anything at all. 

~Longchen Rabjam

There are two ways to think about potential.  One of them is that it is latent, the other that it is naturally present.  The latent approach likens potential to a seed that can gradually ripen into a fully formed fruit.  It requires effort and energy.  Drip by drip. 

The naturally present approach is a sudden encounter, a direct experience with our potential.  This can be compared to a mountain climber being introduced to a mountain, and then climbing it.

What is potential?  How can we relate to it?

It is not something tangible.  Not some thing.  It is completely pure and undefiled, beyond all expression or imagination.

Yet it is palpable, vibrant, luminous.  It is naturally and spontaneously present.

And it is responsive and dynamic.

We can learn to recognize our own potential.  We can learn to rest in that potential even amidst suffering, painful feelings and negative thoughts.  We can find rest, for that potential is the nature of our own mind and the nature of our entire world.

Everything is pure potential.  

Our practice is the tool by which we encounter our potential.  Our practice can use the latent approach, drip by drip.  Our practice can also use the naturally present approach, a direct encounter with the fullness of our potential.

Which approach do you use?
 

Pre-Occupation.

What occupies your mind?  What chews up a lot of time in your head?

Does it need to be there?

Most of us complain about long, busy days at work, but even when we are not working our minds are often preoccupied.  Learning how to loosen the tight shackles that our mental busyness creates is a useful tool to have. 

Give your mind a day off. 

Right tool for the job.

I come from a family of craftsmen, men and women who took pride in the skills of their trade and the quality of their work.

Tools are important to the craftsman.  They allow him to do the job right, the first time.  I was always somewhat resistant to the 'right tool for the job' motto.  I would use what was available, what was within reach and figure out how to make it work.  Don't have a hammer, use a Crescent wrench.  Don't have a saw, give me a screwdriver (yes, a screwdriver).  It might take you longer, but you can make it work.

If my father would catch me in these inane acts he would say, "What are you doing?  Get the right tool for the job."

"But, I didn't have a hammer."

"Go get one!"

When I moved to Seattle, my father's going away gift was his old red toolbox, complete with JERRY lettered in blue paint across the top.  The intention was simple- you should be able to fix your own problems.  Use the right tool for the job, and do it right the first time.

I see a lot of people meditating these days, but if you ask them what kind of meditation they are doing they often don't really know.

Meditation is a tool.  What are you using it for?

Do you want to achieve a stable, focused mind?  Are you looking to develop insight and clarity?  Are you simply looking for a respite, a short escape from the turmoil of your daily rigors?  Do you simply want a blissful experience with lots of cool feelings and visions?  

Do you want to develop generosity, love and kindness?  Does your practice embrace a larger scope?  Do you want to actualize your own aims?  The aims of others?  Do you want to achieve the complete and utter awakening of buddhahood?   

There are many different types of meditation.  Each is a tool in your toolbox.  Use the right tool for the job, and do it right the first time.

Maybe my father's message is finally starting to break through.