Humans are very adaptable. We quickly and deeply form habits and fall into routine. This comes about through the mind’s ability to ‘get by’ and it’s conservation of mental energy. Once we form a habit, they can be very hard to break. However, It’s only when breaking a habit we see its strength and hold on us. We need to live presently, consciously, turn down the auto pilot, to “Step out of the bureaucracy of ego” as Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa counsels (After the Ecstasy, the Laundry(aff)).
The Story
Walking around mentally you chatter to yourself. Noting why your back is sore, how you’ll greet the next person you meet, what you want to purchase, your desires. Anything and everything—It’s incessant.
Your whole life is a series of stories and condition. About why something is, or why it should be. Your identity lives in it’s attachment to these stories. The stories are so often repeated they almost become real. They don’t stop. It’s easier to give in than it is to stop them.
Slowly, with the process of meditation and mindfulness, you begin to see and hear the stories, seeing them as just stories. You see that the mental story is one option, rather than a fixed reality. By hearing the stories whisper to you, when you’re mindful, you gain the option to let them go.
The message?
When we let go of our stories, they lose their power. We become free. We find no harm is done to us by releasing these stories. Instead, we find ourselves living in an exciting new world, a world without scripts. The life we were born to live.
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Hey wade,
“Instead, we find ourselves live in an exciting new world, a world without scripts. The life we were born to live.”
Such a strong sentence, I enjoyed reading this!
Keep up with it and thanks for sharing
Adam
Hi Wade… I really liked this post. I think we share the same perspective. As time has past, I keep being presented over and over with the same message: the content of my mind is simply stories about what was or what might be. And as the stories fade, I find life is sweeter, more wonderful than ever.
As one of my favorite spiritual teachers says, “Don’t believe your mind. And when in doubt, don’t believe your mind.”
Great post, Wade.
Lots of love.
Once again, Namaste Wade,
Another profound statement of that which should be so obvious to us all…
Lately I’ve created myself a mindfulness Sutra to recognize this chatter and these ‘stories’...
‘breathing in, I am mindful of my thoughts, breathing out, I am aware of my desires’...
this seems to be an effective method, for me at least, of returning to center and recognizing the habits of my mind…
thank you
Hi Wade,
I’ve notice quite a change these last few months. From observing others and inter-acting. When I have a choice of two roads, I choose both for a while. Soon one of the paths will not feel right. It will not matter if I make a mistake. Making mistakes is my teacher. Making decisions is fairly radical at times too.
When I’ve interacted with others, there is no end to the stories that are told. I’ve noticed when I’m mindful of breathing. I don’t remember what the other’s have said. lol
(I wonder if they’ve notice, I’m not really listening.)
This gal can not carry on two tasks at once!!
Thanks for reading my words and for letting me love you as you really are.
Namaste
The title caught my eye and the article hit a home run. My favorite line:
“When we let go of our stories, they lose their power.”
I have a tendency to live in the past and it’s only when I let go and just enjoy the moment that I’m happy. I work on this in Yoga and meditation and it’s made a huge diffence in the amount of joy I experience.
This is so accurate. Human beings often find themselves in the midst of a vicious circle and don’t know why. The key to living more true to ourselves is to raise self-awareness and learn why we think and behave as we do.
@Adam, Thanks for your comments, it’s great to know you connected with what I was trying to communicate.
@Tom, It’s funny that even the message that the mind is full of stories is a story. Even what one of your favourite teachers says is a story. It’s like everything comes boxed in stories. To cut through it all without thinking or reminding ourselves about it. That’s real skill.
@Lindsay, Thank you, Lots of love to you too. Lots of beauty in your comment.
@Seedoubleyou, Namaste, That’s a great method of returning to the center of being. It sounds very much in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hahn.
@Terry, Hey there. Intenerating choice of word there, Inter-Acting. I like it, a lot. Sounds like a great way of finding out what you want. Being open to everything, and listening with and to your heart. As you say, there is no mistakes. “Everything that happens is for ever a beginning”, as Rainer Maria Rilke Says. (from http://tumblr.wi.id.au/)
It’s very hard to do two things at once. I don’t think you are alone in your struggle to do both. When really listening to someone I try to focus my attention on the feeling coming from them, and the feeling coming from their words. I try hold a good posture, and let my breath go. My focus isn’t with it. Occasionally I check that it’s still open, but I follow something else.
This is a bit like working with pain or emotion in a meditation. You let go of the anchor of breath and move to what’s more present, coming back to breath from time to time. Thank you.
@Karl, Thanks for your comments. I’m still playing around with writing. Glad it found a place with you. I can imagine the amazing benefits you’d find through Yoga and Meditation. Both activities train the mind to be totally present. By practicing on a cushion or mat, the skill is automatically brought into our daily lives.
@Liara, Spot on
By being more present and aware, we naturally see things as they are. Any form of Contemplation practice is bound to bear fruit. The practice itself is the result.
May all beings be peaceful.
Gassho,
Wade